New iron curtain falling on Russia – Ukraine’s president

The ongoing escalation in Ukraine will cut Moscow off from the whole “civilized world,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new video address on Thursday.

“What we hear today are not just rocket explosions and the roar of jets. This is the sound of a new iron curtain descending and cutting Russia off from the civilized world,” he said, adding that Kiev’s goal was to ensure the “iron curtain” does not fall on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military has been successfully resisting Russian forces who launched an operation in the country early Thursday morning, Zelensky claimed. At the same time, he urged Europe to help Kiev, warning the “war” might reach it as well, should Europeans fail to react.

Ukraine’s president also called on Russia's citizens to stage mass protests over the ongoing escalation, adding that a peaceful solution for it was still possible.

“Ukraine did not choose the path of war, but Ukraine proposes to return to the path of peace,” he said. 

Moscow launched a large-scale military operation in Ukraine early Thursday morning, striking military targets across the country. Russia's President Vladimir Putin said it was necessary to stop Kiev's attacks on the breakaway Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People's Republics. On Monday, Moscow formally recognized the republics, which broke away from Ukraine after the 2014 coup, as independent states.