Ukraine: a chronicle of events on February 24 – Rosbalt

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in his morning speech 24 February announced the start of a special military operation in the Donbass. “The people’s republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help. In this regard (…) I have decided to conduct a special military operation,” he said.

Also, the President of Russia urged the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms. The Russian leader said that their ancestors did not defend “our Motherland in order for today’s neo-Nazis to seize power in Ukraine.” “I urge you to immediately lay down your arms and go home,” Putin said.

Over the past day, we have tried to collect the most important and interesting events that followed this statement. In connection with the warning of Roskomnadzor about the responsibility of the media for disseminating knowingly false information about the course of the special operation, we were forced to use information and data obtained only from official Russian sources.

At about 7 a.m. Moscow time, the airspace over Ukraine was announced to be closed. Later, similar measures were taken in relation to a number of regions over the Russian Federation.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the introduction of martial law throughout the country. This decision was later approved by the Verkhovna Rada. Later, Zelensky announced the break in diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Russia. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry began the procedure for breaking off relations and announced the evacuation of the embassy in Moscow.

Already at about 9 a.m., the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were suppressed, the infrastructure of the air bases was basically disabled, and the Ukrainian border guards “did not offer any resistance.” Later, information appeared that the “cordoners” had moved away from the border line with the Russian Federation.

According to data reported by the representative of the Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov, as a result of Russian strikes, 74 ground objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine were disabled, including 11 airfields of the Air Force, three command posts, a naval base and 18 radar stations of the S-300 air defense systems. and Buk-M1. A Ukrainian combat helicopter and 4 Bayraktar TB-2 attack drones were shot down.

He also noted that the military units of the People’s Militia of the DPR moved towards
Volnovakha to a depth of up to seven kilometers from the previous line of contact, and reported the accident of the Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Air Force – the pilot successfully ejected.

The CSTO troops will not be involved in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This was announced on the sidelines of the Kazakh Senate by the speaker of the chamber, Maulen Ashimbayev.

Rosmorrechflot reported that shipping in the Sea of ​​Azov was canceled from the morning of February 24 until further notice, and the Council of Ministers of Crimea informed about its temporary suspension in the Kerch Strait.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko proposed Minsk as a platform for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, denied information about the participation of the Belarusian Armed Forces in the “invasion” of Ukraine, and also said that the issue of recognizing the DPR and LPR “is on the agenda.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Moscow’s recognition of the DPR and LPR does not change anything for the alliance between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry noted that the presence of Russian troops in some regions of Ukraine is not an invasion, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on Twitter that the crisis around Ukraine was caused by “NATO provocations.”

NATO issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine, which said that “Russia’s actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security and will have geostrategic consequences.”

The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, informed that he had given the command to prepare the North Crimean Canal to receive water from the Dnieper.

The FSB department for the Krasnodar Territory reported. that two Russian civilian cargo ships were subjected to a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sea of ​​Azov, there are wounded.

NATO member states have agreed to apply a defense plan that provides for the deployment of response forces in the countries of the Alliance. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the online summit on Ukraine will take place on February 25. As Stoltenberg noted, there are no NATO forces on the territory of Ukraine. There are no plans to send Alliance troops there either.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s military special operation, “in addition to violating the Minsk agreements, is a gross violation of international law and poses a serious threat to the security of our region and the whole world.”

According to Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Russia’s special operation “is a serious violation of international law and order.”

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, in the Kiev region, between the villages of Trypillya and Zhukivtsi, a plane of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fell. Five of the 14 military personnel on board were killed.

The head of European diplomacy, Joselle Borrell, said that at the moment there are no communications between the EU and Russia

Price per 1 thousand cubic meters m of gas in Europe reached $1450, sometimes exceeding $1500. The day before, February 23, after the close of trading, the price was at the level of $1,041 per 1,000 cubic meters. m.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the Russian operation in Ukraine is not the beginning of the war, but its end. She also dismissed Western claims that Russia had abandoned the talks as untrue.

Pope Francis called on all parties involved in the conflict “to refrain from any action that could lead to more suffering for the peoples.”

The head of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, criticized a number of cultural figures who oppose the operation in Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has announced a curfew in the city from 10 pm to 7 am.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said at a briefing that Russia is turning into an “analogue of the DPR” for the world community. “Russia has already begun to receive the first sanctions from a large package of sanctions, the most powerful in world history,” Zelensky said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists on Russia being cut off from the SWIFT international payment system, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned him that neither Germany nor the European Union as a whole would support such sanctions, the Financial Times reports citing its sources.

Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Onufry called on the President of Russia to stop the war against Ukraine.

By the end of the day, General Konashenkov announced that all the tasks set for February 24 had been completed. According to him, two Su-27s and two Su-24s were added to the downed Ukrainian aircraft. Russian troops, the general noted, reached Kherson, having unblocked the North Crimean Canal.

US President Joe Biden said allies are ready to impose a “crushing” package of sanctions against Russia. He said this after a meeting with the leaders of the G7, where he discussed “President Putin’s unjustified attack on Ukraine.”

The State Border Service of Ukraine announced the loss of control over the Zmeiny Island in the Black Sea.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization in Ukraine “in order to ensure the defense of the state, maintain the combat and mobilization readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations.”