Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called "a special military operation" against Ukraine on Feb. 24, de facto declaring war on the country. Putin claimed to have “no ill intentions towards neighboring countries” and denied firing missiles on civil infrastructure during what he called a campaign to “disarm and
A message was shared in the diplomatic circles on Feb. 27 that Belarus airborne forces were preparing to invade Ukraine. Unnamed Belarusian opposition journalists were said to be the source. According to the report, Belarus special forces were boarding planes on Feb. 27, preparing for deployment in or near Kyiv
Citing unsubstantiated reports about Ukraine's aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Russian-occupied territories in Ukrainian Donbas as independent states. Putin made the final call on Feb. 21, in a televised address hours after holding a Security Council meeting that discussed the matter. The council members unanimously spoke in favor of
U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was confident that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to further invade Ukraine. “We have reasons to believe that Russian forces are planning to attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days,” Biden said during a press briefing
The U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss came to Kyiv on Feb. 17 in a visit that was scheduled for early February but got delayed when Truss tested positive for Covid-19. While in Ukraine, Truss condemned the ongoing Russian military escalation, announced the cancelation of “golden visas” for the rich
The leaders of France and Germany tried to push Ukraine to comply with the Russian spin of the Minsk Agreements during their recent visits to Kyiv, sources in the Ukrainian government and foreign emissaries told the Kyiv Independent. The diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing security crisis came as Russia
Canadian embassy will relocate to Lviv, a city 530 kilometers west of Kyiv, amid the growing threat of a further Russian invasion, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 12. “Given the continued deterioration of the security situation, we will be moving our operations to a temporary office in
The U.S. State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential employees and the family members of diplomats stationed at the Kyiv embassy, on Jan. 23, citing potential Russian military escalation. “There are reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine," the statement reads. "The security conditions, particularly along
The U.S. Department of the Treasury updated its list of sanctioned individuals on Jan. 20 by including four Ukrainian pro-Kremlin politicians to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The Kremlin-linked individuals were sanctioned because they “engaged in Russian government-directed influence activities to destabilize Ukraine,” according to the
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Jan. 19 that he thought that Russia would invade Ukraine, giving the strongest acknowledgment of the invasion threat so far. "I'm not sure that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is certain what he's going to do. My guess is he will move in. He
Six hours into ex-President Petro Poroshenko's arrest hearing on Jan. 17, the judge left for the chambers, allegedly for a 20-minute break. He never reappeared in the courtroom. After nearly six hours without the judge, the hearing was postponed until Jan. 19. Poroshenko left the courthouse. "I'll see you all
The State Investigation Bureau has charged former President Petro Poroshenko with high treason on Dec. 20. The detectives suspect Poroshenko of involvement in the organization of coal supplies to Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises from Russian-occupied areas in the Donbas in 2014-2015. Poroshenko has earlier denied wrongdoing. On Dec. 17, the
Three-division boxing champion Vasyl Lomachenko defeated Ghanaian lightweight Richard Commey by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 11. Though Commey went down to Lomachenko's left hook in the seventh, the late-night World Boxing Organization intercontinental title fight ran for the full 12 rounds. It
