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Invasion

Russia pummels Ukraine with air strikes as troops march deep into the country, advancing into downtown Kyiv

Before dawn, Moscow time, on Thursday, February 24, Russian state television broadcast a speech by Vladimir Putin where the president announced the start of a “special military operation” in the Donbas (the area of eastern Ukraine claimed by separatists whose independence Moscow recognized earlier this week). Putin said the purpose of the military operation is to protect residents who “have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for the past eight years.” The Russian president claimed that Moscow does not plan to occupy Ukrainian soil (dismissing Kyiv’s sovereignty over the Donbas), but he also called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and “go home.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:22:50

Multiple journalists in Kyiv report hearing explosions, including the “distant loud noises similar to the firing of artillery.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:23:20

Flashes of light recorded over Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:33:17

In his speech on Thursday morning, Putin argued that Russia’s military operation in eastern Ukraine complies with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter on the right to self-defense:

Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:37:51

President Joe Biden has released a statement on the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, indicating that the White House plans to unleash the rest of planned U.S. sanctions against Russia on Thursday morning, local time.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:40:17

Explosions recorded outside Mariupol.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:41:31

A fire is burning in Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:50:21

At a speech in New York, Russia’s permanent UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, is arguing that Russia’s demands for an end to “provocations” against the Donbas separatists were ignored. He says there was still hope last week that Ukraine would “come to its senses” and enter into a direct dialogue with the separatist leadership, but Kyiv did not take the steps that Moscow believes were necessary.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:51:17

There are no civilian aircraft in the skies over Ukraine right now.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:51:59

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry confirms that Kyiv is under attack from cruise and ballistic missiles.

24 февраля 2022 г. 05:58:20

Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov reports that there have been attacks against military installations throughout Ukraine. Russia’s first wave mainly targeted air-defense units, air bases, and control systems.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:00:09

Journalist Andrey Tsaplienko reports that Russian troops have crossed the Ukrainian border outside the city of Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:01:13

The sounds of explosions have been reported in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are the centers of the two separatist “republics” in eastern Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:07:39

What’s happened by 6 a.m., Moscow time (11 p.m., New York time)

Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Explosions have been reported in cities near Ukraine’s borders, as well as in the capital city of Kyiv.
Russia closed the airspace near its border with Ukraine.
“The world will hold Russia accountable,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.
According to unverified reports, Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border outside the city of Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:09:05

The U.S. will soon submit a resolution on Ukraine to the United Nations.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:13:09

Russian troops have landed in Odesa in Ukraine’s south and crossed the border in the north near Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:18:09

Statement from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba:

Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:20:07

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres begs Vladimir Putin to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:31:07

The mayor of Boryspil (outside Kyiv) comments on explosions heard near the local airport:

You heard explosions. Calm down. This is our army working on certain aircraft. It’s good that you’re concerned and following things. [These rumors] belong to the category of provocations. Our security officials and authorities are open to the public. There are many fakes circulating online. [Trust] only the official channels. It’s possible that communications will be cut. Again: our air defense is working in Boryspil.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:33:56

Several missiles (it’s unclear whose) reportedly fell on the Russian city of Belgorod. On Dalnyaya Garden Street, one projectile crashed into the road and partially destroyed a home. According to preliminary reports, shattered glass injured at least one bystander.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:37:00

Footage from Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:37:50

People in Kharkiv fleeing missile strikes take shelter in one of the city’s subway stations.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:42:06

All flights departing Rostov-on-Don Airport in Russia have been canceled.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:48:30

In a new statement, Russia’s Defense Ministry denies carrying out strikes using missiles, aircraft, or artillery against Ukrainian cities, though it acknowledges its use of “high-precision weapons” to attack military infrastructure, air-defense facilities, military airfields, and army aviation inside Ukraine. “This does not threaten Ukraine’s civilian population,” says Russia’s military.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:53:25

In a brief national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has already spoken to American President Joe Biden, saying that the United States “has already begun to provide international support.” Zelensky is urging Ukrainians to remain calm and stay indoors.

“Don’t panic. We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will prevail against all,” said Ukraine’s president.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:54:35

Soldiers from the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic have begun an attack against the city of Schastia, which is located inside the Luhansk region but is currently under the control of the Ukrainian government.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:56:52

Trade on the Moscow Exchange has been suspended.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:58:05

President Zelensky has declared martial law in Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion.

24 февраля 2022 г. 06:59:05

President Zelensky has declared martial law in Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:02:40

A missile strike against the military airfield in Kramatorsk.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:05:14

Russian missiles on the outskirts of Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:14:05

It is now 7 a.m. in Kyiv (midnight in New York) and here’s where we stand

Ukraine has declared martial law.
Russia’s military says it is using “high-precision weapons” to attack exclusively military targets (infrastructure, air-defense hardware, airfields, and aviation).
Separatists in the Donbas are attacking Ukrainian troops across the “line of contact.”
Ukraine has closed its airspace.
Russian airports in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Sochi, Volgograd, and Astrakhan have canceled all flights.
The Moscow Stock Exchange has suspended all trade.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:16:06

Air-raid alarms are sounding in Kyiv’s empty streets.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:19:08

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has suspended all operations at 12 airports in southern Russia until March 2. (The airports affected are in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Elista, Stavropol, Belgorod, Bryansk, Eagle, Kursk, Voronezh, and Simferopol.)

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:21:18

The St. Petersburg Stock Exchange has also suspended all trade.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:29:05

The road out of Kyiv.

Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:31:15

The Ukrainian military warns that claims of Russian troops landing in Odesa are fake.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:34:29

Invasion in northern Ukraine

Ukraine’s Border Service: At roughly 5 a.m., local time, Russian troops, supported by Belarus, attacked Ukrainian territory in the area where the three countries’ borders converge.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:47:27

Ukraine’s military command says it has shot down a Russian military aircraft, though this information has not yet been verified.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:51:13

Russian tanks have reportedly crossed into Ukraine from Belarus.

24 февраля 2022 г. 07:59:40

Russia-backed separatists advance in the Donbas

The self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic has announced the start of a military operation “to liberate occupied territory.”

Ukraine’s Emergency Management Agency says the national government has lost control of its first two settlements today: the towns of Milove and Gorodishche.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:04:33

The Ukrainian military says it has shot down five planes and one helicopter in combat over the Donbas.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:09:55

Russia’s Defense Ministry:

Ukraine’s military air-base infrastructure has been disabled.
Ukraine’s Border Guard Service offers no resistance to Russian units.
Reports about downed Russian aircraft are false.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:28:32

Video showing the tail of a missile fired by a BM-30 Smerch heavy multiple rocket launcher. The weapon fires indiscriminately and using it to attack populated areas is a war crime.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:45:00

A cruise missile hits a depot in Ivano-Frankivsk, in western Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:49:31

The subway systems in Kharkiv and Kyiv have opened free of charge to the public, offering underground stations as shelters against Russian missile attacks.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:50:23

The Moscow stock exchange will resume trade at 10 a.m., local time (roughly 10 minutes from the time of this writing).

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:53:48

Russian State Duma Deputy Speaker Sergey Neverov:

The decision made by the president is a forced one. This is not only assistance requested by the DNR and LNR — it is foremost a solution to the security problem of the Russian Federation and our citizens.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:54:49

Ukraine’s Border Guard Service says Russian military equipment is moving toward the Ukrainian mainland from Crimea.

