On Wednesday, Newsweek reported that U.S. intelligence officials said the Biden administration informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy it had intelligence indicating Russia would commence a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the next 48 hours.
A U.S. official with what Newsweek called “direct knowledge” stated, “The President of Ukraine has been warned Russia will highly likely begin an invasion within 48 hours based on U.S. intelligence. Additionally, reporting from aircraft observers indicates Russia violated Ukrainian airspace earlier today, flying possible reconnaissance aircraft for a short period over Ukraine.”
“A source close to Zelenskyy’s government also confirmed to Newsweek that such a warning was received,” Newsweek added.
A second U.S. intelligence official also spoke to Newsweek and said the invasion would include a thrust from the pro-Moscow rebel-held Donbas region and another thrust toward the capital Kyiv from the northern border with Belarus, adding that they would probably be implemented at night.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry warned Ukrainians living in Russia to leave immediately and also warned against traveling to Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated “the intensification of Russian aggression against Ukraine … may lead to significant restrictions on the provision of consular assistance in the Russian Federation. We emphasize that ignoring these recommendations will significantly complicate ensuring proper protection of Ukrainian citizens in the Russian Federation,” CNBC noted.
“The top U.S. diplomat canceled a meeting with his Russian counterpart; Kyiv recalled its ambassador and considered breaking all diplomatic ties with Moscow; dozens of nations further squeezed Russian oligarchs and banks out of international markets; Germany halted a lucrative pipeline deal; and the U.S. repositioned additional troops to NATO’s eastern flank bordering Russia.” The New York Post reported on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, “We call on partners to impose more sanctions on Russia now. Now the pressure needs to step up to stop Putin. Hit his economy and cronies. Hit more. Hit hard. Hit now.”
Also on Wednesday, reports surfaced that many of the websites of the Ukrainian were down. NetBlocks tweeted:
Confirmed: #Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and Cabinet of Ministers websites have just been impacted by network disruptions; the incident appears consistent with recent DDOS attacks.
⚠️ Confirmed: #Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and Cabinet of Ministers websites have just been impacted by network disruptions; the incident appears consistent with recent DDOS attacks 📉 pic.twitter.com/EVyy7mzZRr
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 23, 2022
Newsweek had noted in its report, “Shortly after Newsweek was made aware of these U.S. assessments, the websites for Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry and other institutions abruptly went offline in what signaled a potential sweeping cyber-attack.”
On Wednesday morning, Newsweek editor-at-large Naveed Jamali tweeted, “A source close to #Zelenskyy’s government has confirmed @newsweeks reporting.”
a source close to #Zelenskyy's government has confirmed @newsweeks reporting. https://t.co/PRiLIexKnE
— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) February 23, 2022
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy, referring to Russia’s recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s troops being order to the region, stated, “This is an act of aggression against Ukraine [and] its sovereignty [and] integrity. The response of the international community to this crime should be decisive and immediate and harsh.”
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