The Russian offensive continues its advance towards Kiev.
Fighting is underway near the nuclear waste depot at the Chernobyl plant
“The troops of the occupants entered from Belarus into the area of the Chernobyl plant. Members of the National Guard protecting the depot are stubbornly resisting,” Interior Ministry adviser Anton Guerashchenko wrote on Telegram.
The situation is also “tense” in the south of the country, where fighting is taking place for the towns of Genitchesk, Skadovsk and Chaplynka in the Kherson region near Crimea, he added.
“Fighting is underway for the airport of Gostomel” located a few kilometers northwest of Kiev, had announced the head of the Ukrainian army Valery Zaloujny. Images on social networks show that it was apparently attacked by numerous helicopters.
Ukrainian capital Kiev imposes curfew in the afternoon
The mayor of Kiev announced the establishment of a curfew in the Ukrainian capital to preserve “security” of residents after the start of the Russian invasion. “The curfew will last from 22:00 to 07:00,” added the mayor in a statement, specifying that public transport would not operate during this period but that the metro stations would remain open permanently to serve as shelters in case of strikes.
According to Zelensky, who was speaking in a video address at around 5:00 p.m., the airport was taken by Russian forces but the landing of paratroopers in Gostomel, where it is located, was “blocked” and Ukrainian forces who “received orders to destroy them.”
Russia bans anti-war demonstrations.
The Russian Interior Ministry announced that such gatherings would be made “illegal” on Thursday, February 24. There have been some 700 arrests of anti-war protesters in Russia, according to NGOs
A “success”, says Russian military
Russia has just claimed that it has “successfully” fulfilled all the objectives set on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine. “All tasks assigned to the military groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the day were successfully completed,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
Russia says it has destroyed 74 military installations, including 11 airfields
“As a result of strikes by the Russian armed forces, 74 land-based facilities of the Ukrainian military infrastructure have been put out of action. This includes 11 airfields of the air force,” announced on television the spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defense, General Igor Konashenkov.
Nato
Nato is deploying forces and preparing an emergency meeting on Friday. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) has announced the deployment of “defensive ground and air forces (…) as well as additional maritime assets” in the eastern countries of the Alliance, of which Ukraine is not a part. “Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and not progressive,” said the organization,.
Several Nato member countries have triggered Article 4 of the Alliance’s treaty. This is the case of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Their desire is to launch consultations following the attack of Russia against Ukraine.which also convened a summit Friday, at the request of Estonia and Lithuania.
Sanctions
Western sanctions against Moscow are multiplying. While Germany has announced the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. The United Kingdom has announced a series of measures against the Russian banking system.
U.S. President Joe Biden will address Americans at 7:30 p.m. about “the unprovoked and unwarranted attack on Ukraine by Russia,” the White House said in a statement.
He is expected to discuss the U.S. response, which has promised to deeply undermine the Russian economy and finance, after consulting with his G7 counterparts.
