Due to the cancellation of flights between the United States and Kiev, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba was unable to return after negotiations in the United States. It is located in one of the European cities. Information about this came from the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
“I can, for example, say that my minister could not get to Ukraine. He flew from Washington and New York, where he took part in various meetings and a meeting of the UN Security Council, but could not get to Ukraine, ”the Ukrainian ambassador said on the air of the TV channel sky news.
Kuleba is forced to get to Kiev by land transport.
Earlier on the same day, S7 Airlines announced the cancellation of flights due to the aggravation of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Then in Rosaviatsia announced the shutdown of 12 airports in southern Russia. The airspace closure goes along the western border with Ukraine and Belarus at all altitudes. More than 100 flights were delayed or canceled at Moscow airports.
As the media reported on February 24, the Rostov air zone will be closed until March 2.
According to the publication NOTAM, the Russian aviation authorities announced the closure of the country’s airspace on the western border with Ukraine and Belarus from February 24 for civilian aircraft. It was reported that the closure of the airspace goes along the indicated section of the border at all altitudes. The ban does not apply to state aviation aircraft.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that, in response to an appeal from the leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), he had decided to conduct a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
After that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and introduced martial law throughout the country. By order of Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) will meet on February 24.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said that the army did not carry out air missile or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine. They stressed that nothing threatens the civilian population of the country. High-precision weapons destroy military infrastructure: military airfields, aviation, air defense facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On February 21, the heads of the DPR and LPR, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, asked Putin to recognize the independence of the republics. The corresponding decrees were signed in the evening of the same day. In the presence of the leaders of the republics, the President of the Russian Federation also signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and assistance.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been carrying out a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the conflict.
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