Luhansk and Donetsk regions recognised as as independent states by Russia – as it happened
Russian president has recognised Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent states: Zelenskiy says ‘we are not afraid’.


Zelenskiy urges peace and refuses to cede ground in TV address

Western governments dismayed by Putin’s sending of forces into Ukraine

Putin orders troops into Donetsk and Luhansk on ‘peacekeeping duties’

What would Russian recognition of breakaway Ukraine regions mean?
Putin signs decree recognising Ukraine's two breakaway regions – video
Samantha Lock (now); Jennifer Rankin , Lauren Aratani and Elias Visontay (earlier)
@EliasVisontay
Tue 22 Feb 2022 00.19 EST
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Key events
00.19 EST
This blog is closing now but you can continue to follow our live coverage on our new liveblog here. Thanks for reading

Updated at 00.19 EST
00.02 EST
Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė has said Russian president Vladimir Putin’s move to recognise two separatist pro-Moscow regions in Ukraine puts “Kafka & Orwell to shame”.

Putin just put Kafka & Orwell to shame: no limits to dictator’s imagination, no lows too low, no lies too blatant, no red lines too red to cross.

What we witnessed tonight might seem surreal for democratic world. But the way we respond will define us for the generations to come.”

Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also tweeted that Russia’s recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk “proves a total contempt for international law & UN charters.”

Lithuanian prime minister, Ingrida Šimonytė.
Lithuanian prime minister, Ingrida Šimonytė. Photograph: Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock
He added that Russia “must be recognised for what it is: a state outside international rules & civilised norms,” and he called for other nations to respond with sanctions.

Putin just put Kafka & Orwell to shame: no limits to dictator's imagination, no lows too low, no lies too blatant, no red lines too red to cross.

What we witnessed tonight might seem surreal for democratic world. But the way we respond will define us for the generations to come.

— Ingrida Šimonytė (@IngridaSimonyte) February 21, 2022
Updated at 00.09 EST
23.36 EST
US and allies to announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday
The United States is coordinating with allies and will announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report citing US officials late on Monday.

The initial sanctions are reportedly in response to Moscow recognising the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent and sending “peacekeeping” forces there.

However it’s unclear how significant the sanctions will be. The US earlier said it would not be imposing a broader sanctions package on Russia as its actions on Monday had not constituted a further invasions.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaking after the security council meeting on Monday. Photograph: AP
US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaking after a UN security council meeting on Monday evening, said:

Tomorrow, the United States will impose sanctions on Russia for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We can, will, and must stand united in our calls for Russia to withdraw its forces, return to the diplomatic table and work toward peace.”

Earlier on Monday, Joe Biden signed an executive order to prohibit trade and investment between US individuals and the two breakaway regions that Russia had recognised as independent.

Updated at 23.36 EST
23.15 EST
Earlier we reported Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy gave a televised address in the early hours of the morning, saying Ukraine is “not afraid of anyone or anything” after Russian president Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions of eastern Ukraine as independent and then ordered in forces.

“Ukraine most certainly considers these last Russian actions as the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country,” he said. “All responsibility for all the consequences connected with the decision mentioned above lies on the Russian political leadership”.

Watch the highlights from his address in the video below.

Zelenskiy tells Ukrainians 'we are not afraid of anyone' – video
Updated at 23.15 EST
23.14 EST
United Nations security council summary
After a tense 90 minutes, the United Nations security council meeting has come to an end.

It was an extraordinary war of words as representatives from the United States, the UK, France, Germany, India, Ireland, the UAE, Kenya and Ghana all emphatically urged peace and diplomacy in a bid to avert war in Ukraine.

Addressing the session, US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield cast doubt on Putin’s assertion that the Russian troops would take on a “peacekeeping” role in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.

He calls them peacekeepers. This is nonsense. We know what they really are.

Referring to Putin’s recent allegations, the ambassador said his words amounted to a “series of outrageous, false claims” that were aimed at “creating a pretext for war.”

Putin wants to travel back to a time when empires ruled the world. This is not 1919,” she added.

The UK’s permanent representative to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, highlighted the humanitarian impact of a possible invasion.

