Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, local time.
Putin said in an emergency televised address that the military operation is intended to protect civilians and to demilitarize Ukraine, and is a response to threats coming from Ukraine.
He said that Russia doesn’t plan to occupy Ukraine and said that the Ukrainian military should “immediately lay down its arms.”
Putin also said that any foreign attempt to interfere with Russia’s action will trigger an immediate reaction from Russia, and will lead to “consequences they have not seen before.”
Shortly after Putin’s address, explosions were reported in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as well as in other cities, including Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Odesa.
Putin’s announcement comes after he announced Monday that Russia recognizes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, and signed a decree to authorize the Russian Defense Ministry to send troops into the area for “peacekeeping operations.”
President Joe Biden late Wednesday local time issued a statement saying that Putin “has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.”
“The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” Biden said. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”
Biden said he will monitor the situation from the White House in the evening and get regular updates from the national security team.
“Tomorrow, I will meet with my G7 counterparts in the morning and then speak to the American people to announce the further consequences the United States and our Allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security,” Biden said. “We will also coordinate with our NATO Allies to ensure a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance. Tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of Ukraine.”
Former President Donald Trump called into Fox News, telling host Laura Ingraham, “This should have never happened. It would have never happened under my administration. … It’s a very sad thing for the world, for the country, and it’s certainly very sad for a lot of people who are going to be needlessly killed.”
Following Putin’s declaration, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement, “Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression.”
“The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement Thursday: “I strongly condemn Russia’s reckless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which puts at risk countless civilian lives. Once again, despite our repeated warnings and tireless efforts to engage in diplomacy, Russia has chosen the path of aggression against a sovereign and independent country.”
He called the situation “a grave breach of international law, and a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security.”
“I call on Russia to cease its military action immediately and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO Allies will meet to address the consequences of Russia’s aggressive actions. We stand with the people of Ukraine at this terrible time. NATO will do all it takes to protect and defend all Allies.”
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
God, who knows history in advance, provided through the Bible a description of what the world would be like in the time prior to Jesus Christ’s second coming to the earth.
“Increased geopolitical unrest within the world, including ‘wars and rumors of wars,’ is among the signs emphasized, by Jesus, as a sign of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3-8),” Harbingers Daily Reporter Brandon Beckham recently explained.
Matthew 24:3-4, 6 KJV – “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them… ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars…”
Furthermore, the calls for “peace and security” amid the escalation in Ukraine is strikingly reminiscent of what we read in first Thessalonians chapter five:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 KJV – “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety [security]; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
As the world witnesses Bible Prophecy begin to unfold, Beckham underscored the importance of not putting off making a decision for Christ.
“As we witness, among other things, increasing geopolitical unrest in the world, it is important to heed the words of the Apostle Paul, as written in 2 Corinthians 6:2, ‘now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,’” Beckham wrote. “If you don’t know Jesus Christ, now is the time to come to experience the assurance of salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ – including forgiveness of sin, salvation, the hope of heaven.”
