Blinken says Russia will start 'invasion' of Ukraine by Thursday morning

US Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenWASHINGTON Feb 24US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that before Thursday morning, Russian troops would begin an invasion of Ukraine. full-scale invasion» into a neighboring country. «Yes, there is. Unfortunately, Russia has put its troops on extreme alert along the entire border with Ukraine — from the north, from the east and from the south,» the US Secretary of State said. At the same time, it is not clear from his answer to journalists whether the official meant the introduction of troops into the LNR and DNR or into the territories controlled by Kiev. Following this, the journalist asked Blinken to clarify when exactly, in his opinion, the «Russian invasion» would take place. «I cannot give you a specific date or time, but everything is ready for Russia to launch its offensive,” the US Secretary of State noted. At the same time, the head of American diplomacy expressed confidence that a major armed conflict in Ukraine is still possible to avoid. “I believe that there is still an opportunity to avoid large-scale aggression,» Blinken added. The situation in the Donbass has escalated in recent days, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics have reported a lot of shelling by the Ukrainian security forces. The leadership of the DPR and LPR announced the temporary evacuation of citizens to the Rostov region in connection with the threat of Ukraine's invasion. First of all, the evacuation concerns women, children and the elderly. The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky may soon order the military to go on the offensive, to implement a plan to invade the DPR and LPR. On Saturday, February 19, the leaders of the DPR and LPR signed decrees on general mobilization, and then turned to Russia with a request to recognize the independence of the republics. On Monday, after the Security Council meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation and stated that he considers it necessary to immediately recognize the sovereignty of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. He noted that the world prefers not to notice the horror and genocide in the Donbass, not a single day goes by without shelling, the killings of civilians and the blockade do not stop. As the President stated, in case of further bloodshed in the Donbass, the entire responsibility will be on the Kiev regime. Immediately after the appeal, the president in the Kremlin signed decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR. In his decrees, Putin instructed to ensure the maintenance of peace in the DPR and LPR by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. jpg» />Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security CouncilPosted by: Maxim Gorbachev