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

Explosions recorded outside Mariupol.
A fire is burning in Kharkiv.
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.

There are no civilian aircraft in the skies over Ukraine right now.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry confirms that Kyiv is under attack from cruise and ballistic missiles.
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.
Journalist Andrey Tsaplienko reports that Russian troops have crossed the Ukrainian border outside the city of Kharkiv.
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.
The U.S. will soon submit a resolution on Ukraine to the United Nations.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Footage from Kharkiv.
People in Kharkiv fleeing missile strikes take shelter in one of the city’s subway stations.
All flights departing Rostov-on-Don Airport in Russia have been canceled.
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.
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.
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.
Trade on the Moscow Exchange has been suspended.
President Zelensky has declared martial law in Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion.
President Zelensky has declared martial law in Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion.
A missile strike against the military airfield in Kramatorsk.
Russian missiles on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
Air-raid alarms are sounding in Kyiv’s empty streets.
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.)
The St. Petersburg Stock Exchange has also suspended all trade.
The road out of Kyiv.

The Ukrainian military warns that claims of Russian troops landing in Odesa are fake.
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.
Ukraine’s military command says it has shot down a Russian military aircraft, though this information has not yet been verified.
Russian tanks have reportedly crossed into Ukraine from Belarus.
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.
The Ukrainian military says it has shot down five planes and one helicopter in combat over the Donbas.
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.
A cruise missile hits a depot in Ivano-Frankivsk, in western Ukraine.
The subway systems in Kharkiv and Kyiv have opened free of charge to the public, offering underground stations as shelters against Russian missile attacks.

The Moscow stock exchange will resume trade at 10 a.m., local time (roughly 10 minutes from the time of this writing).
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.
Ukraine’s Border Guard Service says Russian military equipment is moving toward the Ukrainian mainland from Crimea.
Russia’s Central Bank announces foreign-exchange interventions to maintain the ruble’s value.
The LNR claims to have shot down two Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-24s outside the towns of Stepove and Smile.
Kyiv residents take shelter in the city’s subway.

Latvia has banned the transmission of the Russian state television networks Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 24.
Ukraine’s Border Service reports that Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine near Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Luhansk.
Shipping traffic in the Sea of Azov (bounded by Ukraine in the northwest and Russia in the southeast) has been suspended.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trying to stop the market’s free fall, Russia’s Central Bank has imposed a ban on short sales on Russia’s stock exchanges.
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.
Alexander Lukashenko, the head of state in Belarus, has denied the involvement of Belarusian troops in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say unmarked aircraft and equipment are attacking targets inside Ukraine from the Belarusian side of the border.
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.
NATO member Lithuania has declared a state of emergency due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The skies over Ukraine, southern Belarus, and southwestern Russia on Thursday morning.
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.”
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.
Ukraine’s Health Ministry has temporarily suspended all planned hospitalizations.
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.
Ukraine has cut diplomatic ties to Russia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Belarus has partially closed its airspace to civilian aircraft.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted legislation to the Ukrainian Parliament to initiate a general mobilization of the nation’s entire military capacity.
Belgium has endorsed the suspension of visas for all Russian nationals. A day earlier, Latvian lawmakers proposed the same policy.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Entry into Kyiv is now closed. People are still free to leave the city.
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.
Ukraine’s Border Service says Russian military vehicles have attempted to break through to the area surrounding Kyiv.
Russian troops have reportedly seized control of Antonov International Airport in Hostomel, just outside Kyiv.
NATO will hold a virtual summit on Friday, February 25, to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
A Ukrainian aircraft downed in the Kyiv region. Five people were killed, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
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.
Ukraine has begun to evacuate its diplomatic staff from Moscow.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.”
The Russian Investigative Committee has issued a warning about liability for “unsanctioned rallies” citing the “strained foreign affairs situation.”
Czechia has stopped issuing visas to Russian nationals.
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.
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.
An anti-war rally in Novosibirsk.
An anti-war rally in downtown Yekaterinburg.

UNIAN reports the start of bombing in Kharkiv. City residents are sheltering in the subway system.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky confirms reports that Russian forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
OVD-Info reports that more than 196 people in 26 Russian cities have been detained at anti-war protests so far today.
St. Petersburg police forcibly detaining anti-war protesters


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



The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has introduced a curfew, as has the Cherkasy region, and the city of Dnipro.
Kyiv is demanding that Russia be disconnected from SWIFT and the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, says President Zelensky.
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.
UNIAN reports that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has been seized and its staff have been taken hostage.
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.
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.
The UK has announced new sanctions against Russia, including restrictions targeting VTB bank and Aeroflot, reports the BBC.

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.
Russian troops have seized control of the Antonov International Airport, located just outside Kyiv, confirms Ukraine’s presidential office.
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.
Several hundred anti-war protesters gather outside the Great Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg. Police have reportedly arrested more than 180 people.
Footage from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant showing some of the Russian military personnel who reportedly seized control of the station, not long ago.
U.S. President Joe Biden announces “devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures” against Russia.
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.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is recalling its entire monitoring mission from Ukraine.
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.
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.
In solidarity with Ukraine, Lithuania says it has stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens.
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.)
Poland’s National Broadcasting Council has prohibited the transmission of several Russian television networks, including Russia Today.
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.
Moscow police have arrested prominent human rights activist Lev Ponomarev outside of his home, reports Sota.
Just after 10:00 p.m. Moscow time, OVD-Info reports 1,542 arrests at anti-war protests in 52 Russian cities.
Ukraine’s armed forces report that they have reclaimed the Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, according to The Kyiv Independent.


