A Russian “peacekeeping force” was thereupon deployed to the two republics. Shortly after midnight, columns of Russian armored vehicles had already been seen by reporters in Donetsk, traveling north and west.
The deployment of what Russia called a peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine is “nonsense” and Moscow’s recognition of breakaway regions as independent is part of its pretext for war and a threat to every UN member state, the United States told a hastily convened UN Security Council early Tuesday.
The Israeli embassy relocated overnight from Kyiv the capital to Lvov in the west. Consular services were operating along with an urgent call on all Israelis to quit Ukraine without delay. A diplomatic official said three Ukrainian flights were scheduled to leave for Israel. Arrangements had been made with the governments of neighboring countries to receive Israeli evacuees and the roads out of Ukraine were still clear. READ MORE
