Biden announces new sanctions on Russia, says Putin wants to refound Soviet Union
Joe Biden during his speech this Thursday (24/02)
US President Joe Biden made a statement on Thursday (24/02) in which he announced new sanctions and limits on Russian exports. He stated Vladimir Putin's goal with the invasion of Ukraine is to re-establish the former Soviet Union.
Biden said the sanctions would hit Russian elites, the country's top banks and companies involved in technology.
He claims that more than half of the global economy will participate in the implementation of sanctions against Russia. "We will limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen"
"Putin is the aggressor, Putin chose this war and now he and his country will have to deal with the consequences," he said. "Putin's actions show a sinister vision of the future of our world."
In the speech, the US president said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a "premeditated" attack by Putin months ago and that the Russian has "much greater ambitions than Ukraine".
"He really wants to re-establish the former Soviet Union."
The US president said that at the moment US forces "are not and will not be involved in the conflict with Russia inside Ukraine, but rather to defend our NATO allies."
In a statement, the US government said that almost 80% of the assets of Russian banking institutions will be targeted by the sanctions.
Russia launched a large-scale military attack against Ukraine, a neighboring country to the south, on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this Thursday.
There are reports of attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure across the country and of Russian convoys arriving from all directions.
Below is a chronology of what has occurred since the beginning of the Russian offensive:
Putin orders attack
In a televised address at 5:55 am (Moscow time), Putin announced a "military operation" in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
This area is home to many Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Parts of it have been occupied and administered by Russian-backed rebels since 2014.
Putin said Russia was intervening as an act of self-defense. Russia did not want to occupy Ukraine, he said, but would demilitarize and "denazify" the country.
He urged Ukrainian soldiers in the combat zone to put down their weapons and return home, but said clashes were inevitable and "only a matter of time".
He added that any intervention by outside powers to resist the Russian attack would be met with an "instant" response.
Explosions heard across the country
BBC correspondents heard rumblings in the capital Kiev, as well as in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Explosions were also heard in the southern port city of Odessa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia carried out missile attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure and border guards.
Russia's Defense Ministry has denied attacking Ukrainian cities — saying it was targeting military infrastructure, air defense and air forces with "high-precision weapons".
Tanks and troops enter Ukraine
Tanks and troops have invaded Ukraine at stretches along its border to the east, south and north, Ukraine says.
Russian military convoys crossed from Belarus to the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine and from Russia to the Sumy region, which is also to the north, according to Ukraine's border guard service (DPSU).
Belarus is a longtime ally of Russia. Analysts describe the tiny country as Russia's "satellite state".
A Russian convoy enters the Kherson region of Ukraine from Crimea
The convoys also entered the eastern regions of Luhansk and Kharkiv and moved to the Kherson region from Crimea — territory Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The Russian offensive was preceded by artillery fire, and border guards were wounded, the DPSU said.
There were also reports of troops landing by sea in the southern Black Sea port cities of Mariupol and Odessa.
A loud explosion was heard in Odessa city centre, and a British resident told the BBC that many people were leaving.
recorded deaths
At least eight people died in bombings by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian police.
An attack on a military unit in Podilsk, on the outskirts of Odesa, killed six people and injured seven, officials said. Nineteen people are missing.
And one person died in the eastern city of Mariupol.
Ukraine says it is defending itself
The Ukrainian military said it shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter and inflicted casualties on invading troops.
"Keep calm and believe in Ukraine's defenders," reads a statement from Ukraine's military.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied, however, that its aircraft had been shot down.
People crossed fields to leave the city of Kharkiv
Ukraine has enacted martial law — meaning the military temporarily takes control — and has severed diplomatic ties with Russia.
President Zelensky urged Russians to protest the invasion and said weapons would be distributed to anyone in Ukraine who wanted them.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has implored the world to impose devastating sanctions on Russia, including excluding the country from the Swift international bank transfer system.
Residents seek shelter
In Kiev, there are massive traffic jams on the expressways as people flee the city.
Reports on social media reference a growing sense of panic, with some saying they are being rushed to bomb shelters and basements.
Television footage showed people praying in the streets.
Many people in Kiev sought shelter in underground metro stations. There are also long lines at gas stations and ATMs.
Residents are sheltering in subway stations
Farther east, in Kramatorsk, east of Donetsk, the BBC's Eastern European correspondent Sarah Rainsford said people did not expect such a widespread attack.
"People were on the streets last night in this city — they were waving the Ukrainian flag. They said this was their land. And they weren't going anywhere," she said.
"This is what people have been waiting for, been waiting for, but nobody here can believe it's actually happening."
Oil price soars
Oil prices rose above $100 for the first time in more than seven years.
Meanwhile, Russia's currency, the ruble, fell to an all-time low against the dollar and euro.
And the main FTSE 100 index on the London Stock Exchange dropped more than 200 points, or 2.7%, shortly after opening.
World condemns Putin
End of Podcast
US President Joe Biden said Putin "has chosen a premeditated war that will bring catastrophic loss of life and human suffering". The world would hold Russia accountable, he said.
Biden also said he would address the Americans on Thursday about the consequences Russia would face.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "shocked by the horrific events in Ukraine" and that Putin "chose a path of bloodshed and destruction in launching this attack without provocation".
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia's "irresponsible attack", saying it "endangers countless civilian lives".
Europe is "facing its darkest moments since World War II," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Former US President Donald Trump said Putin took advantage of American "weakness".
He called Fox News to say he didn't believe Putin "wanted to do this, initially."
"I think he wanted to do something and negotiate, and it got worse and worse, so he saw the weakness," Trump said.
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