The latest on the Ukraine-Russia crisis

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Jeevan Ravindran, Sana Noor Haq, Peter Wilkinson, Adrienne Vogt and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 3:50 a.m. ET, February 20, 2022
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7:43 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

Ukrainian women study crisis preparation and self-defense skills in Kyiv

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Kyiv

Victor Kraevskiy demonstrates basic self-defense moves during the hands-on training.
Victor Kraevskiy demonstrates basic self-defense moves during the hands-on training. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)

When Ukraine’s Women’s Guard put out an invitation for a survival and self-defense course, 700 women signed up. But the room at the Kyiv town hall where the training was scheduled to take place on Saturday could only hold up to 300 people, so more dates were added.

The women studied everything from how to pack an emergency bag, where to get necessary supplies and how to stop bleeding.

At one point, one of the instructors, Oleksandr Biletskiy, started talking about survival in a city that has been cut off from basic services, telling the attendees that now was the time to make plans with their neighbors.

“Decide how to divide tasks. Who will cook, who will take care of the elderly, who will be with the kids,” Biletskiy, a military expert, said.

Natalia Skryabina said attending the course helped her to understand the kind of mindset she’d need in a crisis.
Natalia Skryabina said attending the course helped her to understand the kind of mindset she’d need in a crisis. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)

He went into the importance of keeping good hygiene in field conditions: decide where the toilet will be, keep your trash in bags, and, in the worst case scenario, be prepared to bury the dead quickly. At one point, he said that in a crisis situation, burying people vertically can save space and time.

Natalia Skryabina, a 36-year-old animation artist, came to the training because she wanted to be prepared for a crisis situation, be it a natural disaster or a war.

“We can’t predict what happens on the other side. Here in Kyiv, we still feel like we’re very far away from it, but people in the east are talking differently, because they have already experienced it, they know anything can happen,” she said.

“Eight years ago, nobody expected that something like that could happen,” she said, referring to the war in the east and Russia’s decision to annex Crimea.

Around 240 women attended the survival training at Kyiv’s town hall on Saturday.
Around 240 women attended the survival training at Kyiv’s town hall on Saturday. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)

Skryabina said that after a friend told her about the course, she read notes made by people who had previously attended.

“But this taught me more about the way of thinking in crisis. How to be prepared and how to stay calm,” she said, adding that she was using the training to make sure she was prepared for any eventuality. “I am going to buy a fire extinguisher now,” she said.

During the hands-on self-defense training, two women practiced using their hands to avert a potential aggressor.

“Never make a fist. It doesn’t work, you’ll break your fingers, use your palms,” Victor Kraevskiy, one of the instructors, told the women assembled in the ornate hall.

Women attending the course look at items that might be useful in crisis situations.
Women attending the course look at items that might be useful in crisis situations. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)

Yulia Kesaieva contributed to this report.

7:28 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

“Peace in Europe can only be preserved if borders accepted as they are," says German Chancellor Scholz

From CNN's Inke Kappeler in Berlin and Manveena Suri in New Delhi

Peace in Europe can only be maintained if borders are accepted “as they are, if no one aims to change them,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a speech at the Munich Security Summit Saturday.

Scholz’s comments echoed similar sentiments made in earlier speeches by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

“We may not be naive, that is crucial. Therefore, we have to see what can be seen and not overlook it. The deployment of troops along the Ukrainian border is clear, as well on Russia's territory, as well as in Belarus and the forces pulled together at sea. All capacities for a military aggression against Ukraine are evident and that remains a fact.

“At the same time, it remains our task, may they be very small, to use doors leaving space to open for negotiations,” Scholz said, adding that “we want to engage but we want to negotiate on the basis of our principles.”

"Diplomacy will not fail because of us," he said. "As much diplomacy as necessary, that is the ambition.”

7:12 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

France says there is a risk of invasion in Ukraine, but no leader knows for sure

From CNN's Joseph Ataman in Paris

France says that no leader knows for sure whether Russia will invade Ukraine, but there is a risk, a source from France's presidential palace told journalists Friday.

“No leader said tonight that the invasion will or will not take place, we’re talking about risk,” the Élysée Palace source said, following a call between the leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland, Romania, NATO and the European Union.

“We’re not in the head of President Putin,” the source continued. 

France's remarks came shortly after US President Joe Biden on Friday said he is now convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade Ukraine, but emphasized that room for diplomacy remains.

