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War on Wednesday? Ukraine declares ‘day of unity’
Ukrainian President Zelensky says he has been informed that Russia will attack on Wednesday, February 16
The President’s office says Zelensky’s statement that Wednesday will be ‘day of attack’ was said with irony.
Ukrainian officials told reporters in Kyiv that Zelensky was not being literal about an attack on Wednesday.
This comes as Ukraine’s president declares that Wednesday will be a ‘unity day’ in response to an expected Russian attack
There was an 8 minute video accompanying the bold facebook post, where he urged state officials, politicians, and business leaders who had left the country to return to show support amid fears of the invasion.
Zelensky tends to play down suggestions that an attack could happen soon and did not say who had suggested the date of February 16
The comments from the Ukrainian leader was posted on Facebook, heightening tensions between Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.
Officials from Ukraine, Russia and NATO nations have engaged in diplomatic discussions for weeks, but the conversations did not bear any breakthroughs.
Moscow has continually denied having any such plans, with the west hoping Russia would choose diplomacy over invasion.
Zelensky wrote in a statement on Facebook that Ukraine will hold a Day of Unity on Wednesday.
He said, “We are told that February 16 will be the day of the attack,” according to a Facebook translation of his comments.
“We are intimidated by a great war and once again set the date of the military invasion. This is not the first time. But our state is stronger today than ever.”
President Biden spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, and warned that “swift and severe costs” would follow if Moscow invaded Ukraine.
A further eight American F-15 fighter jets have touched down in Poland, all joining NATO’s coordinated air policing mission but US says it does not believe Russia’s Putin has made ‘final decision’ on whether to invade Ukraine.