24 февраля 2022 г. 08:59:52

Russia’s Central Bank announces foreign-exchange interventions to maintain the ruble’s value.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:07:08

The LNR claims to have shot down two Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-24s outside the towns of Stepove and Smile.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:09:52

It’s 9 a.m. in Kyiv (2 a.m. in New York) and here’s where we stand

The Ukrainian military says it has shot down “five planes and one helicopter of the aggressors,” while Russia’s Defense Ministry denies losing any aircraft over Ukraine.
Moscow says it has destroyed Ukraine’s airbases.
Separatists in Luhansk say they have captured the towns of Stanytsia Luhanska and Schastia.
The Russian Central Bank has announced foreign-exchange interventions to support the ruble.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:13:57

Kyiv residents take shelter in the city’s subway.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:15:03

Latvia has banned the transmission of the Russian state television networks Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 24.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:16:50

Ukraine’s Border Service reports that Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine near Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Luhansk.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:22:54

Shipping traffic in the Sea of Azov (bounded by Ukraine in the northwest and Russia in the southeast) has been suspended.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:31:34

In a new address, President Zelensky has called on the nation not to panic and “to do everything needed to support the armed forces.” “We need your support,” Zelensky said in a special appeal to Ukrainians living abroad. “You are a powerful force. We really need you now.” He added that he has been in contact with world leaders, including President Joe Biden, and they have agreed to form an “anti-Putin coalition.”

Zelensky says he will address the nation hourly to combat the dissemination of “fakes” by sharing information from official channels.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:34:27

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko denies claims by the DNR that separatists have seized control of the town of Schastia. The Ukrainian military has reportedly destroyed a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River to prevent attacks by enemy tanks.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:38:14

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko shared footage of the aftermath of a purported Russian missile attack in a suburb outside Kharkiv. The damage was reportedly caused by an unguided BM-30 Smerch heavy multiple rocket launcher.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:50:16

Police in Moscow have started arresting a small group of anti-war protesters. A woman named Irina Shekhter was taken into custody when she tried to picket near the city’s Pushkin Monument.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:53:18

“Donetsk People’s Republic” Military Command spokesman Eduard Basurin explains the goals of the offensive in the Donbas

The objective is the administrative boundaries of the Donetsk region. Because the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic exist within the administrative boundaries of the areas that were there before 2014.

24 февраля 2022 г. 09:58:48

First official reports from the Ukrainian authorities on casualties caused by Russian air strikes:

Missiles fired at the Odesa region have killed six people and wounded seven. Another 19 individuals are still missing.
One person in Mariupol was killed and two more were injured.
Information about deaths in Kharkiv is still coming in.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:08:08

Trying to stop the market’s free fall, Russia’s Central Bank has imposed a ban on short sales on Russia’s stock exchanges.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:21:10

And now financial controls arrive in Ukraine:

Ukraine’s National Bank has banned cash withdrawals of foreign currency from accounts. Withdrawals in Ukrainian currency are limited to 100,000 hryvnias (about $3,450) per day.
There are no limits on cashless payments.
The authorities have also imposed a moratorium on cross-border payments and withdrawals by residents of the Russian Federation.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:31:26

Tackling Vladimir Putin’s curious grasp of Soviet history

To understand the scholarly merits of Ukrainian and Soviet history as presented by President Putin, Meduza turned to Dr. Victoria Smolkin, a historian at Wesleyan University who studies Communism, the Cold War, as well as atheism and religion in the former Soviet Union.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:38:06

Alexander Lukashenko, the head of state in Belarus, has denied the involvement of Belarusian troops in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:40:20

Ukrainian officials say unmarked aircraft and equipment are attacking targets inside Ukraine from the Belarusian side of the border.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:49:14

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces says its soldiers have downed another Russian war plane near the city of Kramatorsk. Officials in Kyiv now claim to have shot down a total of six Russian aircraft as well as a military helicopter, though Russia’s Defense Ministry still denies this information. The Ukrainian military also says it destroyed four Russian tanks outside the city of Kharkiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:49:56

NATO member Lithuania has declared a state of emergency due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 10:59:10

The skies over Ukraine, southern Belarus, and southwestern Russia on Thursday morning.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:02:25

Russia’s Federal Security Service claims that artillery fire from Ukraine struck a border checkpoint in the Kursk region. No one was injured, says the FSB, which added that Russian border troops returned fire and “suppressed further shelling.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:11:02

It’s 11 a.m. in Kyiv (4 a.m. in New York) and here’s where we stand

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says it has downed six Russian warplanes. Moscow denies this information.
Ukraine’s National Bank has limited cash withdrawals, suspended the foreign exchange market, and imposed a moratorium on cross-border payments and withdrawals by residents of the Russian Federation.
The Moscow Stock Exchange is in free fall. The RTS Index has lost almost half its value, and the MOEX index collapsed by 45 percent.
NATO member Lithuania has declared a state of emergency due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion and called on Russia to cease all hostilities in Ukraine.
Tinkoff Bank ATMs in Moscow are running out of cash.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:15:16

Russian media workers ordered to shut up

Employees at Rambler, one of Russia’s biggest media holding companies (the parent company for Gazeta.ru, Lenta.ru, Rambler media, and more) have received orders from corporate executives to close their accounts on social media and stop sharing their personal views online. A message circulated to all staff attributed the new instructions to a directive from the Russian presidential administration. Sources in the company told the news outlet SOTA that any public criticism of the Kremlin is now grounds for termination.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:22:14

Ukraine’s Health Ministry has temporarily suspended all planned hospitalizations.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:32:45

Footage purportedly showing Ukrainian air defenses hitting a Russian warplane over Ukraine. Kyiv says it’s shot down six Russian military aircraft, so far, though Moscow denies losing a single plane.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:33:51

Ukraine has cut diplomatic ties to Russia.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:35:36

Moscow residents line up at an ATM to withdraw cash. Long lines like this have been reported throughout the Russian capital as the nation’s currency and stock markets tumble.

24 февраля 2022 г. 11:47:49

Two dozen Russian journalists from different news outlets have signed an open letter denouncing the military operation in Ukraine, stating that the war has no justification. The letter appeared on the Telegram channel of Kommersant correspondent Elena Chernenko, one of Russia’s most prominent diplomatic reporters.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:09:24

Ivan Urgant (the Stephen Colbert of Russian late-night television) has shared a blacked-out post on Instagram with the caption: “Fear and pain. NO TO WAR.” His show airs on state-owned Channel One.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:14:23

The investigative news outlet Agentstvo reports that Russian conscripts were deployed to the border with Ukraine as the invasion began. On social media, reports started appearing from women about their sons drafted into Russia’s armed forces being sent to the border with Ukraine. Some of the soldiers were apparently conscripted as recently as December 2021, meaning that these men have not possibly had enough time to complete basic training.

Russia’s Defense Ministry previously stated that it has ruled out using any conscripts in combat.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:17:41

Belarus has partially closed its airspace to civilian aircraft.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:28:03

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin appeals to the people of Ukraine:

We considered and still consider you to be a fraternal people. The actions of our country are aimed solely at protecting peace. We ask you not to get involved and not to participate in any mobilizations proposed by the Kyiv authorities. They are not independent — they get all their orders from Washington and Brussels. [Russia’s] special operation poses no danger to civilians. We are one people. Remember our shared history. We have common victories — one culture and one faith. Ask your loved ones serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces to lay down their weapons. They don’t need to participate in guarding the interests of NATO and the United States or follow the criminal orders of the anti-national Kyiv regime.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:29:52

President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted legislation to the Ukrainian Parliament to initiate a general mobilization of the nation’s entire military capacity.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:31:42

Belgium has endorsed the suspension of visas for all Russian nationals. A day earlier, Latvian lawmakers proposed the same policy.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:42:20

Russia’s federal censor orders news media to report information only from official Russian sources

Roskomnadzor informs the mass media that it is required, when preparing materials and publications concerning the conduct of the special operation in connection with the situation in the Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic, to use information and data received only from official Russian sources.

