On the night of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a war against Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation in the Donbass” in order to protect people who “have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” Putin’s claims of genocide have previously been refuted by the European Union and the UN. Western politicians accused the Russian president of lying. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. The Council of Europe suspended Russia’s membership in the organization.
Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are included in the US, EU and UK sanctions lists. A number of European countries have closed the skies for Russian airlines. For the first time, the German authorities announced direct deliveries of lethal weapons to Ukraine. DW is following developments on Sunday, February 27th (Moscow time).
++06.42++
Refugees trying to leave Ukraine in their own cars faced unforeseen bureaucratic obstacles, dpa reports. First of all, in Lviv region many cars were not allowed to enter Poland due to the lack of the so-called “green card” – the international system of civil liability insurance operating abroad. “Crossing the border by car without a green card is impossible,” Ukrainian border guards said, according to the agency.
SWIFT is preparing to implement the decision of Western countries on sanctions against a number of Russian banks
++06.22++
SWIFT emblem