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Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion

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Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion

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Este informe también habla sobre la última hora en ucrania, sobre cómo las personas están huyendo y como están intentado sobrevivir las familias

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The sound of gunfire has echoed through Ukraine's capital Kyiv as Russian tanks were filmed entering the city for the first time.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence called on those living in the northern outskirts, where the tanks were seen, to make fire bombs "to neutralise the enemy".

The European Union has announced new sanctions to freeze Vladimir Putin's personal assets in Europe.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, says that Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks would have to be about Ukraine declaring a "neutral status" - which would include "demilitarisation". Russia wants Ukraine to rule out ever joining Nato.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for talks with Mr Putin, but has given no sign that he would agree to talks on the basis of "demilitarisation".

Overnight, Kyiv was hit by blasts, with at least one block of flats damaged and several civilians injured.

Russia has denied carrying out strikes.

An unnamed source at Russia's defence ministry also said a plane shot down over Kyiv was Ukrainian, Reuters news agency reports. Ukraine has said the jet was Russian.

As the second day of fighting began, Moscow - which is attacking from the east, north and south - appeared to have Kyiv firmly in its sights. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said "the enemy" was trying to put Kyiv "on its knees".

On Friday afternoon, Russia's defence ministry announced it had captured the Antonov airport, using 200 helicopters and a landing force in order to take the base to the north of Kyiv from Ukraine. Western intelligence officials warned earlier that Russia was building an "overwhelming force" to take control of the city.

Citizens in the northern Obolon district have been told to stay at home to avoid "active military operations" by city officials, Reuters adds. Obolon is the same area where it appeared tanks were filmed earlier in the day.

The Ministry of Defence had already appealed to the district's residents on its Facebook page to "inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails [firebombs] and neutralise the enemy".

Overnight, families took shelter in Kyiv's metro stations as aerial attacks struck the city, including the densely populated Pozniake area, injuring at least eight.

"Putin, we want to see you slaughtered like an animal," one Kyiv resident told the BBC's Nick Beake.

"How we can live through it in our time?" Oxana Gulenko asked Reuters as she cleaned up broken glass from one blast. "What should we think. Putin should be burnt in hell along with his whole family."

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said no talks could be held until the Ukrainian military lays down its arms.

Mr Lavrov is also included in the EU's move to freeze personal assets - but it not clear whether he or President Putin have any significant assets in Europe.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier said Russia was seeking to "destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state".

"According to the information we have, the enemy has designated me as target number one. My family is target number two," he said.

President Zelensky has vowed to stay in Kyiv and to continue fighting the attacks across Ukraine - which is coming from the north, south and east - ordering the call-up of conscripts and reservists in all of Ukraine's regions. The country's defence minister urged anyone able to hold a weapon to join the effort to repel Russia.

Russia attacks Ukraine: More coverage

There have already been stories of immense bravery in the face of stark odds - including that of 13 border guards on a tiny island in the Black Sea who refused to surrender to a Russian warship and were massacred in a bombardment.

President Zelensky said they would be given posthumous war hero honours.

Thursday also saw fighting around the site of the former nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said the nuclear site itself had been lost following a "fierce battle".

On Friday, Ukraine's nuclear agency said it was recording raised radiation levels in the area. A statement released by Russia's Ministry of Defence said levels were normal, adding an agreement had been reached "to ensure security of the power plant and sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant".

Ukraine says at least 137 people - civilians and soldiers - have been killed. Russia has not admitted any deaths, whilst both sides claim to have inflicted heavy losses on the other.

President Vladimir Putin - who declared war in a dramatic televised address - has threatened any country attempting to interfere with "consequences you have never seen".

The UK, EU and other allies vowed to impose tough new sanctions to punish Moscow, but said they would not send in troops.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone call with his Russian counterpart, in what was Mr Putin's first conversation with a Western leader in days, demanding an "immediate halt" to the offensive. The Kremlin, however, simply said the pair had a "serious and frank exchange of views".

Mr Zelensky, meanwhile, hit out at the European leaders' response.

"Like World War Two, you said never again, but here it is again and you're not doing enough to respond," he said.

Many said it couldn't, wouldn't, happen. Not in 2022.

For weeks, Western officials analysing the intelligence warned of President Putin's plan to take Kyiv.

For weeks, I've asked Ukrainians in Kyiv about it, and ran it past every foreign and defence minister, every Russia-watcher I met at last weekend's security conference in Munich.

It just didn't make sense. Just didn't add up.

