Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Putin Congratulates Russian Special Forces For Fulfilling Their 'Heroic' Duty In Ukraine

Massive explosions lit up the sky early Sunday in the capital, Kyiv, as scared locals hunkered down in houses, underground garages, and subway stations in expectation of a full-scale Russian attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: President Vladimir Putin congratulated Russia's special forces on Sunday, praising troops who are "heroically completing their military duty" in Ukraine in a televised message that was also released on the Kremlin website, according to a news agency Reuters.

Massive explosions lit up the sky early Sunday in the capital, Kyiv, as scared locals hunkered down in houses, underground garages, and subway stations in expectation of a full-scale Russian attack.

Russia assaulted Ukrainian oil and gas installations, causing massive explosions, and some Russian soldiers penetrated Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city.

 

VIDEO: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates members of special forces, saying they are fighting "heroically" in Ukraine pic.twitter.com/y3hF6yGlT6

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 27, 2022

After an air raid alarm, a bomb was reported in Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared Ukrainian soldiers were battling a Russian incursion.

Western allies are contemplating fresh penalties, including the exclusion of important Russian institutions from the primary global payment system. Russia has received widespread condemnation, particularly from Western countries, for its recent actions.

Putin has not revealed his final goals, but Western diplomats fear he is determined to destabilise Ukraine's government and replace it with his own administration, redrawing Europe's map and resurrecting Moscow's Cold War-era power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised Ukraine's separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as autonomous states on Monday, February 21, 2022. Later, Putin directed special military operations in the Donbas area "to safeguard" the population.

Meantime, Ukraine's health minister announced on Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been slain and over 1,000 others had been injured in Europe's worst land battle since World War II. It was unclear if the estimates accounted for both military and civilian losses.

(With Inputs From Agencies)