The Élysée Palace source also rebuffed claims from Russia accusing Ukraine of genocide in the Donbas region, remarking: "There is no Ukrainian attack against the Donbas.”

The source said the threat by France and its allies to impose “massive sanctions” on Russia in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine referred only to an incursion into the areas under the control of the Kyiv administration.

Whether and what form of sanctions would be imposed for an incursion into disputed regions in eastern Ukraine already controlled by Russian backed separatists is not clear.

The leaders on the call agreed on the need to keep the "channels of dialogue with Moscow open," sharing a collective belief that they still have “the possibility to dissuade Vladimir Putin from proceeding,” the source said.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday and Putin Sunday as part of his efforts to “try everything to stop the worst from happening,” the source said. 

7:18 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

US Defense Secretary says it's apparent Russia has made a decision and is moving into position to conduct an attack

From CNN's Ross Levitt and Karen Smith

From left: US Secretary for Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Estonia's Minister of Defense Kalle Laanet, Latvia's Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks, and Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis, pose for photographers during a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Vilnius, Lithuania, on February 19.
From left: US Secretary for Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Estonia's Minister of Defense Kalle Laanet, Latvia's Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks, and Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis, pose for photographers during a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Vilnius, Lithuania, on February 19. (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

Speaking in Vilnius, Lithuania, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said it was apparent that Russia had made a decision and was moving into the right positions to conduct an attack on Ukraine. 

“They’re uncoiling and now poised to strike,” Austin said.

If you look at the stance he is in today, it's apparent [Putin] has made a decision and they are moving into the right positions to conduct an attack.” 

Austin reiterated earlier comments from US President Joe Biden that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to invade after weeks of the US saying he hadn’t made a decision.

Austin and others in the US continue to say diplomacy is still possible, and he added, “I believe we should try until the very last minute, until it’s not possible.”

Some background: On Friday, President Biden said he believed Russian forces intended to attack Ukraine "in the coming week" or sooner, and that an attack will target the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

"As of this moment, I am convinced he's made the decision," Biden said during remarks at the White House.

6:59 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

Separatist leaders pre-recorded their video appeals, metadata shows

 From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore in London

The leader of the breakaway Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, ordered a general mobilization in a video message posted on Friday.
The leader of the breakaway Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, ordered a general mobilization in a video message posted on Friday. (Denis Pushili via Telegram)

Leaders of the self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine posted videos online on Friday announcing that they were organizing the mass evacuation of civilians to Russia.

But a CNN analysis of the videos’ metadata indicates the footage was recorded days earlier.

Denis Pushilin, leader of the breakaway Donetsk state in eastern Ukraine, said on his video appeal that "today, Feb. 18, a mass centralized evacuation of the population to the Russian Federation has been organized.” Shortly afterwards, Leonid Pasechnik, the most senior official in the Luhansk People's Republic, announced a similar move.

In his video, Pushilin also claimed that a large-scale offensive by Ukrainian forces against the Donetsk People's Republic was imminent, a claim the Ukrainian authorities have strenuously denied.

CNN downloaded the videos from Telegram and checked their metadata.

Both video files have "Wednesday 16" as their creation date, meaning that they were recorded at least two days before they were posted on Telegram.

The platform preserves metadata for the videos posted there and it cannot be changed.

CNN is reaching out to the self-declared republics for an explanation.

7:53 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

Putin launches Russia's ballistic and cruise missile exercises

From CNN's Sarah Dean, Nathan Hodge, Uliana Pavlova and Olga Pavlova in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko watch military drills via videoconference in Moscow, on February 19.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko watch military drills via videoconference in Moscow, on February 19. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin observed nuclear drills from his situation center in the Kremlin together with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian president's press office said Saturday. 

Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin launched the planned ballistic and cruise missile exercises shortly before 5.30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Over the past week, the Russian president has focused international attention onto a series of military drills that have tested Russia's conventional military power

Putin said Friday that "an active phase exercise [of military drills] is underway."

"Tomorrow we will even take part together in one of the serious events in this complex of military cooperation,” Putin added, speaking at a televised meeting with Lukashenko in Moscow.

