Protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg over the invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of protesters were arrested

European leaders were shocked after the last video conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed them as if he had said goodbye to them, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Friday.

"It was a very emotional discussion. President Zelensky, who was in a bunker, appeared and said, "I don't know if I'll ever see you again, because I'm on Russia's list of targets," Kiril Petkov said in a statement with journalists on the eve of the extraordinary EU summit, which takes place on Friday.

"You are shaking, because this man, who is asking for help and support, may not be alive for the next 48 hours. It shook us all, because it's one thing to see victims as statistics on TV and it's another to look into the eyes of someone for whom survival is a matter of hours, "Petkov said.

He went on to say that no EU member state was really prepared for Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine.

"No European leader expected such a massive attack. Russian tanks were expected to enter the provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk, but no one expected such a massive attack, with so many casualties. One-third of the Ukrainian army has already been destroyed, "he said.

"Young people from both sides die because of a leader who sits at a long table and makes decisions"

"If it had been a partial invasion, we might have imposed easier measures. But in the current situation, there was no voice at the table calling for light measures ", Petkov detailed.

He says Russian troops sent to Ukraine did not know about the operation and thought it was an exercise.

"Young people from both sides are dying because of a leader who sits at a long table and makes decisions. These sanctions will not affect Putin, but we cannot stand idly by, "Petkov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the Ukrainian military to turn its weapons against its own government. He reiterated false allegations that the Ukrainian authorities were "drug addicts" and "neo-Nazis".

"I once again addressed the soldiers of the Ukrainian army. Do not allow neo-Nazis to use your children, your wives, your elders as living shields. Take power in your hands. We will get along much better with you than with this bunch of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who took action in Kiev and took the entire Ukrainian people hostage, "Putin said in a speech after the Security Council meeting.

"I want to appreciate the action of the Russian soldiers and officers at the highest level. They act with great courage, professionalism and heroism, fulfilling their military duty, and defending our people and our homeland, "he added.

Putin used the theme of "denazification" of Ukraine to justify invading the country.

The Russian Federation is attacking Ukraine on several fronts. Heavy fighting is raging between the Russians and Ukrainian forces after Putin sent his army to attack from three directions. Several major cities were attacked with missiles, including Kiev, Kharkov, Mariupol and Odessa.

The president of the country, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced a general mobilization. "We are defending our country on our own this morning," Zelensky said in a statement on public television. The West has announced new harsh sanctions on Russia, condemning the attack on Ukraine. In Russia, thousands of people have been arrested after taking to the streets of major cities to protest the invasion of Ukraine.

Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is ready to defend Kiev along with the military and civilians. Asked by CNN what his intentions are in the event of an attack, the former Ukrainian leader showed reporters his weapon, a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

He said he was ready to defend the city at any cost, even if he did not have the military equipment to fight.

"Putin is crazy to come here and kill us," Poroshenko added.

The former president said that many people come to enlist to defend the capital, even if the weapons they have are few.

"It's exciting and it's clear evidence that the people of Ukraine hate Putin," he said.

Asked how long they would last, Poroshenko replied: "Forever. Putin will never conquer Ukraine, no matter how many soldiers, missiles and nuclear weapons he has. We are a free people with a great European future. "

At least eight people have been killed and at least nine injured in Russian bombings, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister said.

Video footage indicates that Russian missiles have hit population centers in major Ukrainian cities, despite claims by the Russian military that they are aimed only at military infrastructure. An adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry says Russian bombings across Ukraine have left one dead and one injured. In Mariupol, seven residential buildings caught fire, and a shell hit Kramatorsk airfield.

Russia's attack on Thursday morning could lead to a huge influx of refugees from Ukraine, a country of 44 million people, so preparations are being made in several Central European states to receive them.

"Reception points for Ukrainian refugees will be set up in the next few hours," Polish Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker told Agerpres.

Eight such points will be set up as a first step near the border with Ukraine to provide food, medical care and information to potential refugees, he said.

A spokesman for the Polish government said his country's diplomatic missions in Ukraine would remain open as long as possible, but the foreign ministry urged all Poles to leave the country. Hungary has also stated that its embassy in Kiev will remain open. Instead, the Czech Republic has closed the embassy, ​​but remains open in the consulate in Lviv, western Ukraine.

Hungary has said it will send troops to the border area with Ukraine - without saying how many there will be - for security and humanitarian purposes, but no troops were visible on Thursday morning.

Hungary must prepare to receive tens of thousands of refugees if necessary, but also for the possibility of soldiers involved in fighting to 'cross' the border, as happened during the war in Yugoslavia in 1999, it said on Wednesday evening. Defense Minister Tibor Benko.

Slovakian railways have suspended services to Ukraine, and the low-cost airline Wizz has stopped all flights to and from Ukraine. On Thursday morning, at the western borders of Ukraine, the traffic was found to have intensified slightly.

