Tipsheet

The Future For Ukraine is Looking Very Grim

Katie Pavlich
Katie Pavlich  |  February 23, 2022 8:35 PM

In a last ditch effort to stop a full scale invasion of his country Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke directly to the Russian people and called for peace. 

"I initiated a telephone call with the president of the Russian federation. Result: silence...As a result I want to address all citizens of Russia," Zelensky said, speaking Russian.  "Listen to the voice of reason. The people of Ukraine want peace, the authorities in Ukraine want peace, they want it and are doing everything they can for it. We don't need war."

"You are told we hate Russian culture. How can one hate a culture? Neighbors always enrich each other culturally,” he continued. “However, that doesn’t make them a single whole. It doesn’t dissolve us into you. We are different, but that is not a reason to be enemies. We want to determine, build our future ourselves, peacefully, calmly and honestly.”

He called on the citizens of Russia to stop an attack and said a military confrontation would be met with resistance. 

"If we are attacked, if someone attempts to take away our land, our freedom, our lives, the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. We won't attack, but defend ourselves. By attacking, you will see our faces, not our backs, but our faces," Zelensky said.

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The remarks came after a day of cyber attacks from Russia on Ukrainian government assets. Prior to Zelensky's remarks, Russia shut down the airspace on Ukraine's border. 

During an interview with NBC News, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it's possible a full invasion starts by tomorrow. 

A reporter on the ground says there's "something bad in the air."