The federal agency says media outlets can be fined for the dissemination of “false information” and their publications can be blocked in Russia.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:49:49

Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, has announced the end of mass evacuations. Tens of thousands of women and children were rushed to Russia in the last week, ostensibly to escape Ukrainian artillery fire.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:54:33

Statement by NATO

The alliance condemns “in the strongest possible terms” both Russia and Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine and calls on Moscow to “cease its military action and withdraw all its forces” immediately.
NATO vows “to take additional steps to further strengthen deterrence and defense across the Alliance.”
Russia “will pay a very heavy economic and political price,” the organization said in a press release.

24 февраля 2022 г. 12:58:25

The Ukrainian military says it has shot down a Kamov Ka-52 Russian attack helicopter outside Kyiv. Moscow still denies losing any military aircraft over Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:03:40

Putin summons Russia’s business leaders

Major businesspeople have been called to a meeting with President Putin in Moscow. According to the news outlet RBC, invitations were extended on Wednesday. The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Moscow time (two hours from the time of this writing).

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:06:16

Entry into Kyiv is now closed. People are still free to leave the city.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:09:22

Friday’s edition of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta will be released in two languages: Russian and Ukrainian. In a video shared on social media, Nobel laureate and editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expressed his newsroom’s shame and sorrow. “Only an anti-war movement of Russians can save lives on this planet,” said Muratov.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:16:27

It is now 1:15 p.m. in Kyiv (6:15 a.m. in New York) and here’s where things stand

Ukraine has cut diplomatic ties to Russia.
Russia’s federal censor has ordered the news media to report information about the invasion only from official Russian sources.
NATO says “Russia will pay a very heavy economic and political price” for attacking Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Ukrainian lawmakers to approve the nation’s general mobilization.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:21:43

What Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday:

No one is talking about occupying Ukraine.
The operation’s goal is the demilitarization of Ukraine.
“Ideally, you need to liberate Ukraine and purge it of Nazis.”
Judging by opinion polling, the Russian public supports the invasion no less than it supports Moscow’s decision to recognize eastern Ukraine’s separatist “republics.”
Depending on the situation, President Putin will determine when the military operation ends.
Ukraine’s future is up to the Ukrainian people.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:23:52

Ukraine’s Border Service says Russian military vehicles have attempted to break through to the area surrounding Kyiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:30:30

Russian troops have reportedly seized control of Antonov International Airport in Hostomel, just outside Kyiv.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:32:09

NATO will hold a virtual summit on Friday, February 25, to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:41:30

More than 140 municipal deputies from cities across Russia have signed an open statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is an unparalleled atrocity for which there is no and cannot be any justification,” reads the text.

24 февраля 2022 г. 13:59:18

Czech President Miloš Zeman has acknowledged that he mistakenly believed Vladimir Putin wasn’t “crazy enough” to attack Ukraine. He is now calling on the international community to isolate this “madman” and defend itself “not only with words but also with concrete measures.”

In recent years, Zeman has been one of the Kremlin’s most sympathetic voices in Europe. For example, he has repeatedly criticized economic sanctions against Russia and called for the normalization of relations between the West and Moscow.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:02:53

Russian news censorship in action

Threatened with being blocked online in Russia, the Krasnoyarsk media outlet Prospekt Mira has complied with orders from the country’s federal censor and deleted a news report about explosions in Ukrainian cities. The Russian authorities did not specify what in the story is “false.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:15:28

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

“This invasion has no justification. This is Putin’s war. I call on President Putin to stop the bloodshed and fully withdraw his troops from Ukraine.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:18:30

A Ukrainian aircraft downed in the Kyiv region. Five people were killed, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:25:31

The Russian FSB reports that 46 Ukrainian border guards crossed over into Russian territory in the Bryansk region and Crimea, according to state news agency TASS.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:28:02

Ukraine has begun to evacuate its diplomatic staff from Moscow.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:36:21

Prominent human rights activists Marina Litvinovich was arrested outside of her home in Moscow. Earlier, she put out a call for people in Russia to take to the streets this evening for a nationwide protest against the war.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:47:03

Police in Yekaterinburg have arrested at least five people for conducting solitary pickets opposing the war. Nevertheless, some solo protests are ongoing.

Yekaterinburg police have drawn up administrative protocols against the detainees for violating protest laws — they now face community service, fines up to 150,000 rubles ($1,785), or up to 30 days in jail.

24 февраля 2022 г. 14:56:44

The Kharkiv subway system has halted its trains in order to accommodate more people. Public radio in the region is broadcasting an air raid alert.

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:26:38

Moscow police arrest an anti-war protester outside of the Ukrainian embassy

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:27:59

Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot has suspended flights to Moldova until March 4. Earlier, the Moldovan government announced plans to declare a state of emergency.

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:29:38

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:35:43

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, speaking on state television:

“This is not the beginning of a war, first off. This is very important. Our desire is to prevent the development of events that could turn into a global war. And secondly, this is the end of the war.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:39:43

The Russian Investigative Committee has issued a warning about liability for “unsanctioned rallies” citing the “strained foreign affairs situation.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:41:53

Czechia has stopped issuing visas to Russian nationals.

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:52:43

New statement from the Russian Defense Ministry

Russian troops disabled 74 ground facilities of Ukraine’s military infrastructure, and shot down a Ukrainian combat helicopter and four armed drones.
A group of “DNR” troops advanced seven kilometers (about four miles) into the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region.
14 Ukrainian military personnel surrendered. They will be released after signing affidavits renouncing armed resistance.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu has ordered that Ukrainian military personnel be treated with respect, along with the organization of safe corridors for those who have laid down their arms.
A Su-25 fighter jet crashed due to a pilot error.

24 февраля 2022 г. 15:59:15

A representative of the Ukrainian president’s office says Russia’s goal is to unseat the legitimate authorities, install a puppet government, and have it sign a bilateral agreement with Moscow.

24 февраля 2022 г. 16:03:51

A petition to stop the war with Ukraine started by prominent Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomarev has gathered nearly 125,000 signatures in a matter of hours.

24 февраля 2022 г. 16:04:34

An anti-war rally in Novosibirsk.

24 февраля 2022 г. 16:06:42

An anti-war rally in downtown Yekaterinburg.

Meduza Project

24 февраля 2022 г. 16:12:40

UNIAN reports the start of bombing in Kharkiv. City residents are sheltering in the subway system.

24 февраля 2022 г. 16:28:54

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:08:15

Ukraine’s President Zelensky confirms reports that Russian forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:10:51

OVD-Info reports that more than 196 people in 26 Russian cities have been detained at anti-war protests so far today.

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:12:42

St. Petersburg police forcibly detaining anti-war protesters

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:14:40

Russian troops have seized a southern part of the Kherson region, reports the regional administration. According to the authorities, the Russian military has gained control over all state facilities in the Henichesk district.

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:20:40

Earlier, Moscow police closed off Pushkin Square and started making violent arrests.

Kirill Kudryashev / AFP / Scanpix / LETA Moscow, Pushkin Square

Kirill Kudryashev / AFP / Scanpix / LETA Police arresting a protester on Moscow’s Pushkin Square

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:22:03

The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has introduced a curfew, as has the Cherkasy region, and the city of Dnipro.

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:26:05

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:34:53

Happening now: Vladimir Putin meets with Russia’s business elite

РБК Встреча Владимира Путина с бизнесменами на фоне спецоперации на Украине. Прямая трансляция

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:36:31

Kyiv is demanding that Russia be disconnected from SWIFT and the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, says President Zelensky.

