The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that the Armed Forces managed to disable 74 facilities of Ukraine's military infrastructure after their attacks, including 11 airfields, three command posts, an operation post of the Ukrainian Navy and 18 radar stations. of the S-300 and Buk-M1 air defense complexes.
In addition, a combat helicopter and four Bayraktar TB2 drones were shot down, said Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.
Konashenkov claimed that a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-25 plane crashed due to piloting error. The pilot managed to eject.
At the same time, he indicated that "mainly armed groups of nationalists are resisting" in the regions where fighting is taking place. Meanwhile, members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "try to avoid clashes and agree on corridors for the unarmed exit from the area of operation."
According to his words, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu instructed to treat the Ukrainian military with respect.
“The order underlines: 'taking into account that the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, unlike nationalists, took an oath to the Ukrainian people and obeyed orders, treat them with respect. Elaborate the creation of security corridors for the departure of the Ukrainian military who laid down arms in the regions where the operation is being carried out so that (they go with) their families”, Konashénkov affirmed.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to conduct "a special military operation" to defend Donbass. "I have made the decision to carry out a special military operation," the president declared during a special message to Russian citizens, detailing that the objective of the operation is "to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.”
The breakup occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation in eastern Ukraine. Photo: EFE.
The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, announced Thursday that his country is breaking diplomatic relations with Russia after the military operation in Donbass, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This morning has gone down in history, but this history is absolutely different for our country and for Russia. We have severed diplomatic relations with Russia," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also stressed that the Ukrainian Army is engaged in "heavy fighting" throughout the national geography from "the Donbass to other regions of the east, north and south."
He also stressed that the state bank and the Ukrainian financial system have "sufficient resources" to guarantee the defense of the state and "the interests of Ukrainian citizens."
The break in relations occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation in eastern Ukraine with the aim of protecting people from "abuse and genocide" which, he said, they are subjected by the Ukrainian government for eight years.
“The Donbass people's republics approached Russia with a request for help. In connection with this (...) I made the decision to conduct a special military operation. Its goal is to protect people who are subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years, and for this we will seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and bring to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against peaceful people, including Russian nationals”, Putin alleged in a televised speech.
Putin noted that Russia does not plan the occupation of Ukrainian territories, but supports the right of the peoples of Ukraine to self-determination.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed that the Russian military does not carry out offensives against the cities of the neighboring country, noting that the only targets are detachments of Ukrainian troops.
Following Zelensky's statements, the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti that the decision to break off diplomatic relations "is the logical conclusion of its Russophobic policy" and was not Moscow's choice.
US President Joe Biden offered a message on Thursday about the military operation launched by Russia to defend Donbass. At the beginning of his speech, the US president accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of being an "aggressor" and stressed: "We have been transparent with the world; we have shared declassified evidence about Russia's plans, cyberattacks and false pretexts."
"Today I am authorizing strong additional sanctions, and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia," the US president told.
"This is going to impose a severe cost on the Russian economy both immediately and over time," he added. “Putin chose war. Now, he and his country are going to suffer the consequences," he reiterated, asserting that the US sanctions are going to "degrade its aerospace industry, including its space program."
In particular, Biden announced sanctions against several banks, with assets valued at $1 trillion, including VTB, with $250 billion in assets. "Every asset they have will be frozen," he stressed.
Moreover, the president indicated that he has achieved a coordinated position with the leaders of the United Kingdom, the European Union and Japan. “I just spoke to the G7 leaders this morning and we are in complete and complete agreement. We will limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen, to be part of the global economy," he said.
Another target of US sanctions are Russian state companies, whose access to the debt market will be blocked. In addition, Washington will restrict half of technological imports, as well as the trade of certain goods, to prevent the modernization of Russian industry.
Likewise, Biden announced a new deployment of ground and air forces on the eastern flank of NATO, although he reiterated that US troops would not participate in a direct conflict in Ukraine. “Our forces do not participate and will not participate in the conflict,” he assured. "Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the east," he stressed.
In the early hours of Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had decided to carry out "a special military operation" to defend Donbass. During a special message to Russian citizens, the president explained that the objective of the operation is "to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.
"Shortly afterward, Biden called the operation an "unprovoked and unwarranted attack on Ukraine" and argued that Russia is solely "responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring."
For his part, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, announced a package of economic sanctions "largest and most severe" that Russia "has ever seen".
The freezing of the assets of all the main Russian banks, including VTB, one of the main universal banks of Russia and the largest in terms of authorized capital, as well as the prohibition of the operations in the United Kingdom of the airline Aeroflot, the flag carrier of Russia are among the measures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on Thursday on the start of the special military operation for the protection of Donbass and stated that before it "so many risks were created in the security aspect that it was impossible to react with other measures”.
“The most important thing is to make it clear that what is happening (in Ukraine) is a measure that we were forced to take. They simply did not leave us the option to act in another way," the president said.
At the same time, the Russian president said he is "frankly surprised," referring to the lack of progress in consultations with the West on security guarantees in Europe. “They didn't advance one millimeter on a single issue,” he said.
“I want to underline it once again: a measure to which we were forced. Because they could create so many risks for us that it is not clear how the country would exist,” he stressed.
“Russia remains a part of the world economy”
“All of us understand what world we live in,” the president said, adding that they were preparing for “what is happening now from the point of view of restrictions and sanctions policy.”
However, "Russia continues to be a part of the world economy and, in this sense, since it continues to be a part, we are not going to harm the system in which we feel integrated," he reiterated. Regarding the actions of other countries, he said "our partners must understand it and not have the objective of getting us out of this system."
Earlier on Thursday, Putin announced his decision to conduct "a special military operation" to defend Donbass.
"I have made the decision to carry out a special military operation," the president declared during a special message to Russian citizens, detailing that the objective of the operation is "to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.”
The Russian Defense Ministry assured that the Russian Armed Forces are targeting the Ukrainian military infrastructure and are not attacking the surrendered troops or the civilian population.
The President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, offered a new press conference on the situation in the country after hours of the special Russian military operation.
After describing the conflict as "a new iron curtain that (...) separates Russia from the civilized world", the president said: "Our national task is that this curtain crosses not through our Ukrainian territory, but into the house of the Russians".
Regarding the military situation, Zelensky asserted that an "operational pause" has been established on most of the fronts and the most difficult fighting is taking place in the south of the country, especially in the city of Kherson and in the Melitopol area.
Russia "has already begun to receive the first sanctions" and "a big package with the most powerful sanctions in world history" awaits it, the Ukrainian president said, adding:
Zelensky noted that Ukraine "proposes to return to the path of peace," and called on Ukrainians to enlist in territorial defense militias and help volunteers and doctors.