Full-Scale Invasion

This article is a follow-up to Why is Putin Poised to Invade Ukraine?

The full-scale invasion by Russian into Ukraine began at 5:00 am local time on Thursday, February 24, 2020. Kyiv is seven hours ahead of EST, so that was 10:00 pm EST on February 23^rd. I was already in bed, so I only heard about it when I arose on the 24^th.

Initial Invasion

I first heard about it at 5:00 am EST on KDKA radio. KDKA was reporting that the invasion was coming from multiple fronts. The website for my local newspaper had the header: “BREAKING NEWS: Russia attacks Ukraine, as defiant Putin warns U.S., NATO.” It then reprinted an article from the AP with that headline.

Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.”

Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government…

Biden in a written statement condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified attack” on Ukraine and he promised the U.S. and its allies “will hold Russia accountable.” Biden said he planned to speak to Americans on Thursday after a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders. More sanctions against Russia were expected to be announced Thursday. (Trib Live/ AP. Russia).

CNN’s homepage had the header: RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE, while the homepage for the New York Times had the header: RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE. Fox News had: FULL-SCALE INVASION. All three headers linked to a page with “Live updates” about the attack.

Fox Business had the header, “Stock futures tumble and oil surges as Russia declares war on Ukraine.” That was also a link to a live update page about the plunging stock market and surging oil prices.

The Wall Street Journal had the header RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE. But that header linked to an article titled, “Russia Attacks Ukraine, Drawing Broad Condemnation.”

Russian troops and tanks pushed into Ukraine and airstrikes hit the country’s capital and more than a dozen other cities early Thursday after President Vladimir Putin said he ordered a military operation to “demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine” and bring its leaders to trial.

Ukrainian officials said an initial wave of strikes targeted military installations, airfields and government facilities across the country, as well as border-force installations. Ukraine’s border service said its troops came under attack all along the country’s frontiers with Russia and Belarus.

NBC News had the header: RUSSIA LAUNCHES ATTACK ON UKRAINE. It linked to an article titled, “Explosions, sirens heard in Kyiv as Russia launches attacks on key Ukrainian cities.”

The first blasts rang out just minutes after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a televised speech Wednesday evening saying that he was authorizing military action. He warned other countries that if they tried to intervene they would face a Russian response “so severe that no foreign nations have ever experienced it before.”

Ukrainian officials reported that cruise or ballistic missiles targeted military control centers in the Kyiv area. Air raid sirens rang out across the capital of Kyiv and explosions were seen and heard there and in other cities across the country, NBC News reporters on the ground said.

In a speech broadcast Thursday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to take up arms (NBC News. Explosions).

The attack was also top and center of most other news websites:

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine early Thursday, a chilling announcement that was immediately followed by reports of explosions across Ukraine, propelling the country into war after months of massive Russian troop buildups….

Putin launched the attack during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York called to deal with the Ukraine crisis. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, denounced Russia’s actions in a fiery speech: “There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell,” he said. Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya—who currently serves as the Security Council’s chair—responded by denying that Russia declared war, insisting Putin’s “special military operation” is somehow distinct from a war.

Though U.S. troops have been deployed to Eastern European NATO allies, Biden has ruled out the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to defend Ukraine or to evacuate Americans, arguing a clash between U.S. and Russian troops would spark “a world war” (Forbes. Russia).

Ukrainian border guards released footage of what they said were Russian military vehicles moving in, and big explosions were heard in the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east and Odesa in the west. As the Russian military claimed to have wiped out Ukraine’s entire air defenses in a matter of hours, Ukrainians fled some cities and European authorities declared Ukrainian air space an active conflict zone.

World leaders decried the start of a long-anticipated invasion with far-reaching consequences, as global financial markets plunged and oil prices soared (Newsmax. Putin Orders Military).

Continuing Developments on this Morning

Events developed rapidly in the hours after the initial attack. Newsmax was reporting on its 9:00 am National Report that 40+ Ukrainians had been killed and that Ukrainians were fleeing Kyiv, with long lines at ATMs and banks with people withdrawing cash, and jammed highways, with people running out of gas.

