Kiev resists, Moscow: "Now an all-out offensive". Biden: "Alternative to sanctions is the third world war"

Two days after the start of Russia's "special military operations" in Ukraine, the Russian army entered Kiev. Since the night in the capital, explosions and heavy machine gun shots have been heard. Russia claims it targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure with cruise missiles. But, as can be seen in the images released by the Kiev police, a residential building was also hit by a missile.

"Tonight they will launch an assault - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a few hours ago -. The enemy will use all his power on all fronts to break our defense. Now the fate of Ukraine is decided. This will be the most night. difficult. The enemy will proceed. The night will be very hard, but the dawn will come. " The Ukrainian leader refused the American offer to leave the country: "The battle is here. I need ammunition, not a lift".

Then the appeal to the population: "Do not lay down your arms, defend Kiev". "Don't believe the fake news, I'm still here", he continues as he strolls through the government district of Kiev, "swearing to keep fighting".

The capital is resisting for the moment: a first assault by the Russian army, Ukrainian forces declared, was "pushed back" against one of their positions on Victory Avenue, one of the main arteries.

And Moscow is now launching an all-out offensive, expanding attacks "from all directions". Putin, according to the Pentagon, has also called the reservists and in the last 24 hours has sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine.

The direct:

7.45 pm - The Kiev army blows up rail links with Russia

Kiev troops blew up several railway junctions linking Ukraine to Russia to prevent military supplies to the Moscow army. Ukrainian media reported this, citing a note from the state railways.

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19.20 - Biden: "The Third World War is an alternative to sanctions"

"The alternative to imposing harsh sanctions on Russia would be World War III." Joe Biden says so.

"There are two options: either World War III or to make Russia pay" a high price, says Biden. "These sanctions are the largest in history from an economic and political point of view," adds the American president.

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7 pm - Scholz confirms the turning point on weapons

"The Russian attack on Ukraine marks a turning point. It threatens our entire postwar order. In this situation it is our duty to support Ukraine against the Russian army that is invading the country under Putin's leadership. Germany is close. , alongside Ukraine ". This was stated by Olaf Scholz, in a press release from the chancellery that gave news of the turnaround on the delivery of weapons.

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18.20 - The Italian ambassador: "I stay in Kiev"

"I intend to stay here in Kiev until the end, as long as possible". This was stated by the Italian ambassador to Ukraine Pier Francesco Zazo. "We have a responsibility towards the many compatriots who are asking us for help", he specified. "I also consider it a manifestation of attention towards the Ukrainian government in office, which is really facing an extraordinary situation".

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6 pm - Berlin: "We are working to exclude Moscow from the Swift system"

Germany works to exclude Russia from the Swift system. This was assured by Berlin Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

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5.50 pm - Curfew in Kiev until Monday

The curfew in the city of Kiev started at 5 pm today and will end, except for extensions, at 8 am on Monday 28 February. "Fights are taking place in our streets - explains the municipal administration -. We ask you to remain as calm and prudent as possible. If you are in a shelter, do not go away. If you are at home, do not go near the windows and do not go out onto the balconies. Hide in a closed room, for example in the bathroom, and cover yourself with something that can protect you from debris. "

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17.25 - "Germany will supply weapons to Kiev"

Germany would be close to a turning point: according to Bild, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will authorize the supply of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. The tabloid cites government sources.

The German government has authorized the Netherlands to send 400 anti-tank rocket launchers to Ukraine. These are weapons that were previously supplied to the Netherlands. In these cases, the tabloid writes, the authorization of the state from which the weapons come from is required, therefore from Germany. Until now Scholz had ruled out the delivery of lethal weapons, for historical reasons. A position heavily criticized by Ukraine, which had described the sending of 5,000 helmets as "ridiculous".

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17.10 - "Russia frustrated by the Ukrainian resistance"

"From what we have observed, the resistance from the Ukrainians is greater than what the Russians expected." This was stated by a Pentagon official, underlining that there are indications of a "growing frustration" of Russia "especially in the north of Ukraine".

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4.40 pm - Moscow: "Now an all-out offensive"

Russia has ordered its army to widen the offensive in Ukraine "from all directions". This was announced by the spokesman of the Moscow Defense Ministry. "Today, all units were ordered to advance in all directions, in line with the plan of operations, after Ukraine refused to participate in the negotiation process," said spokesman Igor Konashenkov, quoted by Tass.

The Pentagon instead makes it known that Moscow has sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in the last 24 hours, stressing that Vladimir Putin has also called the reservists for the invasion.

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16.25 - The alarm in Kiev: "Possible chemical attacks"

Ukrainian intelligence has received information on possible Russian chemical attacks under false flag in the areas held by the Donetsk separatists of Donbass, whose responsibility would then be attributed to Kiev. Ukrainian media reports, according to which the local pro-Russian population and the Moscow military have been distributed gas masks to protect themselves from possible explosions of industrial tanks with chemical products.

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16.10 - Pope, tweet in Russian and Ukrainian: "Not to war"

After yesterday's one, today Pope Francis published another tweet in Russian and Ukrainian on his profile @Pontifex, as well as in other languages including English and Italian. This time the Pontiff cites a passage from his appeal for peace for Ukraine at the general audience last Wednesday, February 23: "Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with the weapons of God, with prayer and fasting. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war. " Followed by the signature 'Franciscus' and again the hashtags #PregiamoInsieme and #Ukraine.

