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The situations in Ukraine are getting tense day by day. Things escalated quickly after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences you have never seen." As Putin spoke before dawn, big explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and other cities across Ukraine.
There have also been reports on social media of explosions in Ukraine's Kharkiv in the north-east, Odesa in the south, and the eastern Donetsk Oblast area. Reports also said that Putin has urged the Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine to lay down weapons and return to their homes.
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As the news spread, netizens took to Twitter to react to the news of the explosions. Twitterati did what they are best at - creating memes on everything under the sun. However, it didn't go down well with a section of Twitter users. Schooling trolls, netizens said, 'World War 3' is not a joke.
Here's how netizens schooled them.
In a televised address, Putin accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia's demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees. He said Russia doesn't intend to occupy Ukraine but will move to “demilitarise” it and bring those who committed crimes to justice.
After explosions were heard at Kyiv, US President Joe Biden in a written statement condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified attack” on Ukraine and he promised that the US and its allies “will hold Russia accountable”. Biden said he planned to speak to Americans on Thursday after a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders. More sanctions against Russia were expected to be announced Thursday.
A full-blown Russian invasion could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine's democratically elected government.
And the consequences of the conflict and resulting sanctions levied on Russia could reverberate throughout the world, affecting energy supplies in Europe, jolting global financial markets and threatening the post-Cold War balance on the continent.
As he unleashed the military action, Putin issued a stark warning to other countries not to meddle.
“I have a few words for those who could feel tempted to interfere with ongoing developments: whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never seen in history,” he said.
Putin urged Ukrainian servicemen to “immediately put down arms and go home”.
Putin announced the military operation after the Kremlin said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked Russia for military assistance to help fend off Ukrainian “aggression", an announcement that the White House said was a “false flag” operation by Moscow to offer up a pretext for an invasion.
--with agency inputs