Newsmax’s website reported:

Initial unconfirmed reports of casualties included Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian bombardment and border guards defending the frontier. Regional authorities of Ukraine’s southern Odessa region said 18 people were killed in a missile attack. At least six people were killed in Brovary, a town near Kyiv, authorities there said.

Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in Luhansk region and downed six Russian warplanes in the east.

Russia denied reports its aircraft or armored vehicles had been destroyed. Russian-backed separatists claimed to have downed two Ukrainian planes (Newsmax. Russia Invades).

Russian helicopters on Thursday attacked Antonov Interntional Airport, in Hostomel, near the capital of Kyiv, and took control.

Ukrainian officials said three of the helicopters were downed, but the Interior Ministry reportedly confirmed that Russia managed to seize control (Newsmax. Russia Takes).

Ukraine said on Thursday some of its military command centers have been hit by Russian missile strikes as Moscow launched a military operation against its neighbor….

Just outside Kyiv, in the town of Brovary, authorities said at least six people had been killed by a series of missile strikes (Newsmax. Smoke).

By 10:00 am, my local newspaper’s website had posted three new AP articles. The first declared:

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. Ukraine’s government said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border in a “full-scale war” that could rewrite the geopolitical order and whose fallout already reverberated around the world….

The attack targeted a country the size of Texas that has increasingly tilted toward the democratic West and away from Moscow’s sway. The autocratic Putin made clear earlier this week that he sees no reason for Ukraine to exist, raising fears of possible broader conflict in the vast space that the Soviet Union once ruled. Putin denied plans to occupy Ukraine, but his ultimate goals remain hazy….

The Russian military claimed to have wiped out Ukraine’s entire air defenses in a matter of hours, and European authorities declared the country’s air space an active conflict zone. Russia’s claims could not immediately be verified, nor could Ukrainian ones that they had shot down several Russian aircraft. The Ukrainian air defense system and air force date back to the Soviet era and are dwarfed by Russia’s massive air power and precision weapons (Trib Live/ AP. Russia attacks).

The second AP article explained some more rational for the invasion from Putin’s perspective.

Putin said he acted to protect civilians in separatist regions from Ukraine’s military, though there was no evidence they were under any threat. The U.S. and European allies had warned for weeks that their intelligence showed Moscow planned to create a false justification for war.

Ukraine’s government called Russia’s actions a “full-scale invasion” and imposed martial law across the country. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry urged citizens to go to shelters, saying the capital, Kyiv, was being targeted....

Putin, a former KGB agent who was stationed in East Germany, has said he regrets the Soviet Union’s demise and made clear that he does not accept Europe’s post-Cold War security architecture.

He has offered a litany of complaints about the security risks to Russia of further NATO expansion and made the case that Ukraine was “completely created” out of land from the former Russian empire during the Soviet Union’s formation. The implication was that he sees himself as on a historical mission to undo wrongs inflicted by Lenin’s Bolsheviks (Trib Live/ AP. What’s behind).

According to the First Light radio newscast on this day, Putin has gone as far to claim Ukraine was engaging in “genocide” against Russian-speaking separatists. That is why Putin is saying the purpose of his actions is to “deNazify” Ukraine. But First Light said there is no evidence of such a genocide. NBC News concurs:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday peddled accusations of Nazi elements within Ukraine to justify the attack on his western neighbor, a move that experts slammed as slanderous and false.

In announcing he had launched Russian forces against key Ukrainian military and logistics posts, Putin said he’s striving for “the demilitarization and denazification of” the sovereign democracy in Kyiv.

Putin has long sought to falsely paint Ukraine as a Nazi hotbed, which is a particularly jarring accusation given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost three family members in the Holocaust (NBC News. Putin using).

The third AP article overviewed the reaction of various world leaders to the invasion. It was universally condemned. Russia really has no support for this action, except for from China. It agreed to import wheat from Russia. That was previously disallowed due to possible mold contamination. But with renewed inspections, China was opening up wheat imports now. That will help keep Russia’s economy stable in the light of the sanctions from the rest of the world.

