President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the night of February 24 turned to the Russians. Decoding Today I initiated a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation. The result is silence. Although silence should be in the Donbass. Therefore, today I want to appeal to all Russian citizens. Not like the president, I appeal to Russian citizens as a citizen of Ukraine. We are shared by more than two thousand kilometers of the general border with you.

The de facto leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help “repelling aggression” from Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Wednesday, February 23. The state news agency also released photos of the appeals provided by the Kremlin’s press service.

The heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to help "repel aggression" from Ukraine. This was announced by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, reports TASS. The agency published a photo of the appeals provided by the Kremlin press service. The documents are dated February 22.

From March 1, Russian tourists will be able to visit Italy without the mandatory quarantine. This was reported on the website of the Consulate General of Italy in St. Petersburg. For entry, you will need to provide either a certificate of vaccination against covid with an EU-approved drug, or a certificate of recovery within the last six months, or a negative result of a PCR test (done within 72 hours) or an antigen test (done within 48 hours) .

The Pentagon believes that “additional Russian forces” are entering the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said this at a briefing. We definitely believe that additional Russian military forces are moving into this region, but not outside this region, that's what we see. We cannot confirm with great accuracy their number, what formations they are and what capabilities they have. But we are convinced that this is happening.

US President Joe Biden has ordered sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This is stated in a statement by Biden published on the White House website. The statement does not specify what specific restrictions are being discussed. "Today, I directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its executives. This action is another part of our first round of sanctions in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

System Capital Management (SCM), owned by Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov, will pay taxes to the Ukrainian budget in the total amount of one billion hryvnias (about $35 million) ahead of schedule. Akhmetov himself announced this, his statement was published on the SCM website on February 22. “The threat of invasion requires maximum unity. <...> Now more than ever, Ukraine needs the stability of public finances. Business should help the state in this.

The US Department of Finance and the European Union announced the introduction of new sanctions against Russia. Russian elites, deputies who supported the appeal to the President of Russia on February 15 with a request to recognize the independence of the DPR and the LPR, two state banks and their subsidiaries - including even the CSKA football club.

The websites of a number of state departments of Ukraine were inaccessible on the afternoon of February 23, the RBC-Ukraine newspaper reported. After 15:00 Kyiv time (16:00 Moscow time), the websites of the Verkhovna Rada, the Government of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Security Service of Ukraine ceased to open.

On the Moscow Stock Exchange on February 23, the dollar exchange rate exceeded 81 rubles. This happened for the first time since March 23, 2020, Interfax reports. At the time of writing this news, the dollar was again trading below 81 rubles. Its rate was 80.89 (+2 rubles to the closing level of the previous auction). The euro exchange rate is 91.44 (+1.99 rubles to the level of the previous day).

The European Union has officially approved sanctions against Russia due to the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. This was reported on the website of the European Council. The sanctions, as was reported the day before, will affect 351 State Duma deputies who on February 15 supported the appeal to the President of Russia with a request to recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR.

Former US President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR and his intention to send troops there under the guise of a peacekeeping mission a "brilliant" move. Trump said this on the American podcast "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show". I walked in [to the house] yesterday, the TV was on, and I said, “This is brilliant.” Putin is declaring most of Ukraine independent. Oh, that’s great.

Former FBK employee Fyodor Gorozhanko, who became a prosecution witness in the new case against opposition politician Alexei Navalny, has left Russia. Gorozhanko told the Telegram channel “Mozhem Obysheniya” (We Can Explain) about this. "I did it for security reasons. Well, for an obvious reason, I said enough in court. <…> I angered the investigative team in the case enough. They will not hesitate to react," he said. On February 21, Gorozhanko testified in court in the Navalny case.

Russia and the West make next moves as Ukraine braces for military escalation On February 23, 2022, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council announced plans to declare a nationwide state of emergency for 30 days. A day earlier, Russia’s Federation Council granted a presidential request to deploy the military abroad, giving Vladimir Putin the green light to openly send troops into eastern Ukraine.

The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center ( VTsIOM ) conducted the first survey of Russians about their attitude to the recognition of the independence of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics. This was reported on the VTsIOM website. Respondents were asked three questions, each with only one answer.