And now, with every hour, Russian forces and fighting come ever closer to Kyiv.

A city where Ukrainians tell all of us to "call it Kyiv in Ukrainian, not Kiev in Russian", a city which feels so European, is now in Moscow's sights.

"A failure of imagination" is how former British intelligence chief Sir Alex Younger described it, adding "we thought history had changed in 1991" when the Soviet empire collapsed.

Are you in Ukraine? If it is safe to do so, tell us about your experiences of the recent events by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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Ukraine conflict: Kyiv braces for Russian assault

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The sound of gunfire has echoed through Ukraine's capital Kyiv as Russian tanks were filmed entering the city for the first time. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence called on those living in the northern outskirts, where the tanks were seen, to make fire bombs "to neutralise the enemy".

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A partir de las 10 am del 25 de febrero, los invasores rusos prefieren su operación ofensiva contra Ucrania usando armas de precisión de largo alcance y aviación táctica.

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В Генштабе ВСУ рассказали новые подробности

По состоянию на 10 утра 25 февраля российские оккупанты продолжают наступательную операцию против Украины с применением высокоточного оружия дальнего действия и оперативно-тактической авиации.

Об этом сообщили в Генеральном штабе ВСУ.

Управление и наведение авиации осуществляется самолетами типа А-50 с территории Минской области в воздушном пространстве Беларуси и АР Крым. С целью устрашения населения Украины враг все чаще выбирает для поражения объекты гражданской инфраструктуры и жилые дома.

Также известно, что на белорусском аэродроме Гомель совершили посадку российские Ил-76 с десантниками на борту.

Из-за повреждения взлетной полосы аэродрома Гостомель противник решил выдвигаться своим ходом с территории Беларуси в направлении Гомель-Чернигов-Киев.

В Северской области подразделения 1 отбр по реке Белоус остановили противника.

Сейчас враг, получив достойный отпор защитников Чернигова, пытается обойти город и совершить наступление на столицу.

С этой же целью, наступления на Киев, не считаясь с потерями, враг рвется на направлении Козелец-Бровары и направлении Конотоп-Нежин-Киев. Утрачен город Конотоп.

На юге противник продолжает осуществлять свои захватнические планы, вышел на рубеж Херсон, Новая Каховка, Каховка с целью удержания дамбы Северокрымского канала для обеспечения водой временно оккупированного полуострова Крым. Ведется бой за украинский город Мелитополь.

На Донецком направлении без изменений: противник успеха не имеет, цели выхода на административные границы Донецкой и Луганской областей не достиг. Не прекращаются обстрелы подразделений Объединенных сил.

В Слобожанщине в районах Харькова и Валуйков подразделения из состава сил обороны продолжают ведение оборонных боев, остановили противника и закрепились по определенному рубежу.

Группировка Воздушных Сил производит отражение воздушных ударов противника. Продолжает ведение систематических боевых действий. Ведет постоянную воздушную разведку.

В общей сложности Группировка объединенных сил ведет оборонительную операцию и пытается остановить противника по всей линии столкновения.

Ситуация в Украине 25 февраля

Советник министра внутренних дел Антон Геращенко сообщил, что российские войска пытаются прорваться в Киев.

Противник нанес воздушный удар по подразделениям в районе города Кропивницкого, отмечена значительная активность вражеских вертолетов в районах выше Вилково и Тирасполя.

В Киеве утром два раза объявляли воздушную угрозу. Работали сирены. Граждан просили срочно последовать в укрытия.

Кроме того, наемники начали стрелять по Киеву. Противовоздушная оборона сбила над столицей летательный аппарат России. В результате возник сильный пожар в одном из домов на улице Кошица, 7а. По предварительным данным, трое раненых, один из них в тяжелом состоянии.

Президент Украины Владимир Зеленский подписал указ о всеобщей мобилизации.

Вооруженные силы Украины зачистили аэродром "Гостомель" от российского десанта.

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война в украине

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Жесткие бои и попытка захвата Киева: что сейчас происходит в Украине

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В Генштабе ВСУ рассказали новые подробности По состоянию на 10 утра 25 февраля российские оккупанты продолжают наступательную операцию против Украины с применением высокоточного оружия дальнего действия и оперативно-тактической авиации. Об этом сообщили в Генеральном штабе ВСУ. Управление и наведение авиации осуществляется самолетами типа А-50 с территории Минской области в воздушном пространстве Беларуси и АР Крым.

