Russia invades Ukraine in worst European crisis of postwar era

Bloomberg

Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin vowed to “demilitarise” the country and replace its leaders, triggering the worst security crisis in Europe since World War II and prompting the West to threaten further punishing sanctions in response.
Russia launched a barrage of missile, artillery and air attacks early on Thursday, with Ukraine reporting dozens of casualties. Ukraine’s border guard said that it was being shelled from five regions, including from Crimea in the south and Belarus to the north, and that Russian tank columns were moving into the country. The Interior Ministry said the capital, Kyiv, was under attack and urged citizens to go to shelters.
In a nationally televised address ahead of the offensive, Putin said that Russia doesn’t plan to “occupy” its neighbor but said the action was necessary after the US and its allies crossed Russia’s “red lines” by expanding the Nato alliance. US President Joe Biden called Putin’s move “an unprovoked and unjustified attack” and said the “world will hold Russia accountable.”
Commodities markets surged, with Brent oil extending gains above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014 — when Russia annexed Crimea — while gold jumped as investors scrambled for havens. Russia’s benchmark MOEX index tumbled the most on record.
In a speech laden with unsupported claims, the Russian leader made clear that Moscow seeks the ouster of what he called “the Kyiv regime.” He called on Ukrainian troops to lay down their arms but vowed to bring to justice those who carried out “multiple bloody crimes against civilians” —a reference to the current government Russia aims to ensure that a new administration in Ukraine is friendly to Moscow and free of US influence, according to a senior legislator from the ruling party.
Biden and his Group of Seven counterparts was expected to hold a call Thursday to discuss the situation. European Union heads are due to hold an in-person summit the same day, with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying that “massive and targeted sanctions” are being readied.
Nato said it is deploying additional land and air forces
to member countries near Ukraine, along with more naval assets, to bolster defense and deterrence. China meanwhile refused to condemn Russia’s actions, instead urging restraint by “all parties” and repeating criticism that the US was to blame for “hyping” the prospect of war in eastern Europe.
The attacks follow weeks of warnings by the US and its allies that Putin was planning an invasion, a charge that Russia repeatedly rejected as “hysteria” even as it massed forces along Ukraine’s borders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy imposed martial law Thursday and said that the country was facing difficult battles in the east, the south and the north. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that Ukraine “will defend itself and will win.”
“Russia attacked our military infrastructure and our border guards,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on the telegram channel after speaking with Biden. He urged people to stay calm and stay at home if possible. “We are working. The army is working.”
Security camera footage showed a line of Russian military vehicles crossing into Ukraine from Crimea, according to Ukraine’s border guard service. It said columns of Russian tanks had entered the Luhansk region, while attackers were trying to seize Ukraine’s Zmiinyi island on the Black Sea.