Ukraine Crisis Latest: Russia Allegedly Launched Cyber-attacks Knocking Out Ukrainian Websites; Biden Says Invasion Still A Possibility

Despite Russian president Vladimir Putin saying that Russia does not seek a war with Ukraine and its allies, tensions remain heightened between Ukraine, the US and its allies and Russia. Ukraine faced what some may call hybrid warfare as a cyberattack knocked out several Ukrainian websites including the nation’s defence ministry website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dx9M0TeGQs&feature=youtu.be

The cyberattack, allegedly launched by Russian hackers, also knocked out Oschadbank state savings bank and Privat bank’s websites. These two are the  largest financial institutions of Ukraine. Services were restored late on Tuesday. The attack came shortly after Russia said that some of its army units will return to their bases. The defence ministry’s website still shows the message ‘undergoing technical maintenance’. “It cannot be excluded that the aggressor is resorting to dirty tricks,” the Ukrainian government’s communications watchdog was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Biden Says US Will Defend Americans In Ukraine

US president Joe Biden reiterated that the US will act with harsh consequences if Russia attacks Ukraine which the US president feels is still possible. The US president also said that the US will respond with force if Americans in Ukraine are targeted by Russia.

“Analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position. The United States is prepared no matter what happens. We are ready with diplomacy. And we are ready to respond decisively to Russian attack on Ukraine, which is still very much a possibility,” Biden said.

Macron, NATO and Biden Agree On Troop Withdrawal Verification

US president Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed that it was necessary to verify Russian claims that it was beginning to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border, news agency AFP reported citing French presidency officials. The French presidency also told the news agency that it still believes that the situation remains fragile. It also highlighted that the de-escalation is in line with what Putin told Macron when they met earlier in February. Macron is also scheduled to speak to Olaf Scholz who returns to Berlin after his meeting with Putin on Tuesday.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that there are grounds of ‘cautious optimism’ while highlighting that there were no signs of de-escalation on the ground.

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