The actions Russia has chosen today will have severe and far-reaching consequences. First, to human life. An invasion of Ukraine unleashes the forces of war, death and destruction on the people of Ukraine,” she said.

In seeking to redraw borders by force, Russia’s actions show blatant contempt for international law.”

After about an hour we finally heard from Russia ,with Vasily Nebenzya calling the prior statements a “direct verbal assault” and saying they would go “unanswered”.

Nebenzya also attacked the west for “nudging” Ukraine towards conflict and accused other nations of overlooking the plight of those in the Donbas.

Most of you did not find any place for the nearly four million residents of Donbas ... Our western colleagues have been unashamedly cramming weapons into Ukraine.”

Russia then alleged Ukraine was on the brink of “military adventure”.

Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do.”

Finally, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya took the stand, insisting that his country’s borders remain “unchangeable” despite Russia’s actions.

We are on our own land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone, we owe nothing to anyone and we will not give away anything to anyone. There should be no doubt whatsoever.

The international borders of Ukraine are and will remain unchangeable.

We demand from Russia to cancel the decision on recognition and return to the table of negotiations.

We condemn the order to deploy additional Russian occupation troops to the territories in Ukraine.

We demand immediate and complete verifiable withdrawal of the occupation troops.

The United Nations is sick. That’s a matter of fact. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus?”

Updated at 23.14 EST
23.00 EST
Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega has controversially defended Russia’s stance over Ukraine, saying president Putin was right to recognise two regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists as independent, Reuters reports.

Ortego, a long-time opponent of US influence in Central America, defended Putin’s move to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk during a speech in Managua.

“I am sure that if they do a referendum like the one carried out in Crimea, people will vote to annex the territories to Russia.”

Ortega also said Ukraine’s attempt to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) represented a threat to Russia.

If Ukraine gets into Nato they will be saying to Russia let’s go to war, and that explains why Russia is acting like this. Russia is simply defending itself.”

Updated at 23.00 EST
22.38 EST
The selloff on Asian stock markets has deepened – and the rush to safe havens has accelearted – in the past hour so as investors become more and more jittery about the Ukraine crisis.

The Nikkei is now off 2.3%, the ASX in Sydney has slumped 1.6%, and the Kospi in Seoul has retreated 1.75%. Bitcoin is down 6% at $36,633.

The Nikkei 225 stock average has lost more than 2%. Photograph: Jiji Press/EPA
Markets are also down heavily in China but the situation there has been complicated after tech stocks were hammered in the wake of news that state-owned firms and banks have been to told to start a fresh round of checks on their financial exposure and other links to Ant Group, which is owned by Jack Ma’s Alibaba.

The Hang Seng has been worst hit, down 3.2%, while Shanghai is off 1.25%.

Hong Kong markets needs that lunch break ASAP. Hang Seng Index off over 700 pts (-3%). Erbody down except oil names. Tech stocks through the floor. pic.twitter.com/J6IzHWzNTj

— David Ingles (@DavidInglesTV) February 22, 2022
In contrast, Brent crude oil rose 2% to $97.21, touching a new seven-year high on worries Russia’s energy exports could get disrupted, and spot gold hit a new six-month top of $1,911.56.

Updated at 22.38 EST
22.29 EST
Ukraine has responded.

“It is with unease that I will now remove my mask”, Sergiy Kyslytsya says in his address, not because of Covid but because of “the virus that has hit the UN - the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”

Kyslytsya adds:

We are on our own land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone, we owe nothing to anyone and we will not give away anything to anyone. There should be no doubt whatsoever.

The international borders of Ukraine are and will remain unchangeable.

We demand from Russia to cancel the decision on recognition and return to the table of negotiations.

We condemn the order to deploy additional Russian occupation troops to the territories in Ukraine.

We demand immediate and complete verifiable withdrawal of the occupation troops.

The United Nations is sick. That’s a matter of fact. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus?”

Kyslytsya: "We demand immediate and complete very verifiable withdrawal of the occupation troops...The United Nations is sick. That's a matter of fact. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus?"

— Julian Borger (@julianborger) February 22, 2022
Updated at 22.44 EST
22.19 EST
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations has responded to the string of emphatic pleas from world leaders and delegates at the security council meeting to de-escalate conflict in Ukraine.

