*Russian troops in the early hours Thursday, February 24 attack Ukraine, as defiant Vladimir Putin warns the United States, NATO despite earlier international condemnation and sanctions against the country’s action but US President Biden vows even more sanctions on Russia

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As long envisaged in the international system, Russian troops Thursday, February 24, 2022, launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine with potential civilian casualties, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside groundswell of international condemnation and sanctions.

ConsumerConnect learnt  Russian President Putin also warned other countries of the world, that any attempt to interfere in its invasion of Ukraine would lead to “consequences that have never been seen.”

Russian troops advancing towards Ukraine  Photo: Oil Price

Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa as world leaders decried the start of an invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically-elected government, agency report also said.

Odessa is a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It’s known for its beaches and 19th-century architecture, including the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.

Acknowledging the fact that the Russian Army attacked his country from Belarus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law, as he said that Russia had targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure.

President Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to stay home and not to panic amid the Russian military bombardment.

Meanwhile, President Biden has pledged new sanctions to punish Russia for the aggression that the international community had expected for weeks, but could not prevent through diplomacy.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Council Wednesday had approved plans to declare a state of national emergency, in response to the growing threat of a Russian invasion, which later occurred Thursday.

According to the Secuity Council, the measure, which must be formally approved by parliament, requires stepped-up document and vehicle checks, among other measures, the Council’s Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said.

Danilov said he would deliver a report to Ukraine’s parliament later Wednesday, with lawmakers expected to approve the added security measures later this week.

They would apply to all parts of Ukraine except for its two Russian-backed eastern separatist regions, where a deadly insurgency that has claimed more than 14,000 lives broke out in 2014.

Danilov had said each of Ukraine’s regions would be able to select which particular measures to apply, “depending on how necessary they might be”.

He further stated: “What could it be? This could be added enforcement of public order.

“This could involve limiting certain types of transport, increased vehicle checks, or asking people to show this or that document,” describing it a “preventive” measure.

Likewise, just ahead of Russian attacks on Ukraine Thursday, Ukraine Wednesday had urged its citizens to leave Russia immediately, citing the threat of a Russian invasion that could complicate the provision of consular services in the country.

The Ministry said: “Because of the escalating Russian aggression against Ukraine, which can lead to a substantial reduction in possible consular assistance in Russia, the foreign ministry urges the citizens of Ukraine to refrain from travel to Russia, and for those in that country to leave its territory immediately.”

ConsumerConnect had reported the Germany’s foreign ministry Saturday, February 19 told its nationals to leave Russia.

The Nigerian Embassy, in Ukraine, in a statement issued January 26, 2022, amid the rising tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States over Russia’s possible ‘further’ incursion into Ukraine, also informed Nigerians living in Ukraine to avoid unnecessary travel within the country.

The West African country’s Embassy in Ukraine as well urged its concerned citizens to take their individual and collective security seriously, besides ensuring that they always carry requisite identifications while in transit in the foreign country.