White House officials finally calls the latest round of Russian aggression what it is: the start of an invasion
ZOLOTE, Ukraine—Every building in the neighborhood of Zolote-3 near the front line in Eastern Ukraine is marked by war. Many have broken windows and bullet holes in the walls; others have been completely destroyed by eight years of Russian artillery fire.
Putin’s military now stretches into the regions of Eastern Ukraine that were already under the control of pro-Kremlin rebels who seized power in parts of Donbas at the height of the last incursion, which began in 2014. Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the upper house of parliament, announced on Tuesday that Putin had requested permission from lawmakers to deploy troops abroad. She said the decision was based on the fact that “these will be peacekeeping troops aimed at bringing peace to the Donbas.” She went on to claim the troops would “create normal living conditions for people and ensure security.”
The United States, the European Union and Britain were set to announce new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday in response to Putin’s decision to formally recognize the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which are under the control of pro-Kremlin stooges but on sovereign Ukrainian land. “I will not evacuate if Russia invades. I didn’t do that back in 2014. I was scared back then, as I am now, but I will not evacuate. I will continue to work, scared, of course, but continue to work.”
“Call 101,” says a drawing outside the school, teaching kids to call the authorities if they see something like an undetonated bomb.The OSCE reported 1,500 ceasefire violations on Saturday alone, leaving the teachers increasingly concerned. “The situation now is terrible. There have been so many shootings in the last three days,” said Sveta, over the weekend. “I cannot even go to work. Children just sit at home. We cannot let them go out.
They can hear mortar attacks frequently and feel the waves from the explosions. Like Zolote-3, they have also suffered from war and economic decay. People in these parts of Zolote are dependent on the local coal mine for jobs.