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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Donbass-Update-Ukraine-Seeks-to-Return-to-The-Peace-Path-20220224-0004.html">telesurenglish.net</a>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Donbass Update: Ukraine Seeks to Return to 'The Peace Path'</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">teleSUR/ February 24, 2022<br></div>
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<p>On Thursday, the
Russian army and militias from the Donetsk and Lugansk republics are
carrying out operations to expel the Ukrainian forces from the Dombass.
Below are the most recent developments in this conflict.</p>
<p><strong>Romania intercepts Ukrainian fighter and forces it to land. </strong>The
Romanian defense ministry reported that two of its two F-16 fighters
intercepted a Ukrainian military plane that was making an unauthorized
flight in the northern part of Romania.</p>
<p>The interception was
carried out peacefully and following international protocols. The
Ukrainian plane was escorted to the Bacau 5 Air Base, where the
Ukrainian military pilot turned himself in to the Romanian authorities.</p>
<p>"There will be no war
on the land of Romania," Defense Minister Vasili Denko said, calling on
the warring parties to resume diplomatic negotiations.</p>
<p><strong>Ukraine seeks to return to “the path of peace.” </strong>Although
President Volodymyr Zelensky did not acknowledge his contribution to
the ongoing crisis, he hinted that his country would be ready to abandon
its warlike intentions in the Donbass region.</p>
<p>"It was not Ukraine
that started the war, but it is Ukraine that proposes to return to the
path of peace," he said, as reported by Sputnik.</p>
<p><strong>The United States sends warplanes to Lithuania.</strong>
On Thursday, in the midst of the conflict unleashed in the Donbass
region, US F-35 military planes landed in Siauliai, where the United
States has concentrated the 3-66 heavy armored battalion.</p>
<p><strong>Facebook shuts down the page of RIA Novosti. </strong>Alleging
the spread of "false information," the U.S. company Facebook suspended
the account of the news agency RIA Novosti for three months.</p>
<p>"We consider this to
be another blatant violation of the freedom of speech by the American
social network," the Russian agency said and announced that it would ask
its country's authorities for support to resume its presence on
Facebook.</p>
<p><strong>The Ukrainian military infrastructure continues to weaken (13:32 GMT).</strong>
Russia reported that its Armed Forces managed to disable 74 Ukrainian
military facilities, including 11 airfields, 3 command posts, and 18
S-300 and Buk-M1 air defense radar stations. Russian forces also shot
down a combat helicopter and 4 Bayraktar TB2 drones.</p>
<p><strong>Ukrainian soldiers join the fight of the Donest People's Republic (DPR).</strong>
Fifteen servicemen of the Ukrainian Army's 57th Mechanized Infantry
Unit ignored their superiors, laid down their weapons, and joined
separatist militias, according to the People's Militia of the DPR.</p>
<p><strong>The popular militias continue their advance</strong>. Currently,
the Donetsk and Lugansk militias are carrying out a successful
counteroffensive to repel Ukrainian aggression. In an attempt to contain
their advance, the Ukrainian military command ordered its troops to
fight along the entire front line. It also decreed a "state of aerial
threat" in Kiev. So far, the Russian Armed Forces have disabled 74
facilities of Ukraine's military infrastructure.</p>
<p><strong>The Czechs restrict their diplomatic relations with Russia.</strong> The
Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr FIala announced that his country
will close two Russian consulates located on his territory and withdraw
the Czech consulates in the cities of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
The Czech authorities will suspend the issuance of visas to Russian
citizens.</p>
<p><strong>NATO to step up presence in eastern part of alliance, not inside Ukraine.</strong> On
Thursday, NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the
members of his organization agreed to further beef up its forces on its
eastern flank near Ukraine but it has no intention of sending troops
into Ukraine.</p>
<p>NATO did not have
combat troops inside Ukraine and it "had no intention of deploying NATO
troops to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said and called on Russia to immediately
withdraw its forces from Ukraine.</p>
<p><strong>Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with Russia. </strong>Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev decides to sever diplomatic
relations with Moscow after Russia launched military operations in
Donbass.</p>
<p>"Ukraine is defending
itself," Zelensky said, adding that over 40 Ukrainian soldiers and
around 10 civilians were killed in the conflict.</p>
<p>The Ukrainian
president announced that his administration will deliver weapons to all
his compatriots who are ready to fight. During his speech, he called on
Russian citizens to reject the government of President Vladimir Putin
and protest against the war.</p>
<p>Earlier Thursday,
Putin authorized the "special military operation," and Ukraine confirmed
that military installations across the country were under attack.</p>
<p><strong>The tweet reads, "The Ukrainian Armed Forces' Special
Operations Center, near Kiev, was filmed in flames on Thursday (24).
This happens as Russia carries out a military operation in Donbass and
uses high-precision weapons against Ukrainian targets."</strong></p>
<p><strong>Donetsk and Lugansk Militias execute counteroffensive. </strong>With
the support of the Russian army, the militias of the Donetsk and
Lugansk republics are performing a counteroffensive to repel the
Ukrainian aggression in their territories.</p>
<p>"They broke through
the first echelon line of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,"
Russian Defense Minister spokesperson Gen. Igor Konashenkov said,
warning that the Ukrainian Security Service is carrying out
disinformation operations through social networks.</p>
<p>"Movies of alleged
'mass casualties' among the civilian population were staged in Ukrainian
cities... Their aim is to accuse Russia of indiscriminate and
disproportionate attacks so as to intimidate the civilian population."</p>
<p>Konashenkov emphasized
that the Russian army is not attacking Ukrainian cities or threatening
the civilian population. Ukrainian forces, however, continue to carry
out attacks on Donbass cities and cause civilian casualties.</p>
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