Russia is one of the world’s biggest energy producers, and both it and Ukraine are among the top exporters of grain. The prospect of war and sanctions threatens economies around the world already facing supply disruption as they emerge from the pandemic (Newsmax. Russia Invades).

But the USA and world economies were already taking a hit:

Stocks tumbled worldwide Thursday after Russia’s attack of Ukraine sent fear coursing through markets and upped the pressure on the high inflation already hurting people and businesses around the world. The S&P 500 sank 2% to continue its dismal start of the year. It’s now down almost 14% from the record high it set in early January.

European markets sank even more, with the German DAX down 5%. Bond yields fell as investors sought safety and the price of oil soared above $100 a barrel. The conflict could send prices spiraling even higher at gasoline pumps and grocery stores everywhere.

Oil prices jumped by more than $7 per barrel and futures for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were off by more than 2.5% (Newsmax. Wall Street).

Biden’s Midday Speech and Presser

Biden was supposed to speak at noon on this day (2/24/22). That got pushed back to 12:30, then 1:30 pm. He finally spoke at 1:43 pm. When he did, he made it clear the war in Ukraine was solely Russia’s responsibility. He disavowed any claims by Putin as justification for the attack. He especially disavowed any claims Ukraine was prepared to use chemical weapons.

Biden then outlined the economic sanctions that will now be placed on Russia. He said the US and our allies were united in our sanctions against Russia and represented half of the world’s economy. But that means half of the world’s economy is not on board with the sanctions. That still leaves a lot of room for Russia to engage in economic activity

In any case, Biden said that thousands of more US troops would be sent to Europe. But Fox News later clarified that those thousands of troops would come from the 8,500 he had previously put on standby.

But still, Biden indicated that if Russian were to invade a NATO member, we would respond with all we got. That seemed to be a veiled references to our nuclear arsenal and in response to Putin previously making a veiled refence to his country’s nuclear arsenal. That is scary stuff.

Biden closed with about five minutes of pontificating about the importance of democracy, national sovereignty, and freedom. He ended with the line, “freedom will prevail.”

He spoke for about 15 minutes, until 1:57 pm. After his speech two days before, he turned his back on reporters and refused to take any questions. That has been the case more often than not when Biden speaks. But this time, surprisingly, he took questions.

He started with a question from the AP. The AP reporter asked if this would lead to a larger conflict. Biden said it was already a large conflict.

A Wall Street Journal reporter then asked about using SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication). That is the world clearing bank, based in Switzerland. If it cuts off Russia, Russia cannot trade on the world market. But that would also make it difficult for outside investors to get their money out of Russia.

Then in another surprise, Biden called on Peter Doocy from Fox News. Peter asked about the economic repercussions for the USA in terms of the stock market and oil prices. Biden did not answer the question. He instead pontificated about the need to respond.

Peter’s second question was if Biden underestimated Putin. Biden said he did not, and that Putin wants to reconstitute the Soviet Union. Peter clarified and asked if economic sanctions were an adequate response to “Russian missiles and bullets and tanks.” Biden said it was.

Another reporter asked again about SWIFT and why it was not being used. Biden said it was not necessary, as the sanctions he was outlining were more severe.

At that point, Biden looked like he was irritated with the questions, that anyone would doubt the severity and effectiveness of the sanctions he was announcing.

Then he was asked if China was on board with isolating Russia. Biden said he was not prepared to answer that question.

At that point, Biden lost control of the press conference. Multiple reporters were shouting questions at the same time, and he didn’t seem able to handle it and to single out one reporter for a question. He was finally able to call on a reporter who asked about India and if it was on board with the sanctions. Biden said that was still being negotiated.

Without China and India on board, I predict the sanctions will have little effect. Those two countries have a combined population of 2.8 billion. That is a lot of people to trade with.

Then once again, Biden lost control of the press conference. He seemed frustrated and just walked away. That was at 2:06 pm, so he took question for all of nine minutes. He just didn’t seem to be prepared to handle tough questions about the sanctions and if they would be effective or not. No wonder he cannot handle Vladimir Putin.

