Ukraine to turn to NATO for help in case of emergency
Ukraine is turning to NATO for international assistance in case there are emergencies that may affect the civilian population, reads a report by the alliance’s press service on Feb. 15.
NATO stated that the State Emergency Service of Ukraine "is preparing for large-scale emergencies of various natures,” and sent a request to the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) for international assistance on Feb. 15.
The request asks for off-road vehicles, bulldozers, inflatable boats, underwater metal detectors, demining equipment, thermal imagers for firefighters, filter stations, protective suits, wetsuits, diving equipment, and medications (antibiotics, hydrogel burn dressings, bandages, first aid kits), among other things.
The State Emergency Service has not yet commented on the report.
Ukrainian police have switched to an intensified measure of alertness from Feb. 14 to Feb. 19.
“This is not an additional reason for panic. This is about protection and alert status,” said the head of the National Police, Ihor Klymenko.
While various media outlets have speculated that a full renewal of Russian aggression against Ukraine may occur this week, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said he believes a full-scale invasion is out of the question.
On Feb. 11, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia had sent additional forces to the border with Ukraine and could launch a new wave of invasion at any time, including during the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
U.S. political media outlet Politico reported, citing a source, that Joe Biden had warned NATO allies and EU leaders about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 16.
The Kremlin responded by accusing Western media of a “large-scale disinformation campaign.”
Later, the U.S. Department of Defense announced they could not confirm media reports on the exact date of a possible invasion.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there is too much information on the media scene about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He urged people not to panic and assured that "everything was under control." The Ukrainian leader also declared Feb. 16, 2022 as Unity Day.
Since the end of Oct. 2021, Russia has been massing troops to the Ukrainian borders. On Feb. 14, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny said that about 120,000 Russian troops were stationed near the borders of Ukraine.
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