Selenskyj sends announcement to Russia - Now it is known that EU sanctions hit prominent Putin confidant
Created: 2022-02-23Updated: 2022-02-23, 5:20 p.m
By: Cindy Boden, Stephanie Munk
The Ukraine conflict is terrifying the world.
Putin sharpens his tone, Ukraine is preparing for war.
The current developments in the news ticker.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict*: In Ukraine, the
Border protection rules at the Russian border tightened
(see update from February 23, 1:45 p.m.).
The Ukrainian President wants to counter Russian aggression
(see update from February 23, 2:25 p.m.).
Great Britain considers a Russian attack on Kiev to be very likely
(see update from February 23, 12.40 p.m.).
This
news ticker on the Ukraine crisis
is continuously updated.
All information about the conflict can be found
here
.
Update from February 23, 5 p.m.:
On Wednesday, in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, there were renewed cyber attacks on the websites of the Ukrainian government and national banks.
“Around 4:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. CET) another massive DDoS attack on our state began,” announced Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov via the Telegram news channel.
Parliament's website, the government portal and the Foreign Ministry's website were either unavailable or difficult to access late in the afternoon.
Already in January there were several cyber attacks on the Ukrainian government.
In Kiev, Russia is suspected to be behind the attacks.
Update from February 23, 4:27 p.m .:
In view of the escalation in the Ukraine conflict, EU Council President Charles Michel convened a special summit of heads of state and government.
The meeting in Brussels will begin this Thursday at 8 p.m., according to the Belgian’s invitation letter published on Wednesday.
Ukraine conflict: EU wants to impose sanctions - including Putin confidante
Update from February 23, 4 p.m.:
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is said to be among the people against whom the EU wants to impose sanctions on Wednesday.
This was confirmed by several EU diplomats from the German Press Agency in Brussels.
The EU wanted to formally adopt the sanctions on Wednesday afternoon.
The sanctions should then be published in the EU Official Journal.
The sanctions would then be in effect.
The foreign ministers of the EU countries had already reached a political agreement on the sanctions package on Tuesday evening.
It envisages putting the 351 members of the Russian parliament on the EU sanctions list, who initiated the recognition of the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
In addition, there are 27 individuals and organizations who contribute to undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
In addition, the Russian state's access to the EU financial markets is to be curtailed and the EU's trade with the breakaway regions is to be restricted.
All assets in the EU of persons and organizations that are on the EU sanctions list will be frozen.
In addition, listed persons are no longer allowed to enter the EU, and no more business can be done with those affected.
Ukraine conflict: Russia announces tough countermeasures to sanctions
Update from February 23, 2:48 p.m .:
Russia has announced tough countermeasures in response to the US sanctions in the Ukraine crisis *.
"There should be no doubt that there will be a tough response to the sanctions, which will not necessarily be symmetrical, but will be well-calculated and painful for the American side," the Russian foreign ministry said.
US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he would impose financial sanctions on Moscow over the escalation of Russia's crackdown on Ukraine.
Ukraine conflict with Russia - Zelenskyj: "We have clear plans and our reaction will be appropriate"
Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy © Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa --/Ukrinform/dpa
Update from February 23, 2:25 p.m .:
The President of Ukraine speaks of “complicated times” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
At a press conference with his counterparts from Lithuania and Poland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "We are unanimous in assessing these crimes.
This is nothing more than aggression and crimes against Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.” With its behavior, Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Minsk Agreement and thus rejected international efforts to settle the conflict in Donbass peacefully.
Zelenskyj demands that the reactions of the international community are "clear and unequivocal".
Ukraine welcomes the new sanctions against Russia.
And: "We also welcome Germany's decision to put the certification of Nord Stream 2 on hold." Zelenskyj emphasizes that the pipeline is a "weapon" "directed against Ukraine and all of Europe".
The main thing now is to counteract the aggression and see to it that it is settled.
"It is important to prevent future escalation," said the Ukrainian President.
When asked what Putin might be up to, Zelenskyy said quite succinctly: "I don't know what the Russian president is up to.
But I know exactly what our army will do.
We have clear plans and our reaction will be accordingly.”
Conflict with Russia: Ukrainian border guards issue several bans
Update from February 23, 1:45 p.m .:
Russia has sharply criticized statements by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the situation in the embattled eastern Ukraine.
"To our great regret, the UN Secretary-General (...) bowed to pressure from the West and recently issued several statements on events in eastern Ukraine that do not correspond to his status and powers under the UN Charter," said Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations must maintain neutrality and is "always obliged to advocate direct dialogue between the conflicting states," said Lavrov.
Guterres condemned Russia on Tuesday for the escalation in the Ukraine conflict and called for compliance with international law.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian border guard has issued several bans against the background of a feared Russian attack on Ukraine.
Above all, staying near the borders with Russia, Belarus and the eastern Ukrainian separatist areas is prohibited at night, the authority announced on Wednesday.
Video and photo recordings of border protection installations and other border protection objects are also prohibited.
Foreigners are not allowed to stay in the border strip.
Ships have been banned from leaving the Black Sea and Azov Seas in the south and south-east of Ukraine at night.
However, the rules may differ from region to region depending on the current risk assessment.
The Ukrainian Security Council had also announced the imposition of a state of emergency across the country for an initial 30 days
(see update from February 23, 11:29 a.m.)
.
Parliament still had to approve it.
Approval was taken for granted.
Bochum is also currently looking at the partner city of Donetsk with concern:
ruhr24.de *
reports more on this .
Ukraine conflict: probability of a Russian attack on Kiev high?
Update from February 23, 12:40 p.m .:
The British government classifies the probability of a Russian attack on Kiev as high.
"We think it is very likely that he will carry out his plan for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Sky News, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When asked if the Russian army would advance on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, she replied: "We think it's very likely that this is part of his plans." On Monday, Putin recognized the independence of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and the deployment announced by Russian soldiers.
According to Truss, it is unclear whether this has already happened.
"We don't yet have complete evidence that this happened," she said.
The current situation is "unclear".
This image distributed by the Russian state agency TASS shows military vehicles moving in the Rostov region on February 22.
© Stringer/TASS/dpa
News on the Ukraine conflict: warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe
Update from February 23, 12:24 p.m .:
A leading aid organization in Ukraine warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in view of the recent escalation with Russia.
Communities and families have been divided by the frontline in eastern Ukraine for the past eight years, said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
As military and political tensions mounted, thousands of families would be separated indefinitely.
"There is too little attention to this looming humanitarian catastrophe," criticized Egeland, who recently traveled to eastern Ukraine to get an idea of the situation on the ground.
The affected communities are exhausted by the conflict and need humanitarian support and peaceful solutions instead of weapons, the Norwegian reported.
The NRC is Norway's largest charity.
He has been active in Ukraine since 2014 to provide more than 700,000 people with food, shelter and water, among other things.
According to the NRC, 2.9 million people are dependent on aid there in 2022, 1.3 million of them in government-controlled areas and 1.6 million in those not controlled by government troops.
Conflict with Russia: Security Council of Ukraine announces state of emergency
Update from February 23, 11:29 a.m .:
In view of the escalating conflict with Russia, the Ukrainian Security Council has announced that a state of emergency will be declared for the entire country.
This initially refers to the next 30 days, said the Secretary of the Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, on Wednesday in Kiev.
Among other things, curfews are possible.
Increased police presence and the right to arbitrary checks of people and cars would also be permitted.
Parliament's approval is still pending, but is considered certain.
A special state of emergency has been in force in the eastern Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian parliament approved a change in the law that would make it easier for civilians to use weapons in self-defense.
The final second reading could follow soon.
Putin sends martial video message in the morning - Ukraine calls on citizens to leave Russia immediately
First report from February 23:
Moscow/Kiev - The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has further intensified, a Russian invasion of Ukraine is becoming more and more likely.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* has now published a video message in which he announces the mobilization of reservists.
"We need to operationally replenish the army and other military formations," he said.
There will also be military exercises in the area defense units.
The mobilization affects reservists between the ages of 18 and 60 for a maximum period of one year, the Ukrainian armed forces said on Facebook.
Selenskyi ordered the convocation by decree, but ruled out general mobilization.
In the face of an imminent invasion by Putin, Ukraine has also urged its citizens to leave Russia.
Because a "possible Russian aggression" could lead to the restriction of consular work, "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on those who are in Russia to leave the country immediately," the ministry said in Kiev on Wednesday, February 23.
Earlier estimates put the number of Ukrainians living in Russia, either permanently or temporarily, at more than three million.
Ukraine-Russia conflict: Putin addresses soldiers with martial speech
Russia's President Vladimir Putin* used a Russian holiday to speak via video message about the escalating Ukraine conflict and chose martial words.
Russia's interests are "non-negotiable," Putin said in the speech he gave on Defender of the Fatherland Day.
"Today, ensuring our country's defense capability remains the most important state task," said the President.
He praised the Russian army's combat readiness and announced that Russia would continue to work on state-of-the-art weapon systems.
These are "really the weapons of the future, which significantly increase the combat potential of our armed forces".
Putin accused the West of ignoring Russian security interests and blamed it for the escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
"Our country is always open to direct and open dialogue, to seeking diplomatic solutions to the most difficult problems," Putin said.
"But I repeat: the interests of Russia and the safety of our citizens are unconditional for us."
Putin criticized his call for guarantees that the security of one country would not come at the expense of another, and had so far gone unanswered.
Among other things, Russia is demanding an end to the eastward expansion of NATO and, in particular, that neighboring Ukraine should not be included in the military alliance.
Putin had already shaken on Monday with a speech in which he accused Ukraine of bizarre plans *.
Ukraine-Russia conflict: Zelenskyj wants to strengthen the economy to defy Putin
At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is launching a program to increase economic independence.
This includes the reduction in VAT for petrol and diesel.
He announced a meeting with the 150 most important entrepreneurs and urged all business people to stay in the country.
In addition, Kiev is working on a summit of permanent members of the UN Security Council together with Turkey and Germany, he said.
Permanent members include the US, UK, France, China and Russia.
Putin recognized the independence of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine on Monday and announced that Russian soldiers would be sent there.
In response, the US and EU enacted sweeping financial sanctions against Russia* and the separatists.
Germany stopped the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project for the time being.
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