“I’ll leave the direct verbal assault on us unanswered,” Vasily Nebenzya told the meeting in New York.

Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, at the security council meeting. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
Nebenzya pointedly blamed Ukraine for sabotaging the Minsk agreements by not speaking to the Moscow-backed separatists in the east.

Ukraine has been in conflict with pro-Russian breakaway rebels in eastern Ukraine since 2014. The Minsk accords were thrashed out in 2015 to end hostilities.

Nebenzya also attacked the west for “nudging” Ukraine towards conflict and accused other nations of overlooking the plight of those in the Donbas.

Most of you did not find any place for the nearly four million residents of Donbas ... Our western colleagues have been unashamedly cramming weapons into Ukraine.”

Russia alleged Ukraine was on the brink of “military adventure”.

Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do.”

Updated at 22.43 EST
22.10 EST
China has given a very short address to the security council meeting.

“All parties concerned must exercise restraint and avoid any action that may fuel tensions” and “seek reasonable solutions to each other’s concerns,” Zhang Yun said.

He added that Beijing welcomed and encouraged “every effort for a diplomatic solution”.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/feb/21/russia-ukraine-news-latest-crisis-putin-biden-summit-kyiv-kiev-russian-invasion-threat-live-updates

The Invasion has started.
It is only a Hypocrete that will call Russia bad and US good.
But he Nations are evil nations. But the US is worse.
The US destabilize Syria, Lybia et al. and went to there backyard to steal oil.
A war between NATO and Russia will bring up a New world leader and it will be China. China is the certified leader in commerce today and a growing military strength. If anything happens to China, the world will suffer as I speak. Even that new year holiday dey affect the world.

Those who think Russia and NATO are not are war already are dreaming. They've been killing each other in Syria, another country that is suffering from the effect of the Americans.
This matter would not have escalated had Trump been President.
There is the silent respect you accord to a madman, knowing he can be volatile.
Both Trump and Putin are madmen.
I use to give the US the alpha nation until after Trump became President.
I was shocked to see the US accusing Russia of installing a President for them. Then I went back to History and found out that after the cold war, the Presidential race to the White House has always been influenced by the Russian state.

This is clearly a declaration of war!!

War in disguise!

Hmmm

These Russian guys are smart. They've used one stone to kill 2 birds.
Funny enough the whole of Ukraine may end up being a Russian state.
Na only Sanctions them go give. The Russians want a war now, than the Americans.
Even if the war starts, many NATO nations will not involve themselves, some will realign and start asking questions about the war.
Who go gree say make Winch man come be him next door neighbor. If you go fit you go pay for the 2 rooms or pack out of the house.
America will not allow Russia to build any form of base in Canada. They will invade canada without even warning Russia is right on this matter.

All these pro-Russian loudspeakers on this thread should take note that no be person wey start fight and gragra dey win fight.

All these gragra and chest-beating Russia is doing will backfire when the real thing starts.

You want war? Let's see how long Russia lasts fighting the EU, NATO and its allies.

Kingpin1000:
The Invasion has started.
It is only a Hypocrete that will call Russia bad and US good.
But he Nations are evil nations. But the US is worse.
The US destabilize Syria, Lybia et al. and went to there backyard to steal oil.
A war between NATO and Russia will bring up a New world leader and it will be China. China is the certified leader in commerce today and a growing military strength. If anything happens to China, the world will suffer as I speak. Even that new year holiday dey affect the world.

Those who think Russia and NATO are not are war already are dreaming. They've been killing each other in Syria, another country that is suffering from the effect of the Americans.
This matter would not have escalated had Trump been President.
There is the silent respect you accord to a madman, knowing he can be volatile.
Both Trump and Putin are madmen.
I use to give the US the alpha nation until after Trump became President.
I was shocked to see the US accusing Russia of installing a President for them. Then I went back to History and found out that after the cold war, the Presidential race to the White House has always been influenced by the Russian state.

my brother leave chonko out of this matter.u.s will remain d last world power till Gods kingdom comes to rule mankind. U no dey read Daniel prophecy to verify