Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Russia invades Ukraine, Putin cites ‘genocide’ in Donbas

Photograph: Kremlin.ru

Several explosions have been reported across Ukraine, as Russian troops launched offensives across the region in the early hours of this morning.

More than 40 Ukranian troops are reported to have been killed so far.

The move by Russia comes following weeks of growing tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, with Western states recently imposing a range of different sanctions on Russian individuals.

Announcing the “special military operation” earlier this morning, Russian president Vladmir Putin warned that Moscow's response will be "instant" if any other nation attempted to take Russian on.

It comes days after Putin recognised the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. Earlier in the week, the Russian president claimed that “what is happening in the Donbas today is genocide”.

The latest Russian action has been condemned by Western states.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Putin "has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack".

Germany's economy minister warned Robert Habeck said Europe was awar "that we thought was only to find in history books".

And US President Joe Biden said Putin had "chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering".

Read more from the BBC here and the New York Times here.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.