Putin thanks Russian special forces for their 'heroic' duty in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin

As Russian's military exercise on Ukraine is going on, President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian special forces heroically fulfilled their military duty in Ukraine, in a televised address.

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday thanked Russia's special forces, singling out those who are ‘heroically fulfilling their military duty’ in Ukraine, in a televised address that was also published on the Kremlin website, news agency Reuters reported.

As Russian's military exercise on Ukraine is going on, huge explosions lit up the sky early Sunday near the capital, Kyiv, where terrified residents hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale Russian assault.

Russia attacked Ukrainian oil and gas facilities, sparking huge explosions, and some Russian forces entered the second city Kharkiv. A blast was heard after an air raid siren in the capital Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were resisting a Russian advance.

The Western allies are preparing to slap new sanctions, including banishing key Russia banks from the main global payments system. Russia has been facing immense criticism, especially from the western countries over the recent actions.

Putin hasn’t disclosed his ultimate plans, but Western officials believe he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (February 21) had recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Later, Putin ordered special military operations "to protect" the people in the Donbas region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s health minister reported Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded during Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II. It was unclear whether those figures included both military and civilian casualties.

Sources: Reuters and AP