Head of State Border Guard Service reveals when Russia's full-scale invasion actually began

Friday, 24 February 2023, 11:27

The full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine by Russian troops began at 03:40 on 24 February 2022, in Luhansk Oblast.

Source: Serhii Deineko, head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "Everyone thinks the invasion started at 04:00. This is not quite correct.  The invasion began at 03:40 on the site of the Luhansk border detachment - that’s the Milove district."

Details: This is the Border Guard unit which was headed by Deineko himself in 2014.

On the night of 24 February, a sabotage and reconnaissance group of Russian troops attacked Ukrainian border guards in the village of Zorynivka.

A battle ensued there, and the first soldier was killed in this full-scale aggression.

Quote: "The reports came in, and around four in the morning I reported to Denys Monastyrskyi, the Minister of Internal Affairs, that my subordinates were now fighting on three fronts and convoys were approaching. I realised that he was already reporting this to the president.

I sent a text message to Zelenskyy at 05:17 when almost the entire state border was being invaded.

You understand why many people did not perceive this threat of war as real, right? Because no normal person could believe that such a war was possible in the centre of Europe in the 21st century. When a great power such as the Russian Federation attacks a peace-loving state like Ukraine in such a brutal way for absolutely no reason."

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