"We see a moderate increase in traffic at the border with Ukraine, we assume that it will intensify during the day," said an official from the Slovak Interior Ministry.

"Slovakia is ready to help, we could allow access to people who do not have all the necessary documents," he added.

For his part, Ukrainian Ambassador to Prague Perebyjnis Yevhen told a news conference that he could not "rule out some waves of refugees."

"But they will be in the western part of Ukraine rather than abroad," he said.

About 260,000 Ukrainians live in the Czech Republic, and tens of thousands work in Hungary, which has a large minority of about 140,000 people just beyond the common border.

In Bulgaria, President Rumen Radev said authorities were ready to evacuate more than 4,000 ethnic Bulgarians from Ukraine by land and were ready to house other Ukrainian refugees. Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said Bulgaria would prepare hotels and other tourist facilities for the purpose.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a "special operation" in Ukraine on Thursday morning, around 05:30 Moscow time. Soon, strong explosions began to resonate in several cities in Ukraine. A powerful explosion was reported near the barracks of a mechanized brigade in Odessa, two powerful explosions - in Kiev. Explosions were also reported in Kramatorsk, Nikolaev and Berdyansk.

Russia's Security Council voted on Monday (February 21st) to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin signed decrees for the independence of the two regions and sent Russian troops to parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. to ensure the maintenance of peace. The West condemned Russia's decision and said it would impose sanctions. Ukraine has called for the immediate convening of the UN Security Council.

A state of siege is introduced in Kiev and the Cherkasy region. In Kiev, it will be introduced from 22:00 to 07:00. During this period, public transport will not operate, but subway stations will be open 24 hours a day as shelters. People need to have documents with them. In the Cherkasy region, the siege will take effect between 22:00 and 6:00. During this time, traffic on the street and in other public places without special permits and certificates will be banned, which will be issued only to the employees of the enterprises, institutions and organizations that direct the activities of the region.

Russian actors, singers, TV presenters and bloggers have sent messages of solidarity in the current war situation caused by the Russian Federation's attack on Ukraine. They have called on the Kremlin authorities to stop hostilities in the country. Several Russian celebrities such as Ivan Urgant, Maxim Galkin and Ksenia Sobchak have spoken out on social media against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called for an end to hostilities. They posted completely black images with the hashtag #NOWAR.

Belarus, a Russian ally that borders Ukraine to the north, allows tens of thousands of Russian soldiers to cross its border into Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian government.

Lukashenko recently said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had called him to inform him of his military operation against Ukraine. He said Belarus' own national forces were "not taking part in the operation".

An emergency summit of the European Union will soon take place to decide on new sanctions against Moscow.

Russia, which has started the war against Ukraine, has announced its readiness to begin negotiations with Kiev on Ukraine's neutral status (not to join NATO) and its refusal to introduce nuclear weapons into its territory. The announcement was made by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov.

Asked if Russia is now ready to talk to Ukraine's leadership on the issue, Peskov said, "If Ukraine's leadership is ready to talk about it."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin, but he did not answer the phone.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying announced in a press conference that his country will start importing wheat from Russia today, as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed when they met before the Games. Olympic Games since the beginning of the month.

In addition, the Chinese official refused to condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine on Thursday, saying instead that "respect for territorial sovereignty" was needed, but also that the US "fuels tensions and only the US can put out the flames." In fact, prior to this statement, the same spokesman stated: "Did the US think about the consequences when they put a country as big as Russia on the wall?"

Journalists in the international press point out that during the 90-minute conference, Chunying avoided answering 11 questions about the situation in Ukraine. In addition, journalists repeatedly insisted and asked if Beijing considered Russia's action an invasion, and the Chinese official finally replied, "Why are you obsessed with this question?"

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference that "peace on our continent has been shaken," and that "Russia is using force to try to rewrite history."

"I convened a virtual summit of NATO leaders tomorrow. This is the new normal for our security: peace cannot be taken for granted. Strategic competition is on the rise. We will deploy additional ground and air defense forces in eastern NATO, as well as naval forces. We have increased the level of training of our forces, in order to be able to face all the scenarios ", it is shown in the communiqué of the North Atlantic Alliance.

#StandwithUkraine

 

Anti-war protests in several cities around the world and Russia. In Russia, the authorities are threatening people

 

Actions in support of Ukraine are taking place all over the world. In Berlin, people took to the streets the Ukrainian flag and placards with the words: "Stop the Russian invasion!", "Stop the crime!". Such actions have also taken place in Barcelona, ​​Paris, London, Sydney, Lithuania, Prague, Istanbul, Tokyo and other cities around the world.

 

Protests have been taking place in various countries around the world since the first hours since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine against the war and in support of Ukraine.

