In a dramatic escalation of East-West tensions over Russia invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered the implementation place Russian nuclear forces on maximum alert sunday in response to what he called “aggressive statements” leading NATO powers.
The order means that Putin ordered the preparation of Russian nuclear weapons for increased launch readiness, increasing the menace that tensions could boil over in nuclear war. By giving it, the Russian leader also cited hard-hit financial sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, including Putin himself.
Speaking in a meeting with his top officials, Putin ruled Russia defense minister and the boss of the militarythe general staff to put the forces of nuclear deterrence in a “special diet of combat duty.”
“Western countries don’t just do hostile actions against our country in the economic sphere, but senior civil servants leading NATO members made aggressive statements about our country,” Putin said. in TV commentaries.
The Russian leader this week threatened to retaliate harshly against all the nations that intervened directly in the dispute in Ukraine, and he specifically mentioned the specter of the status of son country as a nuclear power power.
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations responded to the news of Moscow during son appearance on a Sunday news program.
“President Putin continues to escalate this war in in a totally unacceptable way,” said Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “And we must continue to condemn his actions in the strongest, the strongest possible way.”
The alarming step came like street fighting broke out out in Ukraine second-most grand city and Russian troops squeezed strategic ports in the south of the country, progress which seemed to mark a new phase of Russia invasion following a vague of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere in the country.
The capital, Kyiv was eerily quiet after huge ignited explosions up the morning sky and authorities reported explosions at one of the airports. Only occasionally car appeared on a desert main boulevard as a strict 39-hour curfew is maintained people off the streets. Terrified residents instead squatting down in homesunderground garages and metro stations in anticipation of a large-scale Russian fullassault.
“The past the night was hard – more bombing raid, more bombing raid of residential areas and civil infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “There is not a single facility in the country that the occupiers would not consider eligible targets.”
Following his gains in the east in the city of Kharkiv and several ports, Russia sent a delegation to Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Zelensky suggested other locations saying that son country was unwilling to meet in Belarus because it served as a gathering place for the invasion.
Ukrainian forces secured full control of Kharkov on following sunday street combat with Russian troops in that of the country second most grand city said the local governor.
“Kharkiv is completely under our control,” said the head of regional administration Oleg Sinegubov said on messaging app Telegram, adding that the military was expelling Russian forces in a “cleanse”.up” transaction.
Earlier on Sunday, he said Russian forces light vehicles burst into the city, with fight break out in the streets. Sinegubov said the Russian troops were “absolutely demoralized”.
He said the Russian forces were abandoning their vehicles “in the middle of the road” and the groups of five were surrendering to the Ukrainian army.
“As soon as they see at least one representing of the armed forces, they surrender,” Sinegubov said.
He said that “tens” of Russian soldiers to have already rendered.
“Captured Russian fighters speak of complete exhaustion and demoralization, they have no relation with the central command, they do not understand and do not understand know what theyre doing next”, said the governor of Kharkiv.
“From the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, they haven’t received any food or water,” he said. added. “Leaving the positions, the Russian fighters try to hide among the civilian population asking people for clothes and food.”