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Guerra Ucrania-Rusia, en directo | Zelenski notifica ya 137 muertos

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Guerra Ucrania-Rusia, en directo | Zelenski notifica ya 137 muertos

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Esta noticia habla sobre la última hora de Ucrania, informa sobre cómo están invadiendo en las puertas de Kiev y de como van los fallecidos

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Montse Martínez

Periodista internacional

Ningún esfuerzo diplomático, y han sido muchos, ha dado fruto. Finalmente, tal y como advirtió EEUU y la UE reiteradamente, Putin ha acabado invadiendo Ucrania. Tras reconocer el lunes la independencia de las autoproclamadas repúblicas populares de Donetsk y Lugansk, en el este de Ucrania, Putin envió tropas a la región prorrusa del Donbás y de ahí se ha expandido al resto de la zona. La OTAN ha puesto en alerta máxima un centenar de aviones de guerra. Rápida y unánimemente, la Unión Europea, EEUU y el Reino Unido han respondido con sanciones y los países bálticos como Lituania, Estonia o Polonia han censurado la decisión rusa. Siga aquí en directo las últimas noticias sobre el conflicto.

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Guerra Rusia-Ucrania: Última hora en directo

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Ningún esfuerzo diplomático, y han sido muchos, ha dado fruto. Finalmente, tal y como advirtió EEUU y la UE reiteradamente, Putin ha acabado invadiendo Ucrania. Tras reconocer el lunes la independencia de las autoproclamadas repúblicas populares de Donetsk y Lugansk, en el este de Ucrania, Putin envió tropas a la...

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Las raíces de la guerra en Ucrania. Como se desenvolvió la crisis

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Las raíces de la guerra en Ucrania. Como se desenvolvió la crisis

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Esta noticia explica el origen de la guerra en Ucrania, comparando el conflicto con la guerra fría.

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Here's a guide to the causes behind a conflict that has just become a major military clash, and what's at stake for Russia, the U.S. and NATO.

A Ukrainian soldier patrolling the front lines in December. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been simmering since 2014. Credit... Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

It felt in recent weeks like a scene from the Cold War, a perilous episode from a bygone era. An unpredictable Russian leader was amassing troops and tanks on a neighbor's border. There was fear of a bloody East-West conflagration.

Then the Cold War turned hot: Vladimir Putin has sent his forces over the border into Ukraine, with repercussions that were immediate and far-reaching.

In the days ahead of the invasion, even as Russian forces reached an estimated strength of 190,000 and they formed a pincer around Ukrainian territory, and even as the United States warned in increasingly dire tones that a military strike appeared inevitable, there was hope. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, kept up his message of optimism. Mr. Putin was claiming that he was open to diplomacy, and European leaders were working desperately to persuade the Kremlin to stand down.

Then just before 6 a.m. Thursday, the Russian president, addressing his nation, declared the start of a "special military operation" in Ukraine. The goal, he said, was to "demilitarize" but not occupy the country.

Mere minutes later, large explosions were visible near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and blasts were reported in Kyiv, the capital, as well as other parts of the country. And soon, Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported that Russian troops had landed in Odessa and were crossing the border.

The invasion threatens to destabilize the already volatile post-Soviet region, with serious consequences for the security structure that has governed Europe since the 1990s. Mr. Putin has long lamented the loss of Ukraine and other republics when the Soviet Union broke apart, but diminishing NATO, the military alliance that helped keep the Soviets in check, may be his real mission.

Before invading, Russia made a list of far-reaching demands to reshape that structure - positions NATO and the United States rejected.

Here is a look at how the world got here.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, NATO expanded eastward, eventually taking in most of the European nations that had been in the Communist sphere. The Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, once parts of the Soviet Union, joined NATO, as did Poland, Romania and others.

As a result, NATO moved hundreds of miles closer to Moscow, directly bordering Russia. And in 2008, it stated that it planned - some day - to enroll Ukraine, though that is still seen as a far-off prospect.

Mr. Putin has described the Soviet disintegration as a catastrophe that robbed Russia of its rightful place among the world's great powers and put it at the mercy of a predatory West. He has spent his 22 years in power rebuilding Russia's military and reasserting its geopolitical clout.

The Russian president calls NATO's expansion menacing, and the prospect of Ukraine joining it a major threat to his country. As Russia has grown more assertive and stronger militarily, his complaints about NATO have grown more strident. He has repeatedly invoked the specter of American ballistic missiles and combat forces in Ukraine, though U.S., Ukrainian and NATO officials insist there are none.

Mr. Putin has also insisted that Ukraine and Belarus are fundamentally parts of Russia, culturally and historically. He holds considerable sway over Belarus, and talks about some form of reunification with Russia have gone on for years.

But East-West relations worsened drastically in early 2014, when mass protests in Ukraine forced out a president closely allied with Mr. Putin. Russia swiftly invaded and annexed Crimea, part of Ukraine. Moscow also fomented a separatist rebellion that took control of part of the Donbas region of Ukraine, in a war that still grinds on, having killed more than 13,000 people.

Mr. Putin appears intent on winding back the clock more than 30 years, establishing a broad, Russian-dominated security zone resembling the power Moscow wielded in Soviet days. Now 69 years old and possibly edging toward the twilight of his political career, he clearly wants to draw Ukraine, a nation of 44 million people, back into Russia's orbit.

Russia presented NATO and the United States in December with a set of written demands that it said were needed to ensure its security. Foremost among them are a guarantee that Ukraine would never join NATO, that NATO draw down its forces in the Eastern European countries that have already joined, and that the 2015 cease-fire in Ukraine be implemented - though Moscow and Kyiv disagree sharply on what that would mean.

The West dismissed the main demands out of hand, while making overtures on other concerns, and threatening sanctions. Moscow's aggressive posture has also inflamed Ukrainian nationalism, with citizen militias preparing for a drawn-out guerrilla campaign in the event of a Russian occupation.

Mr. Putin's timing could also be related to the transition from President Donald J. Trump, who was notably friendly to him and disparaging of NATO, to President Biden, who is committed to the alliance and distrustful of the Kremlin.

He may also want to energize nationalists at home support by focusing on an external threat, as he has in the past. Mr. Putin has crushed domestic challenges to his authority, but last year, with the economy stumbling and the pandemic raging, opposition groups held some of the largest anti-Putin protests in years.

In early December, President Biden made clear that his administration was not considering sending troops to fight for Ukraine since, among other reasons, Ukraine is not a member of the NATO alliance and does not come under its commitment to collective defense.

Instead, the United States has sent anti-tank and antiaircraft weapons to Ukraine, increased the American military presence in NATO countries that border Russia, and put 8,500 troops on high alert for deployment to Eastern Europe. Administration officials also warned that the United States could throw its weight behind an Ukrainian insurgency, should Mr. Putin Russia.

But the real cudgel is financial.

Before the invasion, Mr. Biden threatened Mr. Putin with "economic consequences like none he's ever seen." Afterward, he began to put them in place.

Understand Russia's Attack on Ukraine

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Earlier in the week, after Mr. Putin formally recognized two Russian-backed separatist states in eastern Ukraine, the White House and European allies unveiled an initial slate of economic penalties.

On Tuesday, Mr. Biden imposed penalties on two Russian banks and several members of the Russian elite, and prohibited Russia from trading debt in American or European markets. The next day, the administration issued sanctions against the company behind an energy pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.

On Thursday, Mr. Biden said the United States would cut off Russia's largest banks and largest companies from the western financial markets and would restrict exports of technology to Russia. That, he said, would vastly degrade the country's ability to thrive in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Mr. Biden also said the United States was freezing trillions of dollars in Russian assets, including the funds controlled by Russian elites and their families, making them pay for what the American president called "a premeditated attack" against a free nation in Europe.

In that same speech, the president saidhe had authorized sending additional troops to Eastern European countries in the NATO alliance. He said the troops would help defend NATO allies if Russian moved further west.

The administration is also likely to try to freeze personal assets that Mr. Putin and his allies hold overseas, officials say, and it could institute sanctions that could deprive Russians of their beloved next-generation phones, laptops and other gadgets, and the military of advanced equipment.

At stake for Europe isthe security structure that has helped keep the peace on the continent since World War II. With Europeans divided over how to respond to various forms of Russian aggression, the conflict has also laid bare the fractures within the European Union and NATO.

Europe also has important trade ties with Russia, and stands to lose far more than the United States from sanctions. It is also dependent on Russian gas supplies, a weakness that Mr. Putin has exploited in past disputes.

Europe lost an invaluable negotiator with Moscow after the departure of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in the east, speaks fluent Russia, and had developed a good working relationship with the Russian president. Her successor Olaf Scholz, has tried to take on a leadership role in the crisis that escalated soon after his election, halting certification of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline that would link his country with Russia - one of the strongest moves yet by the West to punish the Kremlin.

Steven Erlanger in Brussels contributed reporting.

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The Roots of Ukraine's War: How the Crisis Developed

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Here's a guide to the causes behind a conflict that has just become a major military clash, and what's at stake for Russia, the U.S. and NATO. It felt in recent weeks like a scene from the Cold War, a perilous episode from a bygone era.

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4 claves para entender el inicio de la guerra

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4 claves para entender el inicio de la guerra

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Esta noticia explica las razones aparentes por las cuales Rusia ha atacado a Ucrania.

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El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, anunció en la mañana del jueves una "operación militar especial" en el este de Ucrania. Inmediatamente después se escucharon las primeras explosiones en diversas ciudades ucranianas.

Ya el lunes Putin había anunciado el envío de tropas rusas a las regiones rebeldes de Done t sk y Luhansk, luego de reconocer la independencia de ambas.

Las acciones de Putin llevaron a una invasión de Ucrania y en Europe se teme que acabe en una guerra que involucre a más países. La condena internacional no se hizo esperar y el presidente de EE.UU., Joe Biden, aseguró el miércoles que Rusia "rendirá cuentas" por sus acciones.

No obstante, Washington rechazó el miércoles la posibilidad de enviar tropas.

Se trata del último capítulo de un conflicto que se remonta al menos hasta 2014, cuando Rusia tomó el control del territorio ucraniano de Crimea y apoyó a las fuerzas separatistas prorrusas en las regiones de Donetsk y Luhansk.

Pero, ¿qué pasó en las últimas horas y cómo llegamos a este conflicto?

1. ¿Qué dijo Putin al anunciar la "operación militar especial"?

El presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, anunció este jueves una "operación militar especial" en la región del Donbás, en el este de Ucrania.

Así lo comunicó en un discurso televisado que ocurrió al mismo tiempo que el Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas le imploraba que detuviese cualquier acción bélica.

Putin dijo que la operación busca la "desmilitarización y desnazificación de Ucrania".

Según explicó, la decisión fue tomada después de recibir una petición de ayuda de los líderes de los territorios separatistas respaldados por Rusia formados en el este de Ucrania en 2014, aunque desde hace semanas la inteligencia occidental había alertado de una potencial invasión.

Fuente de la imagen, Reuters

Pie de foto,

El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, firma un decreto que reconoce como independentes a dos regiones separatistas respaldadas por Rusia en el este de Ucrania.

"Tomé la decisión de llevar a cabo una operación militar especial. Su objetivo será defender a las personas que durante ocho años sufren persecución y genocidio por parte del régimen de Kiev", señaló el presidente ruso, en una afirmación para la que no ha presentado evidencias.

Putin pidió a los soldados ucranianos que depongan las armas de inmediato.

"Todos los miembros del servicio del ejército ucraniano que sigan estas demandas podrán abandonar la zona de batalla", dijo.

También hizo lo que parecía ser una advertencia a otros países, como Estados Unidos, que han apoyado a Ucrania.

"Cualquiera que intente interferir con nosotros, o más aún, crear amenazas para nuestro país y nuestro pueblo, debe saber que la respuesta de Rusia será inmediata y lo llevará a consecuencias como nunca antes ha experimentado en su historia. Estamos listos para cualquier giro de los acontecimientos".

2. ¿Cuál fue la reacción de Ucrania?

El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Ucrania, Dimitro Kuleba, señaló poco después del anuncio que "varias ciudades ucranianas están bajo ataque".

"Putin acaba de iniciar una invasión total de Ucrania. Es una guerra de agresión. Ucrania se defenderá y vencerá", señaló. "El mundo debe frenar a Putin", reclamó.

Este jueves en la mañana el presidente anunció que Ucrania rompía relaciones diplomáticas con Rusia y aseguró que estaban proporcionando armas a todo aquel que quisiera defender el territorio.

Poco antes del anuncio de Putin y del inicio de la operación militar, el presidente ucraniano, Volodymyr Zelensky, había realizado un emotivo discurso en televisión.

Zelensky primero habló en ucraniano y advirtió que una invasión rusa sería "el inicio de una gran guerra en el continente europeo".

Luego cambió al ruso y en ese idioma pidió a la población del país vecino que rechace un ataque y señaló que les están mintiendo sobre Ucrania.

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto,

Volodymyr Zelensky, presidente de Ucrania.

"Ellos dicen que la llama [de la guerra] liberará al pueblo de Ucrania, pero los ucranianos son libres", sostuvo, según informa la corresponsal de la BBC en Europa del Este Sarah Rainsford.

El líder de Ucrania subrayó que su país está listo para un ataque ruso y advirtió: "No necesitamos ninguna guerra, ni fría, ni caliente, ni híbrida. Pero si las tropas nos atacan, si intentan tomar nuestro país -nuestra libertad, nuestras vidas, las vidas de nuestros hijos-, nos defenderemos".

"Si nos atacan, verán nuestras caras, no nuestras espaldas", dijo el presidente ucraniano.

3. ¿Cómo justifica Putin la "operación militar"?

El lunes, Putin ya había pronunciado un discurso televisado en el que anunció que reconocía la independencia de dos áreas de Ucrania controladas por separatistas respaldados por Rusia.

Eso fue visto por lo analistas como el paso previo a la operación militar. De hecho, este mismo miércoles las regiones rebeldes prorrusas en Ucrania pidieron a Putin el envío de tropas.

Entre los razonamientos de Putin contra Ucrania los hay de orden histórico y de seguridad.

El lunes afirmó que Ucrania no tenía antecedentes de ser una nación real y acusó, a las autoridades ucranianas de corrupción.

Poco después del anuncio, Putin firmó una orden para que las tropas realizarían "funciones de mantenimiento de la paz" en ambas regiones rebeldes.

"Permítanme enfatizar una vez más que Ucrania para nosotros no es solo un país vecino. Es una parte integral de nuestra propia historia, cultura, espacio espiritual", dijo.

Acusó, además, al gobierno de Ucrania de ser un "títere" de EE.UU. y alegó, sin fundamentos, que los ucranianos están siendo "brutalizados" por sus dirigentes y que el país podría obtener armas nucleares y representar una amenaza mayor para Rusia.

Durante el discurso, Putin volvió a repetir los peligros de que Ucrania sea admitida a la OTAN (la organización no tiene ni siquiera en agenda su aceptación y es solo una aspiración de Kiev) y aseguró que si el país se une a la alianza, Rusia estaría en riesgo de un "ataque".

Putin afirma además, sin pruebas, que existe un "genocidio" de Ucrania contra los rusoparlantes del este del país.

4. ¿Cómo se llegó a esta situación?

Los antecedentes hay que encontrarlos en 2014, cuando Rusia tomó el control de Crimea y apoyó a las fuerzas separatistas en el este de Ucrania.

Los grupos rebeldes crearon repúblicas populares en Donetsk y Luhansk.

El conflicto se ha cobrado hasta ahora unas 14.000 vidas.

El 18 de febrero pasado, el servicio ucraniano de la BBC informó que la artillería pesada y los morteros disparados en la región fueron los más pesados en años.

En su último informe, los monitores internacionales de la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación de Europa informaron de cientos de violaciones del alto al fuego entre el 17 y el 18 de febrero.

Los líderes de las dos áreas disidentes respaldadas por Rusia anunciaron la evacuación de los residentes y dijeron que Ucrania ha bía intensificado los bombardeos y planeaba un ataque.

Denis Pushilin, jefe de la República Popular de Donetsk (DNR), anunció una evacuación en un video supuestamente filmado el viernes. Sin embargo, un análisis de la BBC de los metadatos del video mostró que había sido grabado antes de que estallaran las hostilidades.

En noviembre del año pasado Rusia empe zó a desplegar grandes cantidades de tropas en áreas cercanas a la frontera con Ucrania.

Pero el 15 de febrero Putin sugirió que habría una retirada parcial de las fuerzas rusas.

Sin embargo, Ucrania y sus aliados dijeron que no hubo una reducción en el número de tropas rusas en las zonas fronterizas.

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto,

Putin dice estar abierto al diólogo, pero no lo antepone a los intereses de Rusia.

"Siempre han desplegado fuerzas de un lado a otro", dijo el secretario general de la OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, un día después del anuncio de Rusia.

"Ha sido un gran (movimiento) hacia arriba y hacia abajo, de ida y vuelta, todo este tiempo; pero la tendencia en las últimas semanas y meses ha sido un aumento constante de las capacidades rusas cerca de las fronteras con Ucrania".

Pie de foto,

Vehículos blindados rusos en la región rusa de Rostov, cerca de la frontera con Ucrania

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4 claves para entender el inicio de la operación militar de Rusia contra Ucrania - BBC News Mundo

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El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin , anunció en la mañana del jueves una "operación militar especial" en el este de Ucrania. Inmediatamente después se escucharon las primeras explosiones en diversas ciudades ucranianas. Ya el lunes Putin había anunciado el envío de tropas rusas a las regiones rebeldes de Done t sk y Luhansk, luego de reconocer la independencia de ambas.