The U.S. is sanctioning 11 more Russian legal entities, including Sberbank and Gazprombank
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.
The Ukrainian Health Ministry reports that 57 people have died in Russian attacks and 169 more have sustained injuries.
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.
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.
According to the Ukrainian Army, more than 60 Russian tactical-force battalions have crossed the border into the country.
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.
Journalist Jonny Tickle has announced his resignation from Russia Today “in light of recent events.”
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.
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.
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.
Over the last few hours, more than 10,000 automatic rifles were distributed to the residents of Kyiv, says Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.
“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.”
Four Moscow police stations have instituted lockdowns after lawyers from the OVD-Info human rights project tried to meet with arrested anti-war demonstrators.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.


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.
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.

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:
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.
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.

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.
Legendary Russian rockstar Boris Grebenshchikov has publicly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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.”
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.
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.
The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta is printing its February 25, 2022, issue in both Russian and Ukrainian.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky has signed a decree establishing a Commander-in-chief Wartime Headquarters.
The FSB Coordination Center has warned of a “critical” level threat of cyber attacks on the Russian information space, reports Interfax.
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.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the following “massive and targeted” measures:
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.
The Ukrainian news media reports multiple explosions in Kyiv, suggesting that the city is again under Russian rocket fire.
Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko shares video purportedly showing captured Russian soldiers. This footage is still unverified.
Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Honcharenko reportedly says this video shows a Russian warplane being shot down in Kyiv. The footage is still unverified.
Poland has deployed nine points along its border to receive refugees from Ukraine.
Air-raid sirens have been reported in Vinnytsia, a city in west-central Ukraine.
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.
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.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported the following data on enemy losses at 4 a.m., Moscow time: “about 800 military personnel.”
It will take place virtually on Friday, February 24, at 9 a.m., New York time (4 p.m., Kyiv time).
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.
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.”
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.)
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.
The sounds of automatic gunfire have been reported in the streets of Sumy, a city about 200 miles east of Kyiv.
Russia has threatened to close its airspace to all British airlines, including for transit flights, in response to London banning Aeroflot from the UK.
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.”
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.
Rivne International Airport (roughly 200 miles west of Kyiv) is reportedly under Russian missile attack, says the local mayor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.



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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Ukrainian media outlet UNIAN publishes photos showing Russian missiles crashed into the streets of Kharkiv.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Across Ukraine, people are lining up to donate blood. Pictured below, the wait to give blood in Lviv.

“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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
The Russian Defense Ministry has officially denied that it launched missile strikes on residential areas of Kyiv.
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.
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.
Russian universities and law enforcement agencies have begun to put pressure on students who opposed the war in Ukraine, reports the student journal Doxa.
“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.
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.
A petition opposing the war with Ukraine launched by prominent Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomarev has gathered more than 500,000 signatures.
Air raid sirens are sounding in Kyiv again. Residents are trying to get to shelters as quickly as possible.
Russia’s censorship agency continues to block news articles about the invasion, this time taking down reports from three Ukrainian news sites.
The Czech Republic is also mulling closing its airspace to Russian airlines, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Lithuania has banned rebroadcasting of six Russian-language television channels from Russia and Belarus.
The Moscow Exchange appears to be bouncing back after its historic collapse yesterday.

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

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.
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.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry says that disconnecting Russian banks from SWIFT isn’t among the planned sanctions.
Kyiv. February 25, 2022.

The World Chess Olympiad, which was supposed to take place in Russia in this year, will be taking place somewhere else, reports RIA Novosti.
According to Interfax, Putin made the following statements during the meeting:
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.”
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.
The Council Europe has reportedly started the procedure for suspending Russia’s membership.
The Kherson regional administration reports that they have lost control over the entrance to the city of Kherson.

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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
Russia has been kicked out of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest
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.
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:

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.
Ukraine’s president has shared a video online where he says he and Ukraine’s leadership are still in Kyiv.
“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.
Liza Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has deleted the anti-war message she recently posted on Instagram.
The text reads, “’They left us no option to act in any other way,’ V.V. Putin. #WeAreUnited”

People sheltering in Kharkiv’s subway system have moved from the underground stations into the underground tunnels themselves.
The airline is offering refunds or reschedulings to all already-ticketed passengers.
“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.”
The Ukrainian government says it plans to issue “war bonds” for an internal loan of $13.7 billion.
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.
Ukraine has reportedly closed all schools for the next two weeks at least.
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.”
OVD-Info has shared the following information on yesterday’s anti-war protests in Russia:
Israel’s “Putin Pub” has officially rebranded.






The Eiffel Tower tonight.

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.
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.
According to CNN, the U.S. is also expected to impose sanctions on Putin.
At least 150 anti-war protesters were arrested at the rally in St. Petersburg tonight, reports local news outlet Bumaga.
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.
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.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims that Kyiv declined to hold talks with Russia and suggested postponing the issue until tomorrow.
The unrecognized breakaway state of Abkhazia has recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics,” reports RIA Novosti.
Meduza is ending this live blog and pivoting to coverage here: