Monday, February 28, 2022
On Sunday, a suspected Russian missile strike was carried out on a civilian oil terminal located in Vasilkiv, near Kyiv, Ukraine. The incident was reported by Ukrainian Member of Parliament Anna Purtova. She described this deadly incident as an “environmental catastrophe”. The oil facility was located just 39 kilometers (24 mi) from Kyiv.
Apart from this, Russian troops were spotted in different locations in and around the city of Kharkiv. A gas pipeline was also blown up by Russian troops in Kharkiv yesterday before daybreak. The Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Synyehubov advised citizens not to go outside and stated “the Russian enemy’s light vehicles have broken into Kharkiv, including the city centre”.
On Saturday, Russian troops conducted a missile strike on a high-rise residential building in Kyiv which injured at least 6 people.
The Kremlin had sent a diplomatic delegation to Belarus, offering talks with Ukraine. The proposal was initially rejected by Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Belarus was complicit in the invasion and Ukraine would like to hold talks elsewhere.
Today, Ukraine has accepted the proposal for talks with the Russian Federation on the Belarusian border. The Ukrainian Presidential Office has confirmed the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had called Zelensky earlier Sunday.
The United States and its allies have initiated the transfer of arms and weapons to support Ukraine and imposed numerous sanctions to affect Russia financially. On Saturday, it was announced several Russian banks would be removed from the SWIFT international payment system, resulting in its disconnection from the international financial system. It was also decided to impose ‘restrictive measures’ on the Central Bank of Russia to prevent it from undermining the impact of the sanctions from the West.
The leaders of the European Commission and the United States said in a joint statement they “will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin”.
Google and Facebook have barred the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT News from receiving money from advertisements.
The Kremlin said Russian troops were advancing “in all directions” and Putin thanked the Russian Special Forces who were carrying out the operation in Ukraine. Sources also reveal Putin directed his nuclear deterrence forces to stay on high alert, citing “aggressive statements” by NATO and tough financial sanctions from the West and its allies. The Ukrainian presidential advisor, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said over 3,500 Russian troops were killed in action or wounded. Russia has not yet released any casualty figures.