Russian forces have launched a military assault on neighbouring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.
In a TV statement on Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said Russia does not plan to invade Ukraine, but demanded that its (Ukraine’s) military lay down their arms. Moments later, attacks were reported on Ukrainian military targets.
Ukraine said that “Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
Russia’s military breached the border in a number of places; the north, south and east, including Belarus, Russia’s long-time ally.
At least, seven people are reported dead, including civilians due to the attack. But a Ukrainian Presidential adviser disclosed that more than 40 soldiers have died and dozens more wounded.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that martial law was now imposed across all of Ukraine, and also disengaged all diplomatic relations with Russia.
In a video statement, Zelensky noted that “No panic. We’re strong. We’re ready for anything. We’ll defeat everyone because we are Ukraine.”
Ahead of Russia’s attack, Mr. Zelensky made a last-ditch attempt to avert a conflict, warning that Russia could start “a major war in Europe,” urging Russian citizens to oppose it. Later, warning sirens blared across the capital, which has a population of almost three million.
Vehicular traffic queued with people leaving the city during the night and crowds sought shelter in Kyiv’s underground metro stations. Several neighbouring countries have also made preparations to take in a large number of refugees.
According to a woman called Svetlana, who was also seeking refuge said: “We don’t understand what we should do now.”
We’re now going to a place where we can be safe and we hope we can leave safely. We have family in Mariupol and now they’re very nervous.”
A woman called Svetlana, seeking refuge
One man was killed when Russian forces bombed the town of Chuhuiv, outside the major city of Kharkiv.
What has Russia Targeted?
Mr. Zelensky, averred Russia first launched strikes on Ukraine’s military infrastructure and border guard units.
According to Ukrainian forces, Russian military vehicles crossed the border near Kharkiv in the north, Luhansk in the east, Russia’s-annexed Crimea in the south and from Belarus. Belarus’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, averred his country’s military was not involved, but could be if needed.
Russian tanks were also seen on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million people. Russian forces also reportedly landed by sea at Ukraine’s major port cities of Odesa on the Black Sea and Mariupol on the internal Sea of Azov.
According to Ukraine’s army, Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport was among a number of airfields bombed, along with military headquarters and warehouses in the big cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Mariupol.
Mr. Zelensky disclosed that Russia positioned almost 200,000 troops and thousands of combat vehicles on Ukraine’s borders.
‘Unprovoked and unjustified’
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, launched the “special military operation” by mentioning a number of unfounded claims he made earlier this week. This included an allegation that Ukraine’s democratically elected government was responsible for eight years of genocide.
Mr. Putin said the goal was “demilitarisation and “denazification” of Ukraine. Hours earlier, Ukraine’s President asked how a people who lost eight million of its citizens fighting Nazis support Nazism.
“How could I be a Nazi?” says Mr. Zelensky, who is Jewish.
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