KIEV.- On the fourth day of the dramatic escalation of tensions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by the major powers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered the Russian nuclear deterrent forces to go on high alert..
“I order the Defense Minister and the Chief of the General Staff to put the deterrent forces of the Russian army on special combat alert”Putin said in remarks that were broadcast on television.
This order given by the Russian president means that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is available for launch, a situation that revives an old fear from the Cold War that the invasion of Ukraine could turn into a nuclear war.
In addition, during his speech Putin referred to the economic and financial sanctions that the United States and the European Union established against Russian banks and businessmen: “Western countries are not only taking hostile measures against our country in the economic sphere, but senior officials from leading NATO members have made aggressive statements regarding our country.”
A Russian missile was launched from Belarus to the Zhytomyr airport, this Sunday around 5:00 p.m. The events were recorded by the security cameras of the place and were shared by the official Twitter account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In this context, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, confirmed the launch of Russian missiles against Ukraine from his country. He justified it as “a forced step” in the face of the threat posed by Ukrainian forces. The president explained that they were “two or three launches” made “from the south of the country, where Russian troops are deployed for military exercises.”
After the advances of Russian troops on Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraineand various ports, and a series of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities in other parts of the country, street fighting broke out involving the Ukrainian armed forces and civilians who were provided with weapons by the government of Volodymyr Zelensky
Separately, Ukrainian delegates will meet with Russian diplomats, the Ukrainian presidency said on Sunday, as Russian forces approach the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that missiles hit a radioactive waste disposal facility in Kiev. For now, No damage to the building was reported, nor was there any indication of a radioactive release. according to the general director of the agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi. Facility personnel were forced to shelter overnight, according to the official website of the IAEA.
The attack came a day after Ukraine’s nuclear regulator reported that a electrical transformer in another similar disposal facility, near the northeastern city of Kharkiv. In that case, there was no dangerous release either. These facilities usually contain disused radioactive sources and other low-level waste from hospitals and industries.
With information from AFP