We have summarized the first day of the full-scale war that Russia started in Ukraine. Here’s what happened on Thursday, February 24.
Around 4 a.m. Minsk time on February 24, Ukrainians woke up to the sounds of explosions as Russia decided to carry out an armed attack on Ukraine.
Even though Vladimir Putin had announced a military operation in Donbas, the attacks were carried out immediately in 10 regions of Ukraine, primarily in the east and south of the country.
Martial law was imposed in Ukraine, and the airspace over the country was closed. Belarus also partially closed its airspace. Some flights from Minsk airport were canceled.
The president of Ukraine and leaders of Western countries announced the creation of an “anti-Putin coalition.” Joe Biden said that there was a complete rupture between Russia and the United States. The U.S. president also said he had no plans to negotiate with Putin. At the same time, Biden promised “devastating sanctions packages” against Russia. As for the American troops, the U.S. president said that they would not fight in Ukraine, but the eastern direction would be strengthened. Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Romania would get help. Additional U.S. troops have been sent to Germany.
Rallies in support of Ukraine and against Russian aggression were held in several countries worldwide. People also rallied in Russia, but the police detained many. The Russian Interior Ministry reported more than 600 detainees.
Russian troops have seized complete control of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Chernobyl zone, Chernobyl sites, and Zmiinyi Island in Odesa Oblast have also been captured.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health reported that as a result of the Russian army’s attack during the first day of the war, 57 people were killed, and 169 were wounded.
Oleksiy Arestovich, the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said that nearly 400 Russians were killed during the first day of the war.
According to Daniil Menshikov, head of the Lviv customs office, men between 18 and 60 are no longer allowed out of Ukraine.
Poland has set up reception points for refugees in the Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships bordering Ukraine.
Due to Belarus’ participation in the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, decided on February 24 to officially assume the duties of a representative of Belarus. Based on the authority granted “by the Belarusian people as a result of the presidential election of 2020,” Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya took “upon herself the responsibility from today to defend the independence and national interests of the Republic of Belarus.”
On the morning, February 24, Alyaksandr Lukashenka held an emergency meeting with the Armed Forces of Belarus leadership at the Palace of Independence. He said that he had asked Putin to keep the Russian troops in Belarus and that there were no Belarusian troops in Ukraine, but if necessary, they would be there. He called the Ukrainian defense minister a scoundrel and said that the “referendum” was not canceled.
belsat.eu
