Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stern warning to its allies in the West, saying anyone who interferes in the ongoing Russian military’s operation in Ukraine will face greater consequences.
Gatekeepers News reports that Putin has announced that Russia was launching a military attack on Ukraine and several explosions have been heard in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
In a television broadcast on Thursday morning, the Russian leader said: “To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside – if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history.”
Putin’s address comes after the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday night.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, had urged Putin to stop his tanks.
“If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,’ said Guterres.
“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.”
Putin however ignored the plea. During his address on TV, he described the invasion as a ‘special military occupation’ and said he wants to ‘demilitarize’ and ‘de-Nazify’, not occupy, the country.
He told Ukrainian service members to ‘lay down their arms and go home,’ saying Russia could not exist with a ‘constant threat emanating from the territory of Ukraine’ and clashes between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers was ‘inevitable.’
