by Ana Rufa Padua

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law in Ukraine after Russia launched its “special military operation,” February 24, 2022 (Thursday).

“We introduce martial law throughout the state…The US is starting to gather internal support.” Zelenskyy told the countrymen of Ukraine in a video. The country has also declared a nationwide state of emergency. 

He also reminded the Ukranians to not panic because they are strong and “ready for everything.”

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Russian forces have crossed the northern and southern borders of Ukraine. 

Earlier on the same day in a televised speech at 5:55 Moscow time, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “special military operation” in Donbas, Ukraine.

“Its aim is to protect people who have been subjected to tortures and genocide from the Kyiv regime for eight years,” the Russian president said in his speech. 

Furthermore, Putin mentioned that they will be aiming at the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.”

Several explosions have been witnessed and heard across the country’s capital, Kyiv, 30 minutes after Putin’s declaration—signaling the air raid sirens. Other locations affected include the southern port city of Odesa, Khmel’nytski airfield, Nizhyn airfield, and Mariupol.

Putin announced earlier this week that Russia recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk—two separatist-held areas in Ukraine that were seized by Russian-backed rebels when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

According to Putin, Ukraine is moving closer to the West through the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), and this would increase the difficulty of bringing back the two aforementioned independent areas under his control.

Hence, the Russian president asserted that the specialist military operation’s objective was to defend the people in Donetsk and Luhansk. On the contrary, Ukrainian officials called the said operation a “full-scale invasion” and broke off diplomatic relations with Russia. 

Additionally, British Prime Minister Boris John, claimed in an interview with BBC that Russia could be planning for “something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a press briefing that coming home will not be easy for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) due to their family needs.

As of February 18, six Filipinos have been repatriated, while four were expected to fly home on Thursday, February 24. There are at least 181 Filipinos residing in Ukraine.

REFERENCES:

Abad, M. (2022, February 24). DFA: Some OFWs opting to stay in Ukraine to provide for their families. RAPPLER. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.rappler.com/nation/overseas-filipinos/dfa-report-some-workers-opting-stay-put-ukraine-provide-families

BBC News. (2022a, February 24). Ukraine conflict: Russian forces invade after Putin TV declaration. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60503037?piano-modal&fbclid=IwAR1yxjHScPSgcBoEWkUW_SVUYRcNHgDvuO4b43XUkX708Mo04wQny6rfJY4

BBC News. (2022b, February 24). Ukraine conflict: What we know about the invasion. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60504334

CBS News. (2022, February 25). Ukraine says it’s fighting a “full-scale” Russian invasion on 3 fronts as shelling reported in Kyiv and other cities. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/russia-ukraine-invasion-donbas-troops-today/

Srinivasan, C. (2022, February 24). Explained: What prompted Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s global defiance. Hindustan Times. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/why-did-putin-and-russia-attack-ukraine-101645686907821.html

Suri, M., & Issac, L. (2022, February 21). February 20 Ukraine-Russia news. CNN. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-20-22-intl/h_3a11624357a87e75122ed79a8183c6e2

Photo Source: Rasid Necati Aslim—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images