Has the Russian invasion of Ukraine just started?
After reports of shelling have broken, that seems to be the belief around the globe.
Ukraine has accused Russian-backed rebels of an attack that took out a village kindergarten school, violating the cease-fire agreement.
Is This How It Starts?
The shelling comes one day after what was supposed to be the targeted date for the invasion.
Now, both sides are accusing the other of creating a flashpoint to start a confrontation.
As if Ukraine wants Russia to invade its country.
Kyiv stated that the shelling of Stanytsia Luhanska was a “provocation.”
Russia is now claiming that Ukraine fired the shells, possibly the false flag operation that has been rumored for days.
According to Russia, Ukraine conducted the fire mission to take out Kremlin-backed separatists in the area.
Ukraine, of course, pushed back on those allegations, claiming it was the rebels that fired the shots.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba added, “Ukrainian Stanytsia Luhanska village was shelled with heavy weapons from the occupied territory of the Donbas. Civilian infrastructure damaged.
“We call on all partners to swiftly condemn this severe violation of Minsk agreements by Russia amid an already tense security situation.”
The Ukrainian military added, “With particular cynicism, the Russian occupation troops shelled the village of Stanytsa Lugansk in the Luhansk region.
“As a result of the use of heavy artillery weapons by terrorists, shells hit the kindergarten building. According to preliminary data, two civilians received shell shock.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin was “seriously concerned” about the escalation of events in Ukraine.
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace believes this is the pretext to be expected “if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has decided he’s going to invade.
“It’s part of the playbook.”
He also warned of “activity on the ground in cyber, in forward or specialist forces, seeking to either do false flags or to create pretext.
“You’re definitely going to start seeing, we already are seeing, the raising of the rhetoric around alleged breaches.”
While Biden has vowed that US forces will not get into a confrontation with the Russians, other NATO countries do not seem so bent on staying out of this fight.
Russia now seems poised to make its move, so we should have some clarity on this within the next 72 hours, if not sooner.
Source: New York Post