Thread by @DrAlakbarov

Latest updates from Ukraine:

* Multiple explosions heard in centre of Donetsk (Reuters)
* Yesterday self-propelled artillery seen in Donetsk
* NATO chief: All signs suggest Russia plans 'full-fledged' attack on Ukraine

#UkraineConflict

* Shelling with 152mm artillery reported in Butivka-Opytne area near Donetsk
* France: Any miscalculation from any side will ignite the situation in Ukraine
* France: We have indications that Russia is preparing to deploy additional forces in the Donbass region

* The European council has called upon Russia to de-escalate and withdraw military forces, while commending Ukraine’s “posture of restraint in the face of continued provocations and efforts at destabilisation”.

* The British billionaire and Virgin founder Richard Branson has come out in support of Ukraine, denouncing Russia’s “unacceptable aggression” and urging the world to “stand up for Ukraine’s sovereignty”.

* British foreign minister Liz Truss told Munich security conference on Saturday that Ukraine could face the “worst-case scenario” of a Russian invasion as soon as next week"
* NATO has relocated staff from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, to Lviv and Brussels

* Speaking in Munich, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Vladimir Putin to meet with him to find a resolution to the conflict.
* Joe Biden will convene the national security council today to discuss the evolving situation in Ukraine

* Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said it was unhelpful to try to predict what Russia might do. She said it remained unclear whether Putin had yet made a decision about Ukraine.

* Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Saturday reported more than 1,500 ceasefire violations in east Ukraine in a single day, the highest number recorded this year.

* The statement, signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the High Representative of the EU, urged diplomacy and de-escalation, but warned: “We will judge Russia by its deeds.”

* Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked Canada’s military for sending rifles, machine guns and surveillance equipment.

https://twitter.com/oleksiireznikov/status/1495113341622181888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1495113341622181888%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F19%2Frussia-ukraine-news-crisis-latest-putin-biden-kyiv-russian-invasion%3FfilterKeyEvents%3Dfalsepage%3Dwith3Ablock-621149948f08fc958652a9a6

* In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that sanctions on Russia should be made public before and not after a possible invasion of Ukraine occurs.

* Zelenskiy once again has also asked NATO partners to clarify a timeline on which Ukraine could join the military alliance.