The news came as a surprise to many in Beijing. Barely 24 hours ago, Chinese pundits predicted that a war in Ukraine was not inevitable. In New York, as Russia geared up for a full-on assault on its neighbour, China’s UN envoy, Zhang Jun, urged in a security council meeting that “the door to a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue is not fully shut, nor should it be shut”.
But when people in Kyiv woke up to sound of bombs in what the Nato chief called a “deliberate, cold-blooded” invasion, the door had clearly been closed. China’s state media, however, insisted it was a “special military action” by Russia. Quoting Vladimir Putin, China’s central television tweeted: “Russia was left with no other choice.”
This guy is good to follow on Twitter.
A destroyed group of Rosgvardia vehicles. The use of Rosgvardia and riot police units in this operation has thus far been puzzling to say the least. https://t.co/Gc0yyviIU0
— Michael Kofman (@KofmanMichael) February 26, 2022
Scenes of urban warfare in Melitopol. https://t.co/etLIRuI8VD
— Michael Kofman (@KofmanMichael) February 26, 2022