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:42:43

Moscow right now

24 февраля 2022 г. 18:45:22

OVD-Info now reporting more than 373 arrests at anti-war protests in 38 Russian cities. This includes at least 115 people detained in Moscow.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:13:02

UNIAN reports that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has been seized and its staff have been taken hostage.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:20:01

The Russian stock market saw a record collapse on Thursday, with the Moscow Exchange index falling by 33.3 percent and the RTS index by 39.4 percent.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:21:22

Meduza’s correspondent reports that riot police have started violently dispersing anti-war protesters in downtown Moscow. “They’re pulling [people] out of the crowd and onto the pavement. Many girls are being detained,” our correspondent reports.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:23:26

The UK has announced new sanctions against Russia, including restrictions targeting VTB bank and Aeroflot, reports the BBC.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:30:50

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:35:41

As of 8:39 p.m., Moscow time, police have arrested more than 917 anti-war demonstrators in 44 cities across Russia, according to the OVD-Info monitoring project.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:37:09

Russian troops have seized control of the Antonov International Airport, located just outside Kyiv, confirms Ukraine’s presidential office.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:48:25

Russian military lists ‘successes’ of Day One, acknowledge seizure of Ukrainian city

In a new statement on Thursday evening, Moscow time, the Russian Defense Ministry says it has achieved all objectives assigned to its troops today. Moscow claims to have disabled 83 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities and shot down two Su-27s, two Su-24s, one attack helicopter, and four “Bayraktar TB2” unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ministry confirms that Russian troops entered the Ukrainian city of Kherson. “This made it possible to unblock the North Crimean Canal and restore the water supply to the Crimean Peninsula,” explained the Defense Ministry.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:54:16

Several hundred anti-war protesters gather outside the Great Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg. Police have reportedly arrested more than 180 people.

24 февраля 2022 г. 19:57:35

Footage from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant showing some of the Russian military personnel who reportedly seized control of the station, not long ago.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:01:19

U.S. President Joe Biden announces “devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures” against Russia.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:17:01

A video is circulating on social media purportedly showing a woman in Moscow throwing a Molotov cocktail in downtown Moscow. The news outlet Baza says police have already arrested the 22-year-old individual.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:18:32

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is recalling its entire monitoring mission from Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:22:56

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the Russian airline Aeroflot’s permission to operate flights to or from the United Kingdom until further notice.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:33:07

Police officers at an anti-war demonstration in Moscow have reportedly arrested and beaten into unconsciousness sociologist Greg Yudin. According to linguist and activist Yulia Galyamina, the authorities are refusing him both medical attention and a lawyer.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:36:15

In solidarity with Ukraine, Lithuania says it has stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens.

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:48:19

Footage showing people sheltering in Kharkiv’s subway system. A woman can be heard saying, “I never thought something so fucked up would happen in my lifetime.” (Meduza cannot embed this video because news outlets in Russia are prohibited from publishing obscenities in Russian.)

24 февраля 2022 г. 20:53:17

Poland’s National Broadcasting Council has prohibited the transmission of several Russian television networks, including Russia Today.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:05:54

U.S. President Joe Biden announces new sanctions against Russia

The U.S. and its allies will limit Russia’s ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds, and yen. Washington will also impose sanctions against VTB Bank and limit exports of high-tech products to Russia. There will also be export restrictions targeting the space industry.

In addition, Biden stated that while the U.S. will not deploy troops to Ukraine, they will be sending additional forces to Germany.

The White House President Biden Delivers Remarks on Russia’s Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:08:39

Moscow police have arrested prominent human rights activist Lev Ponomarev outside of his home, reports Sota.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:11:59

Just after 10:00 p.m. Moscow time, OVD-Info reports 1,542 arrests at anti-war protests in 52 Russian cities.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:15:28

Ukraine’s armed forces report that they have reclaimed the Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, according to The Kyiv Independent.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:21:58

Anti-war protests in Riga, Latvia. One protester set fire to a Russian passport.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:27:35

The U.S. is sanctioning 11 more Russian legal entities, including Sberbank and Gazprombank

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:35:47

CORRECTION: Ukrainian forces have yet to retake the Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. An advisor to the Ukrainian president’s office has issued a correction saying that fighting is ongoing, reports The Kyiv Independent.

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:47:55

24 февраля 2022 г. 21:55:10

The Ukrainian Health Ministry reports that 57 people have died in Russian attacks and 169 more have sustained injuries.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:12:38

The United States has prohibited American investors from buying new debt and new shares of the Russian companies Gazprom, Rostelecom, RusHydro, Alrosa, Sovcomflot, Russian Railways, Alfa Bank, and the Credit Bank of Moscow. The ban applies to debt obligations with a maturity of more than 14 days.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:21:30

Russian armed forces have seized control of Zmiinyi Island (a part of the Odesa region) in the Black Sea, reports Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:26:43

According to the Ukrainian Army, more than 60 Russian tactical-force battalions have crossed the border into the country.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:32:54

Federal investigators have opened a felony criminal case against the 22-year-old woman filmed earlier tonight throwing a Molotov cocktail in downtown Moscow. She is accused of threatening to use violence against the state authorities.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:41:13

Journalist Jonny Tickle has announced his resignation from Russia Today “in light of recent events.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:42:46

Human rights activist Marina Litvinovich has been released from police custody in Moscow. She was arrested earlier today while leaving her home after publicly advocating nationwide anti-war protests.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:46:40

In what sounds like a heated conversation, Putin just spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone and offered “exhaustive explanations” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:49:41

Ukraine’s armed forces now claim to have retaken Antonov International Airport, just outside Kyiv. This is a developing story and control of the airport has changed hands repeatedly.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:51:06

Over the last few hours, more than 10,000 automatic rifles were distributed to the residents of Kyiv, says Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

24 февраля 2022 г. 22:54:00

Already more than 100,000 displaced persons

“More than 100,000 people have moved within [Ukraine’s] borders fleeing the violence for safety,” says a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency. “And there have been movements towards and across international borders. But the situation is still chaotic and evolving fast.”

24 февраля 2022 г. 23:08:32

It’s midnight in Moscow (4 p.m. in New York) and here’s where we stand

Police have arrested more than 1,740 anti-war demonstrators at protests in more than 50 cities across Russia.
Russian federal investigators have opened a felony case against a 22-year-old anti-war protester in Moscow who reportedly threw a Molotov cocktail.
Kyiv has declared a curfew and distributed more than 10,000 automatic weapons to the city’s residents. Many people are spending the night sheltering in underground subway stations.
The United States, Great Britain, and Canada have announced new sanctions against Russian companies and elites. Washington targeted Sberbank and London targeted Aeroflot.
Russian soldiers seized control of Zmiinyi Island (a part of the Odesa region) in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian troops retook Hostomel Airport, just outside Kyiv.
Fierce combat has been reported in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.

24 февраля 2022 г. 23:14:09

Four Moscow police stations have instituted lockdowns after lawyers from the OVD-Info human rights project tried to meet with arrested anti-war demonstrators.

24 февраля 2022 г. 23:28:52

Daniil Menshikov, the head of Lviv’s Customs Office, announced on Facebook that men in Ukraine between the ages of 18 and 60 will not be permitted to leave the country “due to martial law.” No other sources have yet verified this information.

24 февраля 2022 г. 23:41:28

Ukraine informs the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has lost control over the facilities in the area of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

“As a result of attack, all facilities at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located in the exclusion zone — namely the spent nuclear fuel storage facilities (ISF-1 and ISF-2), the New Safe Confinement structure, and blocks № 1, 2, and 3 — were seized by armed forces without any insignia.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 00:02:50

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urges the European Council to approve harsh sanctions against Russia, including disconnecting the country from SWIFT and imposing an embargo on Russian oil and gas imports.

25 февраля 2022 г. 00:10:29

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has signed a decree ordering general mobilization, thereby calling up all conscripts and reservists in the country.

25 февраля 2022 г. 00:16:36

This satellite image, captured on Thursday (February 24), shows a Russian military convoy near Sergeevka, a village in the Rostov region not far from the border with Ukraine.

