Russia Launches Full Scale Invasion Into Ukraine

Russia has launched an invasion of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin ordered a “specialized military operation”.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa, and borders have been breached in at least four areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba described the assault as a “full-scale invasion” that is not just in the eastern part of the country, but “from multiple directions”.

“Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” he said. “This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”

The invasion into Ukraine’s Donbas region has seen Ukrainians heading to bomb shelters, and martial law had been declared across the country.

Shortly after Mr. Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

At the same time, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was being held in New York. 

During the address, broadcast in the early hours of the morning in Russia, Mr. Putin said Russia did not intend to occupy Ukraine and the responsibility for any resultant bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”.

Mr Putin said the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine.

Mr Putin warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

Clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces were inevitable and it was just a matter of time, he said.

He called on Ukrainian soldiers to immediately lay down their weapons and go home.

He accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees. 

He said the Russian military operation aims to ensure a “demilitarisation” of Ukraine. 

Mr Putin’s address came after the Kremlin earlier said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked Russia for military assistance on Wednesday to help fend off Ukrainian “aggression”, an announcement that immediately fuelled fears that Moscow was offering up a pretext for war.

He called on Ukrainian soldiers to immediately lay down their weapons and go home.

He accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees. 

He said the Russian military operation aims to ensure a “demilitarisation” of Ukraine. 

Mr Putin’s address came after the Kremlin earlier said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked Russia for military assistance on Wednesday to help fend off Ukrainian “aggression”, an announcement that immediately fuelled fears that Moscow was offering up a pretext for war.

Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near the eastern city of Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in Luhansk region, and downed a sixth Russian aircraft, also in the country’s east.

Its defense ministry said Russian strikes have “suppressed air defense means of the Ukrainian military”, adding that the infrastructure of Ukraine’s military bases has been incapacitated”.

Russia has denied reports that its aircraft or armored vehicles have been destroyed