FRANCE 24’s Douglas Herbert unpacks the growing paranoia among Russia’s ruling class as Putin weeds out those he deems potentially disloyal following the Wagner Group’s abortive mutiny.
Browsing: Russia-Ukraine crisis
Russia-Ukraine crisis
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, marking a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014 following the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity.
The invasion triggered Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WW2, with millions leaving the country and millions more displaced.
Russia invades Ukraine 2022
In 2014, at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatists seized part of the south-eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, sparking a regional war there.
In 2022, Russia began a large military build-up along its Ukrainian border – over 190,000 armed troops. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had continued to deny Russia was planning an invasion until shortly before the invasion.
In a broadcast shortly before the invasion, Putin espoused irredentist views, questioned Ukraine’s right to statehood and falsely claimed the country was being governed by neo-Nazis. Putin also claimed NATO constitutes a threat to Russia’s national security by expanding eastward since the early 2000s, which NATO disputed. Russia demanded NATO cease expansion and bar Ukraine from ever joining. The UK, USA and allies all accused Russia of planning to attack or invade Ukraine, Russian officials and state media continued to deny it up until 23 February 2022.
The invasion began on 24 February – Putin announced it was a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine. Russia then started missiles and airstrikes across Ukraine as well as a large ground invasion from multiple directions.
The invasion has been widely condemned by the international community.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine hasn’t gone entirely to plan as the Russians underestimated the Ukrainian people’s will to fight for their country.
It comes after photos leaked to the media appearing to show Prigozhin donning wigs and fake beards in a series of bizarre disguises.
‘For us it is a matter of principle and honour.’
The footage showed attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian troops before images of Swan Lake appeared on screen.
Wagner no longer significant in Ukraine, says US The US says the Wagner mercenary group is no longer “participating in any significant capacity in support…
Ukraine war: More than 20 drones shot down in latest attack An overnight Russian drone attack has injured at least two people in Kyiv, authorities…
Zelensky’s fight for NATO membership comes as Ukraine says it shot down eleven Russian drones overnight, a second night in a row of attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. FRANCE 24’s correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze gave us more on reaction from there.
G7 to announce long-term Ukraine security package at Nato summit A wide-ranging security pact between the G7 and Ukraine is expected to be signed at…
He was just in his boxer shots when Russian police burst through his window.
NATO’s no longer brain dead. Emmanuel Macron who authored that quip back in 2019 can thank Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for that. But now that it’s back to its original mission of containing Russia, can the Alliance keep up?
The Kremlin’s figures say only 6,000 soldiers have died – but the real death toll is far higher.
Russia did not detail what the consequences would be.
Air Force One landed at London Stansted yesterday evening ahead of the visit.
A unified coalition groups say they are ‘fighting for the whole model of democracy and human rights’.
The Rapid Intervention and Major Foam Vehicles will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Bizarre images have been circulating on Telegram.
A new poster was also released detailing what people should pack in the event of an evacuation.
Moscow airport flights disrupted by drone attack Flights from Vnukovo International Airport are being diverted amid a drone attack on Moscow, according to the Russian…
Explosions reportedly caused by a drone attack on a military airbase near Moscow (Picture: Twitter)
At least four kamikaze drones were shot down by air defences in Moscow in the early hours of this morning.
Russia has accused Ukraine of launching an attack on an administrative building at the Kubinka military air base, some 48 miles southwest of the Kremlin.
A fifth drone was jammed, crashing into the Odintsovo district, the defence ministry said.
Russian news agencies reported that two drones were intercepted near a village 19 miles southwest of the Kremlin.
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One drone was also detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukraine launched another drone attack on the Russian capital and its region, temporarily disrupting flight operations at the Vnukovo airport.
‘At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces,’ Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel.
‘All detected drones have been eliminated.’
There were no casualties or injured reported, Sobyanin added.
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It’s over fears Wagner mercenaries are angry following last month’s revolt.
Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina dies after Kramatorsk strike Victoria Amelina, an award-winning writer, died from her injuries after a Russian missile struck a pizza restaurant…
The ad from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence features scenes from films including Dirty Dancing and The Big Lebowski.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi spoke to FRANCE 24 from Vienna and stated that his teams had not observed any Russian military deployment inside the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, despite Ukrainians authorities claiming that Moscow was preparing to attack the plant.
Its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin moved across the border from Russia as part of a deal to end the militia’s mutiny which rocked the Kremlin.
Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly wanted to capture the defence minister and head of the army.