In a pre-recorded statement released at 12:30 PM today, the Prime Minister today insisted that the UK “cannot and will not just look away” as Russia has invaded Ukraine. Promising further measures in concert with allies, the Boris Johnson declared Russia’s aggression “not just an attack on Ukraine, it’s an attack on democracy and freedom in Eastern Europe and around the world.”
What has happened in Ukraine?
Early this morning, President Putin announced a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine in a televised speech to the Russian people, however this was characterised by Boris Johnson as a “vast invasion by land, by sea and by air” with no provocation.
The impact on the ground in Ukraine is already severe, with martial law declared today. Missile strikes and explosions have been reported near major cities and on military infrastructure, with reports of bombings on civilian areas. While not yet independently verified, Ukraine has said that Russian forces have killed 40 soldiers and 18 civilians thus far.
Emergency sirens have been sounding around Kyiv since the early hours of the morning, with large traffic jams building up around as people attempt to flee the city after Ukraine closed its airspace. European countries bordering Ukraine are preparing for a new refugee crisis in Europe.
What will the UK do?
Following Russia’s incursion into Luhansk and Donetsk on Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s first set of sanctions against the Russian regime, which included restrictions on five Russian banks and three Russian oligarchs. This was criticised at the time by many, including Keir Starmer, as not having gone far enough.
In his announcement today, Boris Johnson said that the UK and its allies will go further, launching a “massive package” of sanctions to “hobble” the economy of Russia. These new measures will be announced by the Prime Minister in the Commons at 5pm today.
Final Thought
Notably absent from Boris Johnson’s address today was a warning of what these sanctions will mean for the British people. The sanctions that will be unveiled today will almost inevitably deepen an growing cost of living crisis, as well as add to worries around fuel prices. The PM quite simply did not allude to this, and it is a degree of honesty that he owes to the British public.
As many have already said, today is indeed a very dark day for Europe. Putin’s actions have returned war to a continent that has been largely peaceful since the end of World War II, and will devastate an entirely innocent population, likely leading to the deaths of thousands.
But to be clear, this is a no-win situation for all, including the Russian people. It is Russian parents whose children will die in a military operation declared by an erratic strongman, and, while allied nations will seek to target the assets and interests of Russian elites, history (and particularly Iran) tells us that it is poor and middle-class Russian civilians who will pay the heaviest costs of the sanctions that will soon be imposed on the Russian regime.
However, quite simply, these are costs that must be borne. As leaders around the world have insisted, it is essential that Putin fails in his endeavours. If he succeeds, it could mark the end of a post-cold war liberal international order, in which diplomacy has largely reigned supreme. It will signal a new era in which unprovoked aggression from dictatorial powers reward them with new land and new resources.