Maxar Technologies / AP / Scanpix / LETA

25 февраля 2022 г. 00:17:42

Kyiv residents spend the first night after the start of the invasion in shelters.

25 февраля 2022 г. 00:54:54

Corrected: Ukraine’s President Zelensky reports on casualties — 137 Ukrainians killed, including 10 military officers, and 316 people injured. You can watch Zelensky’s latest address here.

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:21:40

Kyiv is under curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. — public transport isn’t running. Many residents are spending the night in subway stations, sheltering from shelling.

Mikhail Palinchak / EPA / Scanpix / LETA

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:41:24

The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny wrote on Facebook that the following enemy hardware has been destroyed in the last 24 hours:

30 tanks
Up to 130 armoured vehicles
Five aircraft
Six helicopters

Earlier in the day on Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry denied losses of equipment and military personnel, claiming it was disinformation from the Ukrainian side.

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:49:02

Washington and Moscow’s embassy dispute continues

Washington has expelled Russia’s second-ranking diplomat, Minister Counselor Sergey Trepelkov, a senior State Department official told the Associated Press on Thursday. This comes in response to Moscow’s expulsion of U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Bart Gorman from Moscow earlier this month.

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:50:48

A snapshot from the first day of the war. Kharkiv. February 24, 2022.

Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy / Ukrinform / ZUMA Press Wire / Scanpix / LETA

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:54:16

Kyiv is bracing for a bombing raid reportedly set to begin at 3:00 a.m. local time, according to media reports, citing military and intelligence sources.

25 февраля 2022 г. 01:58:58

Legendary Russian rockstar Boris Grebenshchikov has publicly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine.

25 февраля 2022 г. 02:00:35

The U.S. is ready to accept and assist refugees from Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN on Thursday.

“We certainly expect that most if not the majority will want to go to Europe and neighboring countries. So, we are also working with European countries on what the needs are, where there is capacity. Poland, for example, where we are seeing an increasing flow of refugees over the last 24 hours.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 02:15:26

The hacker group Anonymous has declared itself in a cyber war against the Russian government, according to a Twitter account linked to the group.

The same Twitter account reported that it has taken down the website of Russian state-controlled propaganda network RT. At the time of writing, https://russian.rt.com/ can’t be reached.

25 февраля 2022 г. 02:26:21

25 февраля 2022 г. 03:19:57

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to report any casualties

The last update on the defense ministry’s website, published at 8:35 p.m. Moscow time, was a briefing from an official spokesperson. It states that the Russian armed forces have disabled 83 of Ukraine’s military ground facilities, and shot down two of its SU-27 aircraft, two Su-24 aircraft, one helicopter, and four Bayraktar TB-2 drones.

25 февраля 2022 г. 03:44:45

The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta is printing its February 25, 2022, issue in both Russian and Ukrainian.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:12:01

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has signed a decree establishing a Commander-in-chief Wartime Headquarters.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:17:03

The FSB Coordination Center has warned of a “critical” level threat of cyber attacks on the Russian information space, reports Interfax.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:20:02

Canada expands its sanctions against Russia

Ottawa’s sanctions list now includes Sberbank, VTB Bank, Russian Railways, Gazprom, and Transneft, among other entities.

In addition, Canada has imposed personal sanctions on German Gref, Igor Shuvalov, Evgeny Prigozhin, and the children of the Rotenberg brothers, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Sanctions were also imposed on Russian lawmakers who voted to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:27:45

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:30:50

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:36:20

European Union imposes new sanctions against Russia

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the following “massive and targeted” measures:

financial sanctions, targeting 70 percent of the Russian banking market and key state-owned companies, including in defense,
sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, “making it impossible for Russia to upgrade its refineries,”
a ban on the sale of aircrafts and equipment to Russian airlines,
limiting Russia’s access to technology like semiconductors and cutting-edge software, and finally
visa restrictions (“diplomats and related groups and businesspeople will no longer have privileged access to the European Union”).

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:38:31

The British Defense Ministry claimed in an intelligence update overnight between Thursday and Friday that “Russia has probably not yet achieved its strategic goals” in Ukraine. Local troops have “presented fierce resistance,” said British officials.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:39:35

The Ukrainian news media reports multiple explosions in Kyiv, suggesting that the city is again under Russian rocket fire.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:44:46

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko shares video purportedly showing captured Russian soldiers. This footage is still unverified.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:47:10

Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Honcharenko reportedly says this video shows a Russian warplane being shot down in Kyiv. The footage is still unverified.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:49:22

Poland has deployed nine points along its border to receive refugees from Ukraine.

25 февраля 2022 г. 04:57:59

Air-raid sirens have been reported in Vinnytsia, a city in west-central Ukraine.

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:10:45

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reports that a residential area of Kyiv came under Russian rocket fire early on Friday, local time. The city’s air defense destroyed one missile, while another rocket reportedly struck an apartment building.

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:22:05

Ukraine’s State Border Service says a Russian missile attack against a unit in Prymorskyi Posad, in the Zaporizhia region, has resulted in several deaths and injuries.

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:25:51

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported the following data on enemy losses at 4 a.m., Moscow time: “about 800 military personnel.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:32:24

NATO calls emergency summit on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

It will take place virtually on Friday, February 24, at 9 a.m., New York time (4 p.m., Kyiv time).

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:39:57

Currently, there are at least two theories circulating to explain the residential building now ablaze in Kyiv: (1) a Russian missile struck a Ukrainian Su-27 jet flying over the city, or (2) a Russian cruise missile struck the building directly.

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:50:59

Emmanuel Macron has announced 1.2 billion euros ($1.35 billion) in economic aid to Ukraine. “This is unprecedented,” said the French president. “We will continue to supply military equipment and support the [Ukrainian] population during this crisis.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 05:52:55

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says three people have been injured in a fire at a residential building caused by falling missile debris. (Meduza apologizes to our readers for originally misreporting that the victims were killed.)

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:06:37

Officials in the Biden administration have reportedly told lawmakers in Washington that Russian troops were just 20 miles outside Kyiv, 40 minutes before the time of this writing.

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:23:51

The sounds of automatic gunfire have been reported in the streets of Sumy, a city about 200 miles east of Kyiv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:25:29

Russia has threatened to close its airspace to all British airlines, including for transit flights, in response to London banning Aeroflot from the UK.

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:39:02

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s State Duma, has traveled to Nicaragua and delivered a speech to the local parliament about Ukraine’s “genocide” against the residents of the Donbas, claiming that Vladimir Putin ordered a Russian “peacekeeping operation” to “prevent an all-out war.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:44:12

Ukraine’s National Bank has prohibited all transactions with Russian and Belarusian rubles and imposed a ban on fulfilling obligations to legal entities or individuals located in the Russian Federation or in Belarus.

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:51:52

Russian air strikes well west of Kyiv

Rivne International Airport (roughly 200 miles west of Kyiv) is reportedly under Russian missile attack, says the local mayor.

25 февраля 2022 г. 06:56:34

More reports of Russian troops closing in on Kyiv

Citing a statement from the military, the Ukrainian news media says Russian armored vehicles were stopped in the town of Ivankiv, about 50 miles outside Kyiv, by blowing up a bridge in the area. The Biden administration reportedly told U.S. lawmakers several hours earlier that Russian troops were even closer to the Ukrainian capital.

25 февраля 2022 г. 07:42:32

President Volodymyr Zelensky updates the nation on Russia’s invasion

Addressing Ukrainians:

Only the solidarity and only the determination of Ukrainians can preserve our freedom and protect our state. The army, the border guards, the National Guard, the police, our intelligence agencies, and the territorial defense forces are all performing their duties to the fullest. We are defending ourselves! We will not give in! Glory to Ukraine!

