Thread by @ichbinilya

⚠️ Putin meeting with security council just started. They are all sitting far away from him in a big room.

"We need to decide what we're going to do next," he says, his voice echoing. Lavrov is speaking now.

This manages to feel very ominous — huge pit in my stomach — while also being extremely boring

Putin mentions a "moratorium" on Ukraine's NATO accession that had been suggested by... I think the Americans he said? Really? But he says, Ukraine is simply not ready. "This is not a concession to us, this is just realization of their plans."

Lavrov mentions documents recently published in Der Spiegel, citing the publication by name, which provide support for Russia's contention that it had received a promise NATO would not expand West in the 90s.

So far the discussion has been almost entirely about everyone's unhappiness with the West, the Minsk agreements. "Nonsensical" proposals coming from the Ukrainians mentioned several times.

Putin: "Will Kyiv ever fulfil the Minsk agreements?"
Man whose name I missed (who is that?) says: Never.

Emergencies Minister is next. Putin asks him to describe what's happening on the border.

68,500 "refugees" have arrived in Russia from the Donbass so far, he says. Ukrainians are firing on DNR/LNR and that shells have landed in Russia. (no evidence has ever appeared of any of this. Journalists have reported the Ukrainian side as quiet, except for being shelled.)

Just speculating here, but the vibe is that this will end with a decision to recognize the separatist regions as independent states? Putin keeps saying they need to decide. Could very well be a pretext for invasion to "protect" them, if so. But let's see.

Medvedev is recalling his glory days as president, when he recognized South Ossetia as independent

Medvedev says go for it, essentially

Putin: "Each of you knows — I want to emphasize this — I did not, in advance, discuss any of this with you. Did not ask your opinion. ... I want to know your opinion with no preparation."

They keep saying Russian citizens live there. They've been giving out passports. 800,000 have received passports, Duma speaker says. Many more want them.

He recommends to recognize. Next is Valentina Matviyenko to talk about the "humanitarian situation."

In the same breath, blaming Kyiv, mentions "genocide" and "failure to give out subsidies"

I can't watch this farce anymore, I'm going to puke.

Go read @shaunwalker7's feed for the rest, he's better at this!