Ukraine imposes state of emergency amid invasion fears: Live News | Russia-Ukraine crisis News
Ukraine imposes a state of national emergency for 30 days starting Thursday amid rising fears of a Russian invasion.
- Ukraine imposes nationwide state of emergency amid fears of Russian invasion.
- Kremlin says Ukraine rebels have asked Moscow for “help” against Kyiv.
- White House says it is in touch with Ukrainian authorities over their cyber security needs in wake of reports of a fresh cyber attack against the country.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tells the General Assembly the world is “facing a moment of peril” over the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
- European Union sanctions against Russia take effect.
Here are the latest updates:
Putin ‘tightening the screws on Ukraine’: Correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Moscow, says Putin is “continuing to tighten the screws on Ukraine”.
“He [Putin] says the two states that they have now recognised [the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics] are being recognised on embassy levels and Russia says it is also evacuating its diplomatic staff from Ukraine to protect their lives,” Smith said.
“Putin has also praised the battle readiness of Russian troops,” he added.
White House says it is in contact with Ukraine over cyber needs
US President Joe Biden’s administration is in touch with Ukrainian authorities over their cyber security needs, Jen Psaki said.
The websites of Ukraine’s government, foreign ministry and state security service were down on Wednesday in what the government said was the start of another massive denial of service attack.
“We are in conversations with Ukraine regarding their cyber related needs including as recently as today and we’re going to move with urgency to assess the nature and extent of this, what steps need to be taken, and therefore a response,” the White House spokesperson said.
Kremlin says Ukraine rebels have asked Russia for ‘help’ against Kyiv
The Kremlin has said the heads of east Ukraine’s rebel republics have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for “help” to “repel aggression” from the Ukrainian army.
In a statement carried by Russian state news agencies, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the separatist republics “ask the president of Russia for help in repelling the aggression of the armed forces in Ukraine”.
White House says Putin is adapting, improvising after sanctions
Putin is improvising and having to adapt his Ukraine strategy following sanctions imposed by the West this week, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki has said.
Hello, I’m Farah Najjar and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Tuesday, February 23, here.