Addressing Russians:

Earlier tonight, bombs began to fall on residential areas of the hero city of Kyiv. It all recalls 1941. I want to say to all the citizens of the Russian Federation who came out to protest: We see you. It means you have heard us. It means you’re beginning to believe us. Fight for us. Fight against war.

25 февраля 2022 г. 07:52:23

Turkish officials have confirmed that Ukraine formally requested that Russian warships be denied passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Ankara says it can close the straits to naval vessels, but Russia would retain the right to return its fleet to base.

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:14:58

Less than 24 hours into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian business leaders have lost $39 billion in value, estimates Bloomberg. LUKOIL chairman Vagit Alekperov was the biggest loser. His net worth tumbled by $6.2 billion to $13 billion.

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:22:19

Russia’s Federal Tourism Agency says there are currently about 150,000 tourists located in regions of southern Russia where aviation officials have suspended operations at local airports. Most of these people are in Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory. Rostourism also says it is working with Russia’s Transportation Ministry to compile a list of all travelers abroad who are unable to return to their homes in Russia due to the airport closures.

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:25:19

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, has shared photographs of what he says is Russian military hardware captured in battle outside Chernihiv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:38:50

Ukrainian troops are reportedly engaged in battle with Russian forces in the town of Okhtyrka, about 45 miles south of the city of Sumy, according to local officials.

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:41:09

Early in the morning on Friday, people in Kyiv hide in bomb shelters from Russian air strikes

25 февраля 2022 г. 08:52:56

The Estonian authorities have reportedly announced that they will allow visiting Ukrainian nationals to remain in the country beyond the expiration date of their legal stays. Estonia is also permitting Ukrainian citizens who do not have biometric passports to enter the country without visas (previously available only to Ukrainians with biometric passports).

25 февраля 2022 г. 09:04:23

President Zelensky has formally asked the Bucharest Nine (Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic) to provide defense assistance to Ukraine.

25 февраля 2022 г. 09:20:17

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar claims that Russian troops captured two vehicles from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, “dressed in the uniforms of Ukrainian soldiers and are speeding toward the center of Kyiv from the direction of Obolon” (a residential district in Kyiv). Maliar says a convoy of Russian military trucks is following the stolen vehicles. “They will surely be destroyed,” she vows.

25 февраля 2022 г. 09:38:42

Russia’s federal government begins blocking independent news coverage of the invasion

Russia’s federal censor has started blocking news reports that violate its ban on the dissemination of information not provided by “official Russian sources.” According to watchdog group Roskomsvoboda, the federal agency has ordered Internet service providers in Russia to block access to two articles (one from an Armenian website and another from an Estonian website) about Russian airstrikes in Ukraine.

25 февраля 2022 г. 09:46:32

Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said in a Facebook post that it has detected increased gamma radiation reference levels in the exclusion zone at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian troops seized on Thursday.

“Such fluctuations are associated with the movement of a large amount of heavy military equipment through the Exclusion Zone. The condition of the power plant’s nuclear installations and other facilities is unchanged,” the agency explained.

25 февраля 2022 г. 09:51:57

Russian troops draw closer to the heart of Ukraine’s capital

Artillery fire echoes through the suburbs of Kyiv. This video was recorded in Minsk Massif, just north of the city’s center.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:01:46

Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to President Zelensky, has stated that Ukraine is ready to hold talks with Russia to negotiate Kyiv’s neutrality, but it must receive security guarantees, he says.

“Ukraine has always and always will leave room for negotiations — including now, when Russia has launched a full-scale invasion. This war must be stopped. These military actions must stop,” said Podoliak.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:06:11

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has announced that an enemy infiltration group is active in the Kyiv residential district of Obolon. The Ukrainian military is calling on the public to report the movement of any military vehicles and use Molotov cocktails against the enemy.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:15:58

Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported the following update on its invasion of Ukraine:

Russian troops have disabled 118 military facilities, including 11 airfields;
shot down five Ukrainian jets, one attack helicopter, and five drones;
destroyed 18 Ukrainian tanks, seven multiple rocket launchers, 41 vehicles, five boats, and 14 “Osa” and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems; and
seized control of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Russian officials say the area’s background radiation levels are normal.

Moscow claims that 82 Ukrainian soldiers have laid down their arms and surrendered near Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea in Ukraine’s Odesa region.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:28:33

The local police in a small town of Ukraine’s Cherkasy region say the Ukrainian military has shot down a Russian aircraft and officials are searching for the pilot.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:34:57

When using Yandex to search for information about Ukraine, the website now displays a special warning that reads, “Some materials on the Internet may contain inaccurate information. Please exercise caution.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:44:21

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has closed its airspace to all British flights. The move is retaliation for London’s decision on Thursday to suspend all Aeroflot flights in the UK.

25 февраля 2022 г. 10:56:49

Video from Kyiv’s Obolonskyi District where, according to the Ukrainian military, a Russian diversion intelligence group is active and using stolen Ukrainian vehicles. The local media reports that Russian tanks have opened fire on a residential building.

25 февраля 2022 г. 11:24:27

Sovcombank, which the U.S. targeted with economic sanctions, has temporarily stopped issuing new mortgages. The bank previously informed clients that their bank cards will now work only inside Russia and that currency-exchange services will be unavailable at both its offices and through its mobile apps.

25 февраля 2022 г. 11:32:11

The Republic of Georgia is sitting this one out

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced that his government will not join Western nations in imposing economic sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “This would only further harm our country and our people,” he explained, while also condemning Russia for attacking Ukraine. “I want to reaffirm our solidarity and call on the international community to do everything possible to stop these armed hostilities in Ukraine,” Garibashvili said in a televised address.

25 февраля 2022 г. 11:53:27

Citing the Russian Defense Ministry in stories published almost simultaneously, the Russian news agencies TASS, RIA Novosti, and Interfax all reported that Russian troops are not conducting any missile attacks against Kyiv, where journalists on the ground and residents have been sharing eyewitness footage of explosions for roughly a day.

25 февраля 2022 г. 11:58:20

The Ukrainian media outlet UNIAN publishes photos showing Russian missiles crashed into the streets of Kharkiv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 12:17:59

On the first day of war with Ukraine, people living in Russia withdrew 111 billion rubles (about $1.3 billion) in cash. Demand for cash on February 24 reached its highest point since March 2020, when President Putin proposed a new tax on interest earned from large bank accounts.

25 февраля 2022 г. 12:23:04

Late on Thursday, February 24, a Russian diplomat was attacked during an anti-war protest outside Russia’s embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania. The victim, a Russian Foreign Service officer, did not seek medical attention. Police have arrested a suspect.

25 февраля 2022 г. 12:58:25

The Kremlin comments on anti-war protests in cities across Russia

This is a partial transcript of the presidential press secretary’s daily briefing with journalists.

Meduza: In the Kremlin, as you said yesterday, it is believed that the Russian people support the military operation against Ukraine. Yesterday, however, there wasn’t much jubilation seen about the invasion of our neighboring state. On the contrary, many Russians went out and picketed, they published anti-war statements on social media, and so on. In response to protests in many cities, hundreds of citizens were arrested. First, on what grounds were they arrested? Don’t people have the right to express their opposition to war? Second, is the president prepared to listen to their opinion? Or does this mean nothing, and the war will continue?

Dmitry Peskov: First, of course, there are citizens who can have their own point of view. And, on the one hand, we need to explain [things] better to these citizens — that’s also absolutely clear.

Second, without following the appropriate procedures, these citizens have no legal right to organize demonstrations to express their point of view. There is such a thing as solo picketing, but not what I would call mass demonstrations, whereas events with the participation of [more than] a certain number of people simply aren’t allowed under the law. And that is why certain measures were taken against them.

