27-02-22, 19:25
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#54
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re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
Vladimir Putin Puts Russias' NUCLEAR Deterrent Forces on HIGH Alert Over Tensions With West
It comes as Ukrainian intelligence has learned from within Belarus that “special ops” troops have been spotted loading up planes for a MAJOR ATTACK
Peace talks over Ukraine: President Zelensky says delegation from Kyiv and Russia will meet on the Belarus border after Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on 'alert', furious at 'aggressive NATO' and being ejected from Swift banking community
Daily Mirror 27 FEB 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Russian nuclear deterrent forces on high alert amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
Putin told state TV that NATO powers have made "aggressive statements" along with the West imposing hard-hitting financial sanctions against Russia, including the president himself.
He ordered the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty".
The US Ambassador to the United Nations says Putin's order shows the Russian leader is "escalating conflict in a manner that is unacceptable".
Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable. "We have to continue to stem his actions in the strongest possible way."
Putin is said to becoming increasingly frustrated at the slower-than-expected pace of the invasion as Russian troops have so far failed to capture the capital of Kyiv.
Follow the latest updates on Russia's invasion of Ukraine in our live blog
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk region
Overnight, Russian troops and tanks entered Kharki, triggering a fight on the streets for Ukraine's second city.
The military also blew up a natural gas pipeline close to the northeastern city overnight, prompting warnings of an "environmental catastrophe" by Ukrainian authorities, before their forces breached its perimeters.
Speaking on state TV, Putin said:
"As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in the economic dimension - I mean the illegal sanctions that everyone knows about very well - but also the top officials of leading NATO countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country."
Putin's nightmare as OWN team abandons him and Russians flee to avoid conscription
Ukrainian interrupts live TV broadcast and vows to 'f*** Russians up'
Putin's order to put Russian forces on high alert is part of a pattern of Moscow manufacturing threats to justify its escalating aggression, a White House official has said.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki told ABC today: "We've seen him do this time and time again. At no point has Russia been under threat from NATO, has Russia been under threat from Ukraine.
"This is all a pattern from President Putin and we're going to stand up to it. We have the ability to defend ourselves, but we also need to call out what we're seeing here from President Putin."
Today's escalation comes as Belarus special forces are believed to be preparing to assault the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the Daily Mirror can reveal.
Ukrainian intelligence has learned from within Belarus that “special ops” troops have been spotted loading up planes for a major attack.
A senior Ukrainian source told the Daily Mirror: “If this happens it will mean Belarus has openly joined Russia in its invasion of sovereign Ukraine.
Ukrainian tanks move on a road before an attack in Lugansk region on 26 February
“We believe they are being targeted at Kyiv and Zhytomir.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also refused to enter negotiations.
Earlier today, a senior Tory MP warned that Russia "could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine".
Mr Ellwood, chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee urged the Government to start rolling out sanctions "every day" on Russia to block Putin's political ambitions in Ukraine.
Vitali Klitschko says Russian troops are 12 miles from Kyiv
Mr Ellwood told BBC: "If I have a concern I would not put it beyond Putin to stoop to radical tactics to secure victory. He can't fail and the stakes are very very high indeed.
"We need to continue to support Ukraine not just with hard power but with humanitarian aid as well.
Ukrainian death toll as Russian invasion sparks bloodshed
The unprovoked invasion of neighbouring Ukraine by Russian forces on the command of President Vladimir Putin has sparked bloodshed and chaos.
With Putin's troops shelling cities across Ukraine and the nation's army vowing to fight to the death to defend their land, observers fear the death toll will be enormous.
So far, it has been confirmed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky that 137 civilians and military personnel were killed in the country on the first day of the Russian invasion.
In an address to his people, Mr Zelensky revealed a further 316 had been wounded in the fighting.
The death toll is set to rise as, on the night of February 25, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar claimed nearly 3,000 Russian servicemen had died during the first two days of the deep invasion
She wrote in a Facebook post that "the troops of the invading country have suffered the following losses (approximately) as of 3pm Friday", before going on to list "up to 80" tanks; 516 "armoured combat vehicles of various types"; 10 aircraft; seven helicopters and 2,800 "special staff" she claims were among the losses suffered by Russia.
Meanwhile, the official Twitter page of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed in a tweet that "today the number of losses from the occupying forces of the Russian Federation is more than 1 thousand."
These claims have not yet been independently verified.
"We also put pressure on Russia. I don't think a day should go by when a new initiative isn’t announced.
"Today we've rolled out limits on Swift. Tomorrow all of Europe should send home Russian ambassadors back to Moscow.
"Let's invite Sweden and Finland to join Nato.
"For months we’ve been playing catch up. We must now start to control the agenda."
EU Shuts Down Airspace to Russia and Will Give Weapons to Ukraine For First Time
Russian airlines to be banned from most European airspace
Germany to set up €100bn fund to boost its military strength
Guardian News
'For the first time ever the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to a country under attack, said the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as she announced the bloc's commitment to support the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.
The EU will also shut down its airspace for any and all Russian aircraft and 'in another unprecedented step' ruled it will ban Russian-state backed television channels RT and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, so that the Kremlin media machine 'will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our union'
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