According to a news release from Putin's press office:

  • Russia's Aerospace Forces successfully launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
  • Ships and submarines of the Northern and Black Sea Fleets launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Zirkon hypersonic missiles at sea and ground targets.
  • Russian forces carried out a launch of the Iskander land-based cruise missile from the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia's southern Astrakhan region.
  • Russia launched a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia toward the Kura test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east.
  • Tu-95m strategic bombers fired air-launched cruise missiles to hit targets at the Pemboi and Kura ranges.
  • The strategic nuclear submarine Karelia of Russia's Northern Fleet launched a Sineva ballistic missile at the Kura range from the waters of the northern Barents Sea.

"The exercises of the strategic deterrence forces were planned earlier, during which the readiness of the military command and control bodies, launch combat crews, crews of warships and strategic missile carriers to perform the assigned tasks, as well as the reliability of the weapons of strategic nuclear and non-nuclear forces, was checked," the statement read.

"The tasks envisaged during the exercise of the strategic deterrence forces were completed in full, all missiles hit the designated targets, confirming the specified characteristics," it added.

This post has been updated.

6:20 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

US Vice President Harris vows "swift, severe and united" response if Russia invades Ukraine

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Kate Sullivan

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Munich Security Conference, on February 19, in Germany.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Munich Security Conference, on February 19, in Germany. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP)

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday vowed there would be a "swift, severe and united" response if Russia invades Ukraine in a highly anticipated speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Harris laid out retaliatory measures in a manner befitting her past career as a prosecutor, promising "significant and unprecedented" economic costs.

The Vice President took center stage in front of a large, international audience as she delivered the keynote address at the security conference.

The remarks came at a high-stakes moment after the United States' repeated warnings on Friday of efforts by Russia to mount an invasion.

CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, said it was "very clear why President Biden sent [Harris] there," and that she had delivered a message "of unity."

The Vice President of the United States carries such a strong message to allies and partners. And this is a moment where the United States wants to make sure it’s strong, where NATO wants to make sure it’s strong, where the European Union wants to make sure it’s strong. That was the force of her message." 

Read the full story:

6:03 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

UK temporarily relocates embassy to western Ukraine

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood

The United Kingdom has temporarily relocated its entire embassy in Kyiv to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, according to an update from the UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) on Friday. 

"The British Embassy office in Kyiv is temporarily relocating. Embassy staff are operating from the British Embassy office in Lviv," the update said. 

This follows the decision to move all non-essential embassy staff to Lviv last Friday. A British diplomat told CNN at the time that "a core team" would "remain to continue with essential duties."

The FCDO reiterated its call to British nationals to "leave now while commercial means are still available," on Friday. 

Earlier on Friday, the FCDO said it was "now advising against all but essential travel" to both Moldova and Belarus.

The news comes four days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced his country was closing its embassy in Kyiv and "temporarily relocating" the small number of remaining diplomatic personnel in Ukraine to Lviv, "due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces."

"I have ordered these measures for one reason -- the safety of our staff -- and we strongly urge any remaining US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately," Blinken said in a statement Monday.

5:51 a.m. ET, February 19, 2022

Ukraine says one soldier killed in renewed shelling near front lines

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

The Ukrainian military said the first 12 hours of Saturday saw Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine commit 37 violations of the ceasefire along the so-called Line of Contact, including 35 incidents in which they utilized weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements.

The Joint Forces Operation said the violations included the use of 120mm mortars and 122mm artillery systems. At least one-third of the alleged violations were reported in one hour after 11:00 a.m. local time.

It also said that one Ukrainian serviceman was killed by a shrapnel wound to the head after several rounds of artillery fire were directed at Ukrainian positions near Myronivske early Saturday.

Some context: The war in eastern Ukraine started in 2014 and has claimed the lives of more than 14,000 people. Intense fighting in 2014 and 2015 left portions of eastern Luhansk and Donetsk in the hands of Russian-backed separatists. 

Those separatist-controlled areas in Ukraine's Donbas region, became known as the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The Ukrainian government in Kyiv asserts the two regions are in effect Russian-occupied. The self-declared republics are not recognized by any government, including Russia. The Ukrainian government refuses to talk directly with either separatist republic. 

The Minsk II agreement of 2015 led to a shaky ceasefire agreement, and the conflict settled into static warfare along the Line of Contact that separates areas controlled by the Ukrainian government and separatists. The Minsk Agreements (named after the capital of Belarus where they were concluded) ban heavy weapons near the Line of Contact.