Separatist Leaders Issue Formal Request For Russian Army To Repel Ukrainian "Aggression"
As the ground war heats up on the frontline in Donbas, we could be hours away from seeing Russian regular forces clash with the Ukrainian Army, after late at night local time the heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway republics issued a formal request for immediate military help from Moscow.
The pro-Russia rebel leaders said the urgent military help is necessary to repel Ukrainian "aggression" - according to The Associated Press, after Kremlin officials confirmed the letter. "Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the rebel chiefs wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell him that shelling by the Ukrainian military has caused civilian deaths and forced many people to flee," AP reports.
It comes less than 24 hours after Russian parliament issued formal approval for Putin to deploy military forces abroad. Latvia said earlier on Wednesday it has intelligence confirming the arrival of Russian tanks, troops, and armored vehicles in Donbas.
The appeal from the two eastern Ukraine republics raises the specter of Russia's military entering direct combat operations with Ukrainian forces. From there it's easier to imagine things spinning out of control and escalating to the point of fighting going beyond the war-torn Donbas region.
At the same time, Ukraine has now requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, according to an overnight statement by its foreign minister.
NEW: Russia has deployed a battle group with armored personnel carriers and troops in Krasnaya Yaruga, just 9 miles from Ukraine's border.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) February 23, 2022
A senior US defense official said today 80 percent of Russian forces around Ukraine are in "forward positions and ready to go."
📷:@Maxar pic.twitter.com/52mbj8of8d
According to brief details cited in Bloomberg based on breaking Interfax reports:
• Leaders sent letters to Putin
• Not clear what specific aggression the separatist appeal refers to
• Ukraine has repeatedly said it have no plans for military offensive against the separatists
Based on Putin's lengthy and bellicose speech that accompanied independence recognition for the republics, it's very likely the Russian leader will pull the trigger on this.
#BREAKING: The heads of the DPR and LPR asked Putin to “help repel” what they claim as “aggression of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to avoid civilian casualties and a humanitarian disaster in the Donbass” Russian President spokesman Peskov said, RIA News reports pic.twitter.com/lirTsNccVG
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) February 23, 2022
And some further worrying signs at a moment things on the ground are likely about to get more and more unpredictable...
Chemical plant in #Crimea evacuated, according to the foreign minister of #Ukraine. https://t.co/jOlEmgEOWS
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 23, 2022
"We officially declare that Ukraine has not planned and does not plan any sabotage actions at this facility and refute all allegations in this regard," Ukrainian intelligence officials said in a statement.
All of this comes at a moment of major websites and banks in some cases being offline in Ukraine, following an earlier reported major cyberattack.
Ominous signs on #Ukraine
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) February 23, 2022
• Separatists request Russia mil. help
• >Ru troops/artillery moving in (US)
• 🇺🇦in State of Emergency
• Kharkiv airport closed(Local rprts)
• Ukraine received intel:Kyiv cud be attacked tonight (WSJ)
• Internet disruptions in Donetsk @netblocks
developing...
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