Third, the president hears everyone’s opinion and understands, let’s say, the proportions of those who have a different point of view and those who are sympathetic to such forced [military] operations.

Dmitry Peskov later indicated that the Kremlin welcomes statements from officials in Kyiv indicating readiness to negotiate Ukrainian neutrality. The Russian authorities will study these declarations, he said.

25 февраля 2022 г. 13:13:25

Russian teachers call for immediate ceasefire

More than 300 schoolteachers in 35 regions across Russia have endorsed a public statement denouncing the war against Ukraine:

Any war means casualties and destruction. It inevitably entails mass human rights violations. War is a disaster.

The war with Ukraine, which began on the night between February 23 and 24, is not our war. The invasion of Ukraine’s territory began in the name of Russian citizens but against our will.

We are teachers, and violence goes against the very essence of our profession. The inferno of war will claim the lives of our students. War will inevitably lead to the aggravation of our country’s social problems. We support the anti-war protests and demand an immediate ceasefire.

25 февраля 2022 г. 13:14:54

Across Ukraine, people are lining up to donate blood. Pictured below, the wait to give blood in Lviv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 13:36:35

President Zelensky invites Putin to begin negotiations

“I want again to appeal to the president of the Russian Federation. There is fighting across Ukraine’s entire territory. Let’s sit down at the negotiating table and stop the loss of life,” the Ukrainian president said in a new video address.

Zelensky also called on people across Europe to come to Ukraine’s defense. “The invasion of Ukraine isn’t just an invasion but the start of a war against Europe. A war against Europe’s unity. Against basic human rights in Europe. Against all the rules of coexistence on this continent. Against the fact that European states refuse to divide their borders by force,” he said.

25 февраля 2022 г. 13:43:48

The Russian news outlet Baza has shared a video purportedly showing roughly 10,000 Chechen security officials gathered in Grozny and preparing for deployment to Ukraine, ostensibly on direct orders from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

25 февраля 2022 г. 13:58:15

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has expelled Kommersant journalist Elena Chernenko from its press pool after she launched an open letter condemning the invasion of Ukraine. She worked in the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic press pool for the last decade.

At the time of this writing, the anti-war letter bears the signatures of more than 290 journalists from dozens of news outlets in Russia.

25 февраля 2022 г. 14:52:36

The wreckage of a plane that crashed into a building in Kyiv on the night of February 25, 2022. The pre-dawn explosions in the Ukrainian capital marked the beginning of the second day of the Russian invasion.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:03:55

Russian state television network Channel One (Perviy Kanal) has pulled the late night talk show “Evening Urgant” from its programming after host Ivan Urgant made anti-war statements, reports investigative outlet Agentstvo. The show did not air on February 22, 23, or 24. The show was supposed to air on the evening of February 25, but was then canceled once again.

Channel One spokeswoman Larisa Krymova said that Ivan Urgant still works for the state television network, and that his show didn’t air this week due to holidays. “The current alterations are associated with important socio-political events,” Channel One said. Ivan Urgant declined Meduza’s request for comment.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:08:52

The Russian Defense Ministry states that the Russian troops have occupied the airport in Hostomel, which is located 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from Kyiv. Battles for the airport took place on the evening of February 24 and early on February 25. More than 200 helicopters and paratroopers took part in the attack, according to the ministry.

The Russian Defense Ministry also claims that its soldiers killed more than 200 Ukrainian special forces officers. Allegedly, the Russian side didn’t suffer any casualties.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:12:13

The Russian Defense Ministry also reports that its forces have blockaded Kyiv from the city’s western side, and have completely blocked off Chernihiv. According to the defense ministry, the Russian side hasn’t suffered any losses.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:13:47

The Russian Defense Ministry has officially denied that it launched missile strikes on residential areas of Kyiv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:16:35

Air raid sirens began sounding again in Kyiv about half an hour ago. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said that the capital is now on the defensive and that the authorities are urging residents to remain at home or in shelters. In videos shared on social media, gunfire can be heard in Kyiv’s Obolon suburb.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:19:39

Ukraine’s military reports that more than 1,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. The Russian Defense Ministry recently stated that its military has not suffered any casualties.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:23:19

Russian universities and law enforcement agencies have begun to put pressure on students who opposed the war in Ukraine, reports the student journal Doxa.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:31:10

Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to send a Russian delegation to Minsk for talks with Ukraine, says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Zelensky announced his readiness to discuss Ukraine’s neutral status. Originally, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the aim of the operation is to help the LNR and DNR, including through the demilitarization and de-nazification of Ukraine. And this, in fact, is an integral component of neutral status,” Peskov explained on Friday.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:33:30

FT reports that the EU is preparing to freeze assets belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. These sanctions would not include a travel ban, according to FT’s sources.

25 февраля 2022 г. 15:35:09

A petition opposing the war with Ukraine launched by prominent Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomarev has gathered more than 500,000 signatures.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:03:59

Updates from Central Europe

The Czech Republic has stopped issuing residency permits for Russian citizens. Earlier, Prague announced that it had stopped issuing visas to Russian nationals, with the expection of those with special reasons for entry.
Poland is preparing to close its airspace to Russian aircraft.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:06:26

Air raid sirens are sounding in Kyiv again. Residents are trying to get to shelters as quickly as possible.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:16:56

Russia’s censorship agency continues to block news articles about the invasion, this time taking down reports from three Ukrainian news sites.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:18:56

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:23:11

The Czech Republic is also mulling closing its airspace to Russian airlines, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:25:01

Lithuania has banned rebroadcasting of six Russian-language television channels from Russia and Belarus.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:33:15

The Moscow Exchange appears to be bouncing back after its historic collapse yesterday.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:35:59

Thanks to the Central Bank’s support, the Russian ruble is also seeing relative improvement compared to recent days.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:46:58

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has recommended that Russian citizens still in Ukraine “contact Russian consular offices in other countries or in Russia, if necessary,” reports Interfax.

Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia following the invasion. Russian consulates in Ukraine stopped dealing with anything other than urgent matters a few days before the war began.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:48:37

Austrian and Germany officials have confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be included on the EU’s new sanctions list. However, the restrictions do not include a travel ban.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:49:36

Germany’s Foreign Ministry says that disconnecting Russian banks from SWIFT isn’t among the planned sanctions.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:50:29

Kyiv. February 25, 2022.

25 февраля 2022 г. 16:51:55

The World Chess Olympiad, which was supposed to take place in Russia in this year, will be taking place somewhere else, reports RIA Novosti.

25 февраля 2022 г. 17:15:25

Putin held a meeting of the National Security Council

According to Interfax, Putin made the following statements during the meeting:

He claimed that “neo-Nazis” are installing heavy weapons in residential areas and acting like terrorists.
He urged Ukrainians to “take power” — “it will be easier for us to reach an agreement.”
He alleged that “foreign consultants,” including “American advisors,” are involved in the current events.

Putin was quoted as saying the following:

“Once again I appeal to the service personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Do not allow neo-Nazis and banderites to use your children, your wives, and [your] elderly as human shields. Take power in your hands! It seems as though it will be easier for us to reach an agreement with you than with this gang of junkies and neo-Nazis who’ve settled in Kyiv and taken the entire Ukrainian people hostage.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 17:41:44

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has clarified that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine that the Kremlin’s spokesman referred to earlier today would not supersede the “military operation,” reports by Interfax.

25 февраля 2022 г. 17:45:03

The Council Europe has reportedly started the procedure for suspending Russia’s membership.

25 февраля 2022 г. 17:45:56

The Kherson regional administration reports that they have lost control over the entrance to the city of Kherson.

25 февраля 2022 г. 17:56:18

A Kyiv train station. February 25.

