Russian troops have invaded Ukraine hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, after recognizing the areas as independent and delivering an intense speech in which he said Ukraine was not a real country and lacked the “traditions” of statehood.
On Tuesday morning, February 22, Russian tanks, trucks and troops could be seen entering Donetsk and Luhansk.
A column of armoured vehicles was spotted in Donetsk, the main city of one of the two so-called ‘republics’, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
At the same time, Ukraine said heavy shelling broke out along nearly all 250 miles of its frontline with the breakaway provinces, leaving two of its soldiers dead and 12 injured in a major escalation in violence.
On Monday night the UK prime minister Boris Johnson initiated a COBRA emergency committee, while the US, France and Ukraine have also initiated emergency security meetings .
Late Monday night, Ukraine asked for an emergency United Nations security council meeting over Russia’s actions.