Biden’s worst response when asked about the effectiveness of the sanctions was when he said we needed to wait a month to see if the sanctions will have the desired effect. A month! If Russia continues with the same force as it was using at this point, a month from now, there will be no Ukraine. It will be a part of Russia.

The main point here is, if it was going to take 30 days for the sanctions to take effect, they should have been started 30 days ago. That is what Republican lawmakers were calling for, to preemptively issue the sanctions as a deterrent.

But Biden argued they would be more effective as a punishment afterwards. But again, a month from now could be too late. If that proves to be the case, then the Republicans will be proven correct.

The three major commercial news networks already had articles about the speech and presser on their websites within minutes of it ending. Below are a few highlights from their comments.

But it’s still unclear whether the sanctions will make any difference in what Putin claimed overnight would be a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, which is proving to be much more widespread…

While it was also still unclear just how far Putin would go beyond eastern Ukraine, Russian forces attacked near the capital city Kyiv -- raising new fears he would try to topple Ukraine’s government....

The White House has said the sanctions will be “united and decisive,” but it remains to be seen how the West can punish Putin, who seems intent on moving ahead with his plans, despite weeks of attempted diplomacy from the international community and a set of sanctions already imposed (ABC News. Biden vows).

More Russian oligarchs and members of their families will also be hit with sanctions, with additional elites expected to be targeted in the future.

Mr. Biden stopped short of cutting off Russian financial institutions’ access to SWIFT, a secure messaging system for financial transactions. He said the U.S. is holding back because European allies weren’t ready to take that step.

NATO will convene a summit Friday to bring together the leaders of 30 allied nations to map out their next steps, Mr. Biden said. Still, the president emphasized U.S. forces “are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine,” but to defend and reassure NATO allies in the region (CBS News. Biden unveils).

Thursday’s announcement stopped short of cutting Russia off from SWIFT, the Belgian financial messaging system that links more than 11,000 financial institutions in over 200 countries and territories. A move by the U.S. and Europe to kick Russia off SWIFT had been characterized by some financial experts as a nuclear option, with some warning it could have negative impacts on the global economy.

Biden said that European allies were opposed to kicking Russia off SWIFT, but argued that the sanctions announced this week were “more consequential” and said they could always revisit Russia’s access to SWIFT….

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to take up arms in defense. The defense minister also announced that small arms would be distributed to all veterans and volunteers (NBC News. Biden announces).

That last point is interesting. Fox News later reported that 10,000 weapons had been handed out to Ukrainian citizens, while CBS radio news reported Zelensky had barred every male 18-60 from leaving the country and had instituted martial law.

Ukraine needs everyday citizens to step up and help defend the country. FNC showed a graphic that indicated Russia had over 900,000 troops, while Ukraine had only 200,000. It also showed a comparison of the number of armaments (tanks, airplanes, missiles) each side had, with again, Russian having orders of magnitude more than Ukraine.

That reminded me of Jesus saying:

³¹”Or what king going to engage another king in battle, does not, having sat down, first consider if he is able with ten thousand [soldiers] to encounter the one with twenty thousand [soldiers] coming against him? ³²But if not, while he is still far away, having sent a delegation, he asks the [terms] for peace (Luke 14:31-32; ALT3).

But Ukraine does not seem willing to ask for terms for peace, as that would be tantamount to surrender. Ukraine wants to maintain its sovereignty. I just don’t see how that will be possible, with it being so outmanned and outgunned, if Russian continues its assault unabated.

Evening Updates

The stock market seemed to like what Biden said. The Dow was down 650 points when he began to speak. By the time he was done, it was only down 500 points. It closed 92 points up. But oil was up to over $100 a barrel.

U.S. stocks, in a wild session of volatility, closed with gains after President Biden announced expanded sanctions on Russia following Vladimir Putin’s launch of his long-anticipated military operation in Ukraine, sending investors out of risk and into safety.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased a deficit of more than 800 points to close with gains of over 90 points or 0.1% while the S&P 500 gained 1.5%.

Still, the Dow and S&P are now in bear markets, off 10% from the most recent peak.

