On Wednesday, Russia promised to take strong retaliatory action against the package of sanctions imposed by the United States (US) over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to officially recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia’s response comes against the backdrop of its apparent invasion of Ukraine, whereby it has already begun attacking Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv and the Black Sea city of Odessa
In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry vowed to take action against all 101 US-imposed sanctions on the country’s financial sector and prominent citizens. Russia said its response will not be “symmetrical” to that of the US, but ensured that it will deal damage and target “sensitive” assets. Moscow said it will not bow down to Washington’s “blackmail, intimidation, and threats,” noting that it has been facing American sanctions for years now. Nevertheless, the Kremlin mentioned that it is open to diplomacy only on the basis of “mutual respect, equality, and taking each other’s interests into consideration.”
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden welcomed Germany’s decision to halt the certification of Russia’s flagship gas pipeline to Europe, the Nord Stream 2. He also announced further sanctions on Russia, this time on the pipeline’s CEO, Matthias Warnig, and the company’s other corporate officers.
On Tuesday, Putin secured the approval of lawmakers to use Russia’s military force outside the country, after having already mobilised “peacekeeping” forces to Donetsk and Luhansk.
The step came after rebel leaders from the two separatist regions wrote a letter to Putin asking Russia to step in amid increased aggression from Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Leonid Pasechnik from the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) and Denis Pushilin from the Donetsk People’s Republic told Putin that Kyiv’s aggression has prompted widespread destruction of critical infrastructure such as houses, schools, and hospitals. They said Ukraine’s military offensive, supported by the US, is killing innocent civilians. “The Kyiv regime is determined to resolve the conflict by force,” Pasechnik and Pushilin added. The request from the two Russia-backed leaders comes days after Putin’s unilateral recognition of the sovereignty of their territories.
Separately, LNR Militia spokesman Ivan Filiponenko confirmed that the separatists in Luhansk have launched an artillery attack on the Ukrainian armed forces in an effort to “liberate” the breakaway territory. Filiponenko urged them to surrender their weapons and leave their positions, saying, “This is the only way they can obtain a decent life in a free country.”