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A State Department spokesman said that other incidents on Friday, such as an evacuation and apparent bombing in separatist-held Ukrainian territory, were examples of attempts to obscure Russian aggression through âlies and disinformation.â
Putinâs Russia has been accused time and again of secretly carrying out acts that it blamed on others to justify previous military action in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine.
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Separatist leader mobilizes military reserves, raising fears of war
Return to menuThe head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peopleâs Republic, a breakaway territory in eastern Ukraine, said Saturday that he had signed a decree mobilizing military reserves.
âI appeal to all the men of the republic, who are able to hold weapons in their hands, to stand up for their families, children, wives, mothers,â Denis Pushilin said in a video address. âTogether we will achieve victory, we will protect the Donbas and all Russian people.â (Donbas is a contested region of eastern Ukraine where Kyiv government forces have been locked in a years-long conflict with Moscow-backed militants.)
Pushlinâs order, which he said was meant to counter âKyivâs aggression,â was the latest sign that Russia might soon invade Ukraine. Western officials have warned that the Kremlin could stage false-flag operations, including in Donbas, to justify an attack on Ukraine.
The rebel leader on Friday urged civilians in Donetsk to leave the territory for Russia. Also on Friday, a car exploded outside a government office, an act local officials characterized as sabotage. Kyiv has roundly denied that it is planning an offensive on Donetsk and President Biden said it âdefies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its borders, to escalate a year-long conflict.â
Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, Biden says, and will likely target its capital
Return to menuRussian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, President Biden said for the first time on Friday, as Ukrainian separatist authorities ordered a mass evacuation and the Westâs standoff with Russia entered a new, more dangerous stage.
Biden said the U.S. government, after weeks of speculation about Putinâs intentions, now had reason to believe the Russian leader had made the determination to attack the former Soviet state, and would probably target the capital, Kyiv.
âAs of this moment Iâm convinced heâs made the decision,â Biden said at the White House, speaking after the latest crisis consultation with NATO and European leaders. He cited the United Statesâ âsignificant intelligence capability.â
Wall Street extends losses as Russia-Ukraine conflict rattles market
Return to menuWall Streetâs sour mood dragged into another day Friday amid a maelstrom of uncertainty surrounding Russia and Ukraine, with the Dow sliding more than 200 points to wrap up another choppy week.
The blue-chip index registered its steepest loss of 2022 with Thursdayâs 622-point tumble as a potential Russian invasion had Western officials on high alert. Trading was somewhat calmer Friday, even as the United States and its allies stepped up warnings that Russia appeared ready to launch an invasion, and despite Moscowâs continued troop buildup and widespread shelling in eastern Ukraine.
âWhile weâre still being warned that a Russian invasion is highly likely, the meeting does offer hope that nothing will happen before then which is bringing some stability in the markets,â Craig Erlam, senior market analyst with OANDA, said Friday in comments emailed to The Washington Post. âWe could still see some risk aversion creeping in as we near the close, given how quickly these situations can change.â
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