Eyewitnesses tell Meduza that leaving the Ukrainian capital is extremely difficult at the moment. Trains departing from Kyiv are taking passengers free of charge (the photos show a train destined for Lviv), but they have limited numbers of seats. Getting to the train station is also difficult due to the dangerous situation on the city’s streets.

“Everyone made room and we sat in a first-class [compartment] with 4–6 people. We slept sitting up. The conductor slept sitting on the floor, giving away his compartment to a woman and a baby,” a passenger who managed to leave Kyiv by train yesterday told Meduza.

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:01:00

Russia’s state-controlled Channel One is changing its programming, it said in a statement sent to Meduza. “In the current situation its necessary to pay more attention on air to programs of a socio-political nature,” the statement says. As such, some of its regular entertainment programming is set to be replaced with coverage of current events.

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:02:10

The daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Liza Peskova, has publicly spoken out against the war. Liza posted a story with the hashtag “No to War” on her Instagram account today.

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:25:10

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on potential negotiations with Kyiv

“The Russia side, under instructions from the president, immediately formed a delegation of representatives from the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and Presidential Administration [Putin’s Executive Office]. All of this information was brought to the Ukrainians.

After a short pause, the Ukrainians said that they were reviewing the idea with Minsk and that now they want to go to Warsaw [for negotiations]. And after that they stopped communicating and took [another] pause. And this pause has been going on for a while. Unfortunately, this pause is being accompanied by the fact that in large cities — [as] the president spoke about at the Security Council — nationalist elements are deploying multiple launch rocket systems in residential neighborhoods, including in Kyiv. We consider this situation extremely dangerous and wanted to talk about it absolutely openly. That’s all I wanted to say.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:35:55

The Council of Europe has suspended Russia’s rights of representation with immediate effect

This means Russia will no longer be represented in the CoE’s Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly. However, the Russian Federation remains a member of the Council of Europe and party to its relevant conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights.

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:38:10

Russia has been kicked out of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:43:57

Russia’s censorship agency throttles Facebook

Roskomnadzor has announced that it will partially restrict access to Facebook. According to the censorship agency, this comes in response the platform putting restrictions on accounts run by Russian media outlets Zvezda, RIA Novosti, Lenta.ru, and Gazeta.ru in connection with their coverage of the war.

25 февраля 2022 г. 18:59:19

Eyewitnesses — foreigners who now find themselves in Kyiv — told Meduza about attempts to escape the city by car. They say there are massive traffic jams on the roads leading out of the capital, “but there is no panic as such.”

Only foreigners and women with children are leaving. The [rest of the] local population is preparing to defend Kyiv.

Government officials previously reported that several thousand automatic weapons were distributed to the city’s population. Photographed below: volunteers in Kyiv readying those firearms:

Mikhail Palinchak / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:02:16

Aeroflot says it doesn’t plan to suspend operations in Europe, but flights will now take longer because the Czech Republic and Poland have closed their airspace to Russian airlines, reports the news agency RBC. The Russian airline S7 has suspended all flights to Europe until at least March 13.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:06:24

Ukraine’s president has shared a video online where he says he and Ukraine’s leadership are still in Kyiv.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:18:38

Russia’s Defense Ministry shares update at 8 p.m., Moscow time (12 p.m., New York)

“Shot down: six warplanes, one helicopter, five drones. Destroyed: 67 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 16 multiple rocket launchers, 87 special military vehicles,” announced Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry’s official spokesman, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:22:23

Liza Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has deleted the anti-war message she recently posted on Instagram.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:27:07

A billboard in St. Petersburg, justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The text reads, “’They left us no option to act in any other way,’ V.V. Putin. #WeAreUnited”

Anton Vaganov / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:35:11

People sheltering in Kharkiv’s subway system have moved from the underground stations into the underground tunnels themselves.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:36:50

Aeroflot announces suspension of all flights to London and Dublin until May 23

The airline is offering refunds or reschedulings to all already-ticketed passengers.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:42:23

New statement by NATO calls Russian invasion of Ukraine “gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades”

“In light of Russia’s actions, we will draw all the necessary consequences for NATO’s deterrence and defense posture. Allies have held consultations under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty. We will continue to take all measures and decisions required to ensure the security and defense of all Allies.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:43:37

The Ukrainian government says it plans to issue “war bonds” for an internal loan of $13.7 billion.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:47:44

American filmmaker David Lynch concluded his daily weather report in Los Angeles with a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin. “We are as human beings charged as to how we treat our fellow man. […] What you sow you shall reap,” he said.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:48:51

Ukraine has reportedly closed all schools for the next two weeks at least.

25 февраля 2022 г. 19:56:01

In the past 48 hours, more than 50,000 people have fled Ukraine, reports United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

According to Telegram channels established to aid refugees from Ukraine, Poland has lifted all border restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and border guards will provide all necessary assistance to incoming Ukrainians, including “accepting applications for international protection.”

25 февраля 2022 г. 20:16:04

OVD-Info has shared the following information on yesterday’s anti-war protests in Russia:

More than 1,800 people were detained in 60 different cities;
At least 31 minors were arrested countrywide;
At least 17 journalists were detained in seven different cities;
Protesters have been charged with various misdemeanors, punishable by fines ranging from 2,000 to 300,000 rubles (about $25–$3,625) and jail time ranging from 15 to 30 days.

25 февраля 2022 г. 20:31:56

Anti-war protests continue in St. Petersburg tonight.

25 февраля 2022 г. 20:42:52

BREAKING: EU adopts sanctions package that includes freezing assets belonging to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

25 февраля 2022 г. 20:44:47

Israel’s “Putin Pub” has officially rebranded.

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:00:13

Snapshots from tonight’s anti-war protests in St. Petersburg

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:07:09

A destroyed Russian “Grad” multiple rocket launcher system outside Kharkiv. February 25.

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:16:14

The Eiffel Tower tonight.

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:33:58

Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov in an interview with Euractiv:

— Do you think Mr Zelensky will be killed in a military operation?

— I hope not. Actually killing leaders of states is somebody else’s style, not ours. Maybe there will be a tribunal to deal with him at some point.

— But what’s the charge?

It’s up to the renewed authorities in Kiev and their tribunal to deal with him.

— Maybe genocide?

I don’t know what will be the specific charges against him. There are professional lawyers to deal with that.

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:35:42

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reports five explosions near the Troieshchyna power station in the north of the city, says the booms were about 3–5 minutes apart.

25 февраля 2022 г. 21:40:14

BREAKING: NATO activates its response force for the first time history.

25 февраля 2022 г. 22:21:53

BREAKING: The UK is also set to freeze assets belonging to Russia’s President Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Vladimir Putin’s entry on the British sanctions list

According to CNN, the U.S. is also expected to impose sanctions on Putin.

25 февраля 2022 г. 22:27:39

25 февраля 2022 г. 22:33:38

At least 150 anti-war protesters were arrested at the rally in St. Petersburg tonight, reports local news outlet Bumaga.

25 февраля 2022 г. 22:36:15

The press office for Ukraine’s ground forces reports on Facebook that 40 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed near Konotop. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry continues to refute reports about the military suffering losses.

25 февраля 2022 г. 22:38:57

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics” have ordered general conscription to “protect the Donbas and all Russian people.” The de facto authorities in the “republics” are reporting a successful mobilization and a large number of volunteers. Local residents told Meduza that the local militias are conducting street raids in search of conscripts.

25 февраля 2022 г. 23:38:13

The Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. February 25.

25 февраля 2022 г. 23:44:45

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims that Kyiv declined to hold talks with Russia and suggested postponing the issue until tomorrow.

25 февраля 2022 г. 23:49:46

The unrecognized breakaway state of Abkhazia has recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics,” reports RIA Novosti.

26 февраля 2022 г. 01:08:40

Meduza is ending this live blog and pivoting to coverage here: