RUSSIAN AND UCRANIAN CONFLICT

 Bombings in the Ukraine, they have started around 4 in the morning. The population is beginning to flee from Kiev.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has officially begun. Vladimir Putin announced this morning, at 5:00 Kiev time, a major military operation in Ukraine. The Russianpresident has justified the invasion as a "defense" from Ukrainian separatists who had requested his intervention. Explosions can already be heard near the capital, Kiev, where Xavier Colás is telling us what is happening. From Washington, following the reaction of the US and the UN, which was holding an extraordinary Security Council, Pablo Pardo is watching everything.

 The president of the United States, Joe Biden, announced this Wednesday sanctions on the companies that have participated in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gaspipeline. Germany paralyzed the certification of the gas pipeline on Tuesday

 Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (CSND) decided this Wednesday to establish a state of emergency throughout the country in the face of what it considers Russian aggression, except in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are already under political administration.-military

 "Now that Russia has started the invasion of Ukraine and has made clear its total rejection of diplomacy, there is no point in going ahead with that meeting," Blinken told a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba.

 Moscow has broken the deck of diplomacy in the Ukraine crisis and therefore that path is on hold. Two do not talk if one does not want to, so it would not be logical to insist on maintaining, much less force, high-            level meetings between the rulers of the United States and Russia. That is why Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled on Tuesday night the meeting that he had planned to hold with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, this Thursday in Geneva.

 Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancels Thursday's meeting with hiscounterpart Sergei Lavrov because "Russia has made clear its total rejection of dialogue and there is no point in going ahead with that meeting.'

 "Putin is my best and closest friend," the Chinese president said after taking a boat ride with the Russian leader. They even give each other birthday cakes, and their meetings are warm, nothing to do with Putin, Macron and the long table of memes. Russia and China appear to be forging an alliance that worries the West.

 The Federation Council (upper house) gave the president permission to carry out military operations in other countries

 The White House studies the sanctions on Moscow, whose announcement is expected in an intervention by Biden

 Ivankov's neighbors are prepared to defend their country if there is military aggression

 The former Secretary General of NATO and former head of European diplomacy recommends rereading Kennedy's historic speech during the 1962 missile crisis to follow his philosophy and avoid the nuclear risk

 In the opinion of the Kremlin spokesman, contacts between the Russian Federation and the US will continue at the level of foreign ministers

 This information is what led Joe Biden to say that he was "convinced" that Vladimir Putin had decided to attack Ukraine

 The effective Russian toolbox to obtain its objective in Ukraine goes far beyond the tanks: from infiltrated spies to television propaganda or social networks

Pro-Russian Rebels and Ukrainian Forces Accuse Each Other of Shooting Across Ceasefire Line in Eastern Ukraine 

 Of particular concern is the presence of a new field hospital, some distance to the rear of the Osipovichi training area, in northwestern Belarus. While this could be a legitimate element of any large-scale exercise, it could also be an indication of battle casualties expected from an impending conflict.

 Taken in mid-February, they show that Ukraine remains surrounded on three sides, on its borders with Russia and Belarus with artillery equipment and troop concentrations.

 Russia and Ukraine: what satellite images show about the movements of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border

The Kremlin's announcement of the withdrawal of troops to their barracksit is not credible for the United States, NATO and the West. Indeed, the Biden administration says it has "confirmed that in recent days, Russia has increased its presence along the Ukraine border with up to 7,000 troops as recently as today, a senior official said. Russia is "mobilizing for war, "he said.

 The high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, assured this Thursday that "the bombing has begun in some parts of the border" in eastern Ukraine, but stated that the EU countries will not approve the sanctions against Russia until that "the level of intensity of the aggression requires it".

 "We have had news about a withdrawal of (Russian) troops, but there is no evidence of that." said Borrell after a meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU to discuss the tension around Ukraine in which no they made no decision.

 The head of European diplomacy affirms that the EU has "evidence" of "heavy bombing" in some parts of the border with Russia

 Ukrainian rebels and the Kiev government acuse each other of opening fire while the US claims that Russia has sent 7.000 new soldiers to the Ukrainian border

 The Duma makes official its request to the Russian leader to support the separation of the insurgent republics Moscow announces a troop withdrawal, but keeps its threat of invasion intact if it does not get what it asks for

 The Kremlin announces the end of its military maneuvers in the annexed Crimea and the withdrawal of troops and NATO assures that more than de-escalation there is an increase in troops

 Rusia says it ends its maneuvers in Crimea and withdraws troops The United States assures that NATO is prepared "whatever happens" Biden insists that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still "perfectly posible" | Kiev denounces cyberattacks against websites of the Ministry of Defense and several banks

 Latest news and reactions from Putin and other internationalleaders, today

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared February 16 as the Day of Unity in Ukraine in response to reports that a Russian invasion of the country may start on that day.

 "As combat training activities end the troops, as always, will carry out combined marches to their permanent staging points, Konoshenkov explained.

 The announcement, released by Russian agencies and confirmed by the Kremlin, was made by Defense spokesman General Igor Konashénkov. "The units from thesouthern and western districts, who have completed their tasks, have already started boarding the rail and road transports and will start traveling to their militar headquarters today," he explained.

 Some of the Russian forces deployed near the Ukrainian border have begun to return to their barracks, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. This withdrawal corresponds to some of the troops located in the Russian regions in the south and west of the country.

Defense spokesman Igor Konoshenkov indicates that they are units from the south and west of Rusia, which have finished their military maneuvers

 Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO and the European Union are provided for in its constitution and remain the country's "unconditional"priority, Zalenski's spokesman Sergii Nykyforov said on Monday. Shortly before, the ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, had told the BBC that Ukraine was willing to be "flexible" regarding its goal of joining the Atlantic military alliance, a measure that Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured would be a trigger for a war.

The exit from the script of the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, who assured on Monday that his country would be willing to give up its attempt to join NATO to avoid a war with Russia, has made Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky nervous. who has been forced to deny it. Meanwhile, the latest warning from the United States of a posible Russian invasion at "any moment" has caused European stock indices to fall while the prices of electricity, gas and oil have risen.

 Electricity, gas and oil prices soar as European stock markets hit rock bottom on fears of war in the former Soviet republic

The Spanish Foreign Minister and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Defense, Josep Borrell, talk with the head of NATO after his recent trip to Kiev

 The Spanish fighters will take off this Friday from the Los Llanos base to the Graf Ignatievo base, from where the contingent will operate, as confirmed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense. The main mission will be to intercept Russianaircraft flying unidentified over the Black Sea, in the vicinity of allied airspace, at atime of great tension in the region due to the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.

The Spanish Air Force will deploy for a month and a halifour Eurofighterof Wing 14 (Albacete) and a detachment of130 soldiers in Bulgaria 

 The Spanish Air Force will deploy four Eurofighter combat aircraft from Wing 14 (Albacete) and a detachment of 130 soldiers in Bulgaria for a month and a half in NATO's surveillance mission on the eastern flank.

 The Spanish minister exchanges information "at the highest level" in the Mariyinski Palace, after meeting with the prime minister and his Ukrainian counterpart.

 Russia Ukraine, last minute Kuleba thanks Spain for its support in the face of the Russian threat "I am extremely grateful to Jose Manuel for his extremely positive response tomy call for a visit to Kiev as a sign ofsupport for the Ukrainian people againstthe background of Russia's aggressive actions." Kuleba said.

 One of the issues that Macron highlighted after his meeting with Putin was the proposal on the 'Finlandization of Ukraine: rapprochement with the EU while ruling out its eventual entry into NATO Putin refuses to withdraw troops from the border with Ukraine

 A survey by the European Center for Foreign Relations indicates that the majority of Europeans believe they live in a pre-war state

 Macron appeases Putin with promises of security in exchange for de-escalation

 A full-scale invasion could be more difficult and costly than the Russian president and other Klemlin leaders believe, according to senior Russian officials whose communications have been intercepted by US intelligence.

 This has been stated by the Russian leader after a meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in which both leaders have tried to reduce the tension in the Ukrainian territory

 The President of France went to Kiev on Tuesday to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Emmanuel Macron visits the Kremlin and Olaf Scholz travels to the White House for the first time while Ukraine asks to lower the warmongering discourse. 

 I to Russia and you to the USA: France and Germany squeeze the diplomatic channel to defuse the Ukrainian crisis

 The US intelligence services believe that Putin already has 70% of the troops and weapons needed to invade Ukraine

 Washington fires war alerts. With the big national media as loudspeakers of global resonance, the intelligence services and the political apparatus of the United States sounded the sirens of a posible and imminent catastrophic invasion of Ukraine by the Russian troops now concentrated on its borders.

Russia can take Kiev in days and cause 50,000 casualties,warns Washington

 The incursion could be precipitated in a matter of days and cause some 50,000 victims, including deaths and injuries, as well as the flight of up to 5 million people that would immediately trigger a serious humanitarian crisis, the informants said.

 Beating Ukraine would be more difficult than anticipated. His army has about 150,000 soldiers and another 200,000 reservists. But, when the time comes, he could count on the support of NATO and the US

 Russia has Ukraine surrounded. For months he has been occupying all the flanks and his army has two great strategic advantages: it can attack from three different fronts. Russia has an advantage in terms of air power, tanks and rockets.

 Washington's punishment of a Russian invasion of Ukraine would cause energy prices in the EU to rise. The measures range from prohibiting transactions by Russian banks to vetoing exports of technological products.

 After decades of mistrust, China and Russia strengthen ties in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis against Washington as a common rival

 Diplomacy tries to redirect the tension generated by the acumulation of Russian troops near the borders with Ukraine. The French Macron and the German Scholz have announced this Friday upcoming trips to Moscow and Kiev. On his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin met this Friday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Both have spoken out against "the expansion of NATO" in the future.

 These meetings do not, however, paralyze military preparations. The first reinforcement contingent sent by the  United States to Eastern Europe hasalready arrived in Poland.

 Ukraine and Russia, last hour of the conflict I First detachment of new US troops arrives in Poland

 The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has ordered the deployment of 3,000 soldiers to Eastern Europe in the midst of an escalation of tension between Washington, NATO and the European Union with Russia over Ukraine

 • In turn, the United States and its NATO allies have offered Russia disarmament and confidence building measures to avoid the threat of a new offensive in Ukraine according to documents published in El País. in washington

What is the US position? The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has ordered the deployment of 3,000 soldiers to Eastern Europe in the midst of an escalation of tension between Washington, NATO and the European Union with Russia over Ukraine.

 What are the security demands demanded by Russia from the United States and NATO? The security guarantees demanded by Russia are a halt to the further expansion of NATO to the east, with a special interest in Ukraine and Georgia, the cessation of all military cooperation with the former Soviet republics and the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the Alliance. to the positions they held before 1997.

 Why is Ukraine important to Putin? A third aspect to take into account to understand the importance of Ukraine for Russia is the self-interest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• Russia considers sending US troops to Eastern Europe a “destructive step”

 PARIS WARNS THAT THE CONDITIONS FOR A RUSSIAN INTERVENTION IN UKRAINE ARE MET

 Ukraine and Russia, last hour of the conflict I Putin threatens NATO with war if Ukraine joins the organization

 NATO LEADERS REDOUBLE EFFORTS IN UKRAINE AFTER PUTIN'S ACCUSATIONS OF DRAGGING RUSSIA INTO WAR

 UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT WILL USE WESTERN WEAPONRY ONLY TO DEFEND HIMSELF

 The Joe Biden Administration has already received the Kremlin's written response to the letter that the United States delivered last Wednesday with proposals to resolve the Ukraine crisis through diplomatic channels. US

 The United States receives Russia's response to its proposal on the Ukrainian crisis

 The US secretary of state and his Russian counterpart will speak again this Tuesday to try to de-escalate the conflict