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15.50 - Black Sea closure, Moscow denies

Russia "has not received any official notification" from Turkey about the closure to its warships of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, through which the Black Sea is accessed from the Mediterranean. This was stated by the Moscow embassy in Ankara in Interfax, after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced the closure following a phone call with the Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In recent days, Ankara had also ruled out this hypothesis.

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3.15 pm - Turkey blocks Russian ships on the Black Sea

"I thank my friend, the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Turkish people for their strong support. The ban on navigation of Russian warships in the Black Sea and the significant military and humanitarian support for Ukraine is extremely important. . The Ukrainian people will never forget this. " The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, writes on Twitter.

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3 pm - "Russian planes throw bomb toys"

"Warning! In the Sumy region, Russian planes are scattering children's toys, cell phones and valuables full of explosives." This is the alarm launched on Twitter by the Ukrainian parliament, the Verchovna Rada.

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2 pm - Kiev, assault on trains

Kiev central station is being stormed by those who have decided to leave the Ukrainian capital. Trains are free, but limited service. On the overcrowded convoys there are those who do not even have a predetermined direction: there are those who run to the station and get on the first train departing from Kiev, besieged by Russian troops.

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13.20 - Russia closes flights from NATO states to the East

Russia has closed its airspace to the companies of Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic. This was announced by the Russian aviation agency, quoted by Tass.

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1 pm - Curfew imposed at 5 pm - The mayor of Kiev, Vitalii Klitschko, announced a curfew in the city from 5 to 8 "for a more effective defense of the capital and for the safety of its inhabitants". In a message on Telegram, the mayor adds that the provision will remain in effect until the morning of February 28. "All civilians found on the street - he concludes - will be considered members of the enemy's sabotage group".

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12.30 - Zelensky: "Russian plans broken, no 'puppet' in Kiev" - "The occupiers wanted to block the center of our state and put their puppets here as well as in Donetsk. We broke their plans". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a video message to the nation.

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12.00 - Draghi to Zelensky: "We will provide assistance to defend you" - Prime Minister Mario Draghi in a telephone call to the President of Ukraine said that Italy "will provide Ukraine with assistance to defend itself". Palazzo Chigi reports it. "The two presidents have agreed to remain in close contact for the foreseeable future," he explains. And yesterday's misunderstanding about the missed telephone appointment has also been clarified.

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11.45 am - Russian ship blocked - A commercial ship carrying vehicles to St. Petersburg, suspected of belonging to a Russian company targeted by EU sanctions against Moscow, was hijacked in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas de Calais ). The maritime prefecture told AFP. The 127-meter boat, intercepted by customs off Honfleur during the night from Friday to Saturday, is "strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions", said Véronique Magnin, regional communications manager of the maritime prefecture. .

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11.15 - Kiev: "198 dead including 3 children since the beginning of the invasion" - "The death toll so far of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is at least 198, including three children". The Ukrainian health ministry said this, according to the Guardian.

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10.40 am - Zelensky: “Draghi wants Russia out of Swift” - "This is the beginning of a new page in the history of our States, Ukraine and Italy. Prime Minister Mario Draghi in a telephone conversation supported the exit of Russia from Swift, the provision of defense assistance. Ukraine must join the EU ". Ukrainian President Zelensky writes it on Twitter. The Swift Circulatory System of International Business Transactions, which stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is one of the options available to the West if it wants to go to financial warfare with Putin.

Mondo

Che cos’è il sistema Swift, l’arma temuta dalla Russia (e dall’Occidente)

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10.15 am - The mayor of Kiev: "Russians rejected but air attacks will increase" - "The Russian army has not entered the city", but "more air attacks are expected". This was stated by the mayor of Kiev Vitalii Klitschko, then addressing the citizens: "Stay in the air-raid shelters. Do not go out".

9.15 am - Zelensky: "Deciding on Ukraine's accession to the EU" - "It is a crucial moment to end the long discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine's accession to the EU. I discussed" with the president of the European Council Charles Michel "the further effective assistance and heroic struggle of the Ukrainians for their free future". The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote this morning in a tweet.

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8.45 am - Moscow: "821 military infrastructure hit" - The Russian military last night hit "a total of 821 Ukrainian military infrastructure targets, including 14 military airstrips, 19 control centers and communication nodes, 24 missile air defense systems S-300 and Osa, 48 radar stations, "announced the spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov. Tass reports it.

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8.15 am - Macron: “The war will be long” - "This war will last a long time" and "we must prepare": French President Emmanuel Macron said today during a visit to the Agricultural Fair.

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8 am - Raid alert in Kiev - New air raid alert in Kiev, with the request to the citizens to run to shelters. It is yet another alarm after a night of strong fighting and the continuous roar of explosions, which have been heard ever closer to the city center. Even towards dawn, shots, perhaps mortars, were heard from the east, in the area of the airport of Zhulyany.

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7.30 - Zelensky: "Arms and ammunition are coming" - "A new day on the diplomatic front line began with a conversation with Macron - the tweet of Ukrainian President Zelensky - weapons and equipment from our partners are coming to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working! ".

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7 am - UN: “Over 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing” - About 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes and several thousand have fled abroad to escape the Russian invasion. UN sources say this, based on data as of 24 February. Over 100,000 Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes and displaced within the country, while several thousand have made their way to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania. In the days following the invasion, heavy traffic jams were reported on westbound roads with thousands of people continuing to leave their homes.

(Unioneonline)