- Russia attacked Ukraine just a week after its foreign ministry cracked jokes at the idea.
- The foreign ministry lashed out at the West last week for suggesting an invasion was imminent.
- Early Thursday morning, Putin ordered Russian forces to attack Ukraine.
Russia's attack on Ukraine early Thursday morning came nearly a week after its foreign ministry cracked jokes at the West for warning of an imminent invasion.
"Today we mark another day of the 'start of war with Ukraine,' which did not happen again, to the Western media outlets' regret, no matter how hard they whip up the hysteria," Russia's foreign ministry wrote on Twitter on February 16.
The statement added: "See for yourselves what the collective Western media and officials' words are worth."
Underneath the text was a gif of tumbleweed.
—MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) February 16, 2022
For weeks, the US, NATO, and Western allies have been warning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, while Moscow repeatedly denied plans that it would attack — despite gathering massive amounts of troops and equipment along its border with Ukraine.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even said last month that Russia is not pursuing war.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a surprise televised speed on Thursday that he had ordered a "special military action" against Ukraine. Minutes later, Ukrainian targets came under fire from missile strikes.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the attack a "full-scale invasion."
"Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression," he wrote on Twitter.