The Nasdaq Composite, which led the turnaround, gained over 3% helped by Microsoft, Tesla and Apple, which were among the heavily traded tech names (Fox Business. Dow).

Oil prices rose nearly 3% Friday morning as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raised concerns about global supply.

Markets are bracing for what impact trade sanctions on Russia will have on price….

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Brent crude jumped to more than $100 a barrel Thursday for the first time since 2014. It got as high as $105, before paring gains, according to Reuters (Fox Business. Oil).

By 7:00 pm on Thursday (2/24/22), FNC was reporting that at least 137 Ukrainians had been killed. However, it was also reported that 400 Russia soldiers had been killed. But if fighting continues, I am sure those numbers will increase by orders of magnitude on both sides.

It was also said Kyiv could fall by the weekend. However, Ukraine forces had pushed back a Russian assault on an airport near Kyiv. But reports were that Russia had a list of Ukrainian officials it wanted dead. The FNC crawl indicated that Ukraine President Zelensky was #1 on Russia’s hit list.

The following development is also very disturbing:

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country has lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after Ukrainian forces fought to defend it from Russian troops, according to reports…

Zelensky warned earlier that Russian troops were attempting to seize the abandoned and sealed-up Chernobyl nuclear site, an effort he called “a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.”

“Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated,” he tweeted, hours after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine (CBS News. Russia has).

Conclusion at this Point

This war is disturbing and might have been avoided if we had a stronger US President. But as it is, Putin is emboldened by a weak US President and a weakened USA to try to carry out his ambitions. Whether he is successful or not will depend more on the fortitude of the Ukrainian people than on anything the USA does.

Only time will tell what comes of this invasion. But reminders by both Putin and Biden of our respective nuclear arsenals are particularly disturbing. God forbid if it ever comes to that.

References:

Initial Invasion:

CNN. Live Updates: Russia attacks Ukraine.

Forbes. Russia Orders ‘Special Military Operation’ In Ukraine.

Fox Business. Russia invades Ukraine, stocks fall, oil soars: LIVE UPDATES.

Fox News. Full-Scale Invasion.

NBC News. Explosions, sirens heard in Kyiv as Russia launches attacks on key Ukrainian cities.

Newsmax. Putin Orders Military Operations in Ukraine, Demands Surrender.

New York Times. Live Updates.

Trib Live/ AP. Russia attacks Ukraine, as defiant Putin warns U.S., NATO.

WSJ. Russia Attacks Ukraine, Drawing Broad Condemnation.

Continuing Developments on this Morning:

NBC News. Putin using false 'Nazi' narrative to justify Russia's attack on Ukraine, experts say.

Newsmax. Russia Invades Ukraine in Europe's ‘Darkest Hours’ Since WWII.

Newsmax. Russia Takes Control of Airport Near Kyiv.

Newsmax. Smoke Seen over Defense Ministry Intelligence HQ in Kyiv.

Newsmax. Wall Street Joins Global Swoon After Russia Attacks Ukraine.

Trib Live/ AP. Russia attacks Ukraine; peace in Europe ‘shattered’.

Trib Live/ AP. What’s behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

Trib Live/ AP. World reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden’s Midday Speech:

ABC News. Biden vows consequences as Putin stages full-scale attack on Ukraine.

CBS News. Biden unveils new sanctions on Russia for “premeditated attack” on Ukraine.

NBC News. Biden announces new measures in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Evening Updates:

CBS News. Russia has taken control of Chernobyl nuclear plant, says Ukrainian official.

Fox Business. Dow, S&P, Nasdaq notch gains in wild Russian-Ukraine driven session.

Fox Business. Oil prices jump on supply concerns following invasion of Ukraine.

Joe Biden Tweets During the First Year of His Failing Presidency,
Reversing Trump, while Dividing and Destroying America

Biden can be very disingenuous in his tweets and his claims about his various plans and polices. He thinks they are all grand and good for the country. But in fact, it is those very plans and policies that is causing his presidency to be failing. Those plans and polices are also dividing and destroying American. Biden’s early actions also set the stage for more failures later in his presidency, so it is important to remember them.

The above article was posted on this website on February 25, 2022.

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