Ukrainian SOLDIERS
Ukrainian soldiers who are frontline in eastern Ukraine have heard the sounds of grenades going off from a distance, as this is happening they immediately run to the safety of the trenches. This is the first line of contact through an eight-year war against Russia that throughout this 8 year period has resulted in more than 14,000 deaths.
Some Ukrainian people are taking precautions, however many of them are just carrying on as normal. The people of Ukraine have been used to war since 2014 and have witnessed damages and shooting on a daily basis. Russia has had more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders recently which is in the Luhansk region which shares the border with Russia.
A Ukrainian soldier named Bohdan (surname unknown for security reasons) has said that “we are all tired of this!” as a former miner and aviation engineering student, he has now been stationed on the frontline of this potential war.
Russian journalist Bobchenko believes that Russia will attack. He said, “If you have seen the movements of the Russian forces, you must know that if people want peace, they don’t do stuff like that.” Even local hospital officials have begun to prepare the basements of their buildings in case the city gets bombed and that patients can be taken down for safety.
Boris Johnson has said that he plans to remove all COVID restrictions in England a month early. The current regulations were due to end on the 24th of March which could now be set to end on the 24th of February.
The Tory leader said “provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive a full month early”
This has put pressure On Wales and Scotland to follow as England would be the first country in the world to remove all COVID rules. Boris Johnson is set to present his plan on the 21st of February in Parliament with the intention to lift self-isolation a few days after.
There are some issues however as a spokeswoman for the Scottish government saying the UK Government has not provided appropriate notice to consider the implications ahead of the powerful announcement.
Sources: Sky News, Daily Mail
There have been 2 deaths in the UK since Storm Eunice. Storm Eunice has brought record-breaking wind speeds to the UK and millions of people have been advised to stay home. Storm Eunice is the worst storm the UK has seen in many years if not the worst.
The first person confirmed to have died was a man in County Wexford, the details of the death have not yet been confirmed. The second person to have been killed was from Alton East Hampshire from a falling tree. The tree fell and crushed a vehicle killing the man in the car. Speeds of the wind have been 122mph which could potentially be the highest recorded wind speeds ever in the UK.
The impact of Storm Eunice has affected thousands of homes with roofs being damaged and trees falling through homes. Wind speeds have also damaged the London 02 Arena by making a hole in the dome of the building. There have also been reports of various incidents and calls to emergency services in the capital of England with the fire brigade having a total of 550 calls from 10:30 am to 1pm. This is more than what is normally taken during a 24 hour period.
Sources: The Telegraph, Standard