Ukraine & Russia Conflict: What Does the World Knows So Far

While various parts of the world are still recovering from the outrageous pandemic, some of the most influential countries might just be stepping in a huge conflict. Ukraine, the southern neighbour of Russia is going through a major crisis as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin has started a large – scale military attack upon Ukraine. 

Here is the information collected so far. 

The President of Russia Orders Attack.

Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in the Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, an area that many Russian speaking Ukrainians call home. Parts of that region have been occupied and run by Russian-backed rebels since around 2014. 

Mr Putin claimed that Russia was intervening as an act of self-defence.

According to the president, Russia did not want to occupy Ukraine, however he said he would demilitarise and would also “de-Nazify” the country

The President also added that anyone from outside power who would intervene would be met with devastating and instant response. 

A Number of Tanks & Troops Invading Ukraine. 

It was reported by Ukrainians that tanks and troops have invaded Ukraine at various points along the eastern, southern and northern borders. 

Russian military convoys have crossed from Belarus into Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, and from Russia into the Sumy region, which is also in the north according to the Ukrainian Border Services guards. 

Explosions Heard Across the Country.

Loud bangs were heard in the capital Kyiv, as well as Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Blasts have also been heard in the southern port city of Odesa. It was also reported that Russia had carried out missile strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure as well as on border’s guards. 

For a statement, Russia’s Defence ministry has denied attacking Ukrainian cities – saying that they were only targeting military infrastructure, air defence and air forces with high precision weapons. 

Convoys were also spotted entering Ukraine from Crimea, a territory that was annexed from Ukraine in 2014. There have also been reports where Russian troops were landing by sea at the Black Sea port cities of Mariupol and Odesa in the south. 

Death Registered

The exact number of casualties is still unstable; however, the Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed a substantial number of casualties in Ukraine, announcing that over 500 Russian troops have died and more than 1,500 have been severely injured. It was also said that more than 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed, and about 3,700 were wounded. 

Civilians Are Seeking Refuge

Many people in Kyiv have sought shelter in underground metro stations, bomb shelters and basements. It was also documented that some people have left the country, and many have stayed to fight for their country. 

The Rise of The Price of Oil

Oil prices escalated above $100, which means that oil has significantly risen in different countries where oil is imported from Russia and meanwhile, the Russian currency, the rouble, fell to an all-time low against the dollar and the euro. 

Ukraine Would Not Back Down

It was declared by the Ukraine army that they have shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter, however Russia denied this statement. 

President Zelensky said that Ukraine had suffered losses including various property damages around the city area and a lot of aircraft and armoured vehicles has been destroyed. But according to Russia, they have only destroyed around 70 military targets in Ukraine. 

Ukraine has also got the support of various countries, where some of them blocked financial transactions and other facilities for Russia. 

President Zelensky has also refused to leave his country and has joined forces to fight in honour of his country. 

Which Country Are Welcoming Refugees? 

Due to the crisis, many countries are opening themselves to welcome Ukrainian refugees. It was last communicated that 281,000 people entered Poland, more than 84,500 in Hungary, about 36,400 in Moldova, over 32,500 in Romania and about 30,000 in Slovakia. The rest were scattered in unidentified countries. 

Global visa requirements for Ukrainians

Various countries are lifting or revising their visa requirement protocols. Ireland announced that it was lifting visa requirements for Ukrainians. The UN forecasted that the number of people seeking refuge outside of Ukraine to other countries may have a possibility of rising up to five million. Several European countries are also preparing themselves for an influx of Ukrainian refugees. 

It was also communicated that the Ukrainians can travel to approximately 140 countries and territories without the need for a visa or with a visa issued upon arrival. 

The map below shows the visa requirements for Ukrainians as issued on February 26 from Aljazeera News. 

Diagram, map

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