 

On Thursday, February 24, solidarity actions were held with Ukraine in Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona, ​​Paris, London, Sydney, Lithuania, Prague, Istanbul, Tokyo and other cities around the world.

 

A Belarusian and Russian citizen, musician Timothy Suladze, burned his Russian passport in front of the embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, Deutsche Welle reports.

 

Anti-war protests in several cities around the world

 

1.Georgia

 

 

Dozens of Russian citizens from cities such as Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg took to the streets to protest the war in Ukraine. Protesters chanted "No to war!" Russian activists on Navalny's team's Instagram channel announce dozens of arrests.

 

Russia later announced its readiness to begin negotiations with Kiev on Ukraine's neutral status (not to join NATO) and its refusal to introduce nuclear weapons into its territory. The announcement was made by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov.

 

Hundreds of Russian protesters gathered in the cities of Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Tyumen in anti-war demonstrations after President Vladimir Putin announced the start of an invasion of Ukraine this morning.

 

2.Germany

 

 

 

Russia's Committee of Inquiry has urged citizens to avoid participating in anti-war protests. Authorities warn that "in connection with the spread of calls to participate in riots and rallies related to the tense situation of foreign policy", there will be "negative legal consequences of their actions, which include prosecution and even criminal liability."

 

Similar events took place in Europe. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waving Ukrainian flags and demanding stricter sanctions, along with broader actions by the British government in response to Russia's military action. Demonstrations are also taking place in Berlin, Madrid and Paris.

 

3.Russia

 

 

 

Hundreds of Russian protesters gathered in the cities of Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Tyumen in anti-war demonstrations after President Vladimir Putin announced the start of an invasion of Ukraine this morning.

 

Similar events took place in Europe. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, waving Ukrainian flags and demanding stricter sanctions, along with broader actions by the British government in response to Russia's military action. Demonstrations are also taking place in Berlin, Madrid and Paris.

 

4.France

 

 

5.Czech Republic

 

 

 

6.Germany

 

 

7.Ukraine

 

 

 

8.Canada

 

 

 

9.Germany

 

 

 

10.Poland

 

 

With Putin's threats on nuclear weapons, people have begun to worry and turn to Google for answers to questions about human safety and the damage that can be caused by a nuclear weapon. Bemorepanda has collected the 20 most frequently asked questions on Google in the last few days.

 

A nuclear bomb is an explosive weapon that uses nuclear reactions, either by nuclear fission or by fusion. These weapons can release huge amounts of energy, causing widespread destruction and death from a small amount of matter.

 

Nuclear weapons were first developed and used during World War II. J. Robert Oppenheimer led a scientific team that developed the first nuclear weapons. These weapons are extremely destructive and a bomb has the potential to kill millions of people and destroy the entire city.

 

Weapons work by releasing energy stored in the nuclei of atoms; large amounts of energy can be released from a relatively small amount of matter. There are two types of nuclear weapons: fission and thermonuclear. Fission bombs release energy through fission reactions when heavy nuclei are split into lighter nuclei, releasing energy. Thermonuclear bombs (also known as hydrogen bombs or H-Bombs) use both fission and fusion reactions. Fission reactions are used to trigger fusion reactions. A fusion reaction is when two light nuclei are combined to form a heavier nucleus. Most modern thermonuclear weapons use a reaction between two isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium and tritium. Most modern weapons are thermonuclear because they are more effective.

 

Top 20 questions about Nuclear Weapons

 

 

To date, two nuclear weapons have been used by the United States during the war. Towards the end of World War II, two bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed 120,000 people, mostly civilians. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima, with an explosive impact of 15,000 tons of TNT, which destroyed 70% of the city's buildings. Ninety percent of the people at a distance of 500 meters from the explosion died of severe burns or high doses of radiation within three weeks. Those who survived the attack were more likely to have cancer than those who were not in town. The use of these bombs led to the end of World War II, but their use is still debated.

 

Countries that have nuclear weapons have them mainly as a deterrent. Having only nuclear weapons and threatening to use them is considered sufficient to prevent a country from attacking. There are currently nine countries considered to have nuclear weapons, with Russia and the United States having the majority of weapons. Many countries and international organizations, such as the United Nations, are calling for a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons or even complete international disarmament.

 

The hydrogen bomb is by far the most important weapon of mass destruction that man has ever invented. It is the most powerful type of nuclear weapon, even 2,000 times more powerful than the bombs detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

The difference between a regular atomic bomb and a hydrogen bomb is the type of reaction. Type A atomic bombs release energy accumulated through the fission process (spontaneous or induced phenomenon of cleavage of a heavy atomic nucleus in several products with very high kinetic masses), while hydrogen bombs act by fusing the nuclei of tritium and deuterium. is, according to the explanatory dictionary, a nuclear reaction of merging two light nuclei to form a heavier nucleus).

 

 

1. How many nuclear bomb does Russia have?

 

Russia has the largest known nuclear arsenal in the world, with over 6,200 total weapons— roughly 1,458 strategic warheads on 527 ballistic missiles; 4,500 other warheads; and another 1,750 awaiting decommissioning.

 

2. Does Russia have a nuclear bomb?

 

The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, more than any other country. Of these, 1,588 are deployed and ready for use. Its missiles can be fired from land, by submarines and by airplanes.

 

3. How many nukes does Russia have in 2022?

4,477 nuclear warheads

 

Hans M Kristensen and Matt Korda, writing for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stated: "As of early 2022, we estimate that Russia has a stockpile of approximately 4,477 nuclear warheads assigned for use by long-range strategic launchers and shorter-range tactical nuclear forces.

 

4. Who has the largest nuclear arsenal?

Russia

 

Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other nation on Earth, according to Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists. "We estimate that they have about 4,500 or so nuclear warheads in their military stockpile," he says.

 

5. Can Russia's nuclear weapons reach the United States?

 

New START limits all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, including every Russian nuclear warhead that is loaded onto an intercontinental-range ballistic missile that can reach the United States in approximately 30 minutes.

 

6. Who gave the atomic bomb to Russia?

Klaus Fuchs

 

Klaus Fuchs, Physicist Who Gave Atomic Secrets to the Soviet, Dies at 76.

 

7. How many nuclear weapons does the US and Russia have?

 

The exact number of nuclear warheads is a state secret and is therefore a matter of guesswork. As of 2022, the Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia possesses 5,977 nuclear weapons, while the United States has 5,428; Russia and the U.S. each have about 1,600 active deployed strategic nuclear warheads.

 

8. How many nuclear weapons does the US have?

5,550 nuclear weapons

 

The United States follows with 5,550 nuclear weapons in total, of which 1,389 are active, 2,361 are available, and 1,800 are retired.

 

9. Which countries have nuclear weapons in 2022?

Countries With Nuclear Weapons 2022

 

Russia - 6,255 nuclear warheads.

United States of America - 5,550 nuclear warheads.

China - 350 nuclear warheads.

France - 290 nuclear warheads.

United Kingdom - 225 nuclear warheads.

Pakistan - 165 nuclear warheads.

India - 156 nuclear warheads.

Israel - 90 nuclear warheads.

 

10. Can nuclear weapons be destroyed?

 

The only way to completely eliminate nuclear risks is to eliminate nuclear weapons from the planet. Roughly 9,000 nuclear weapons are hidden away in bunkers and missile siloes, stored in warehouses, at airfields and naval bases, and carried by dozens of submarines across the world.

 

11. Who has the largest nuclear weapon?

Russia

 

Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, but they are far from the only country with such deadly weapons at their command. Currently, the total number of global nuclear weapons is believed to be around 13,000.

 

12. Who has the best missiles in the world?

 

The DF-41 is currently the most powerful Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), developed in China. It is one of the deadliest ICBMs in the world. It is based on an 8-axle launcher vehicle and is similar in concept to Russian road-mobile ICBMs such as Topol-M and Yars.

 

13. Would a nuclear war destroy the world?

 

Such an attack would almost certainly destroy the entire economic, social, and military infrastructure of the target nation, and would probably have a devastating effect on Earth's biosphere.

 

14. Is Ukraine a nuclear weapon?

 

Kazakhstan has since acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ukraine has acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ukraine inherited "as many as 3,000" nuclear weapons when it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, making its nuclear arsenal the third-largest in the world.

 

15. What defense does the US have against nuclear weapons?

Ground-based Midcourse Defense

 

Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) is the only system currently deployed to defend the continental U.S., with 44 interceptors based in Alaska and California.

 

16. How did the Russians get nuclear technology?

 

The Soviets started experimenting with nuclear technology in 1943, and first tested a nuclear weapon in August 1949. Many of the fission-based devices left behind radioactive isotopes which have contaminated air, water and soil in the areas immediately surrounding, downwind and downstream of the blast site.

 

17. What cities would be nuked first?

 

Dr. Redlener identified six cities that have the greatest likelihood of being attacked: New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston.

 

18. Which country has the best defense system?

 

1) United States. Despite sequestration and other spending cuts, the United States spends more money — $601 billion — on defense than the next nine countries on Credit Suisse's index combined.

 

19. Can a nuclear war be won?

 

A weapon that can lead to self-destruction is not a weapon that can be used strategically. US President Reagan put it in clear words at the height of the Cold War: “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used.

 

20. How powerful is a nuclear bomb?

 

Drozdenko said US nukes generally had explosive yields equivalent to about 300 kilotons of TNT, while Russian nukes tended to range from 50 to 100 kilotons to 500 to 800 kilotons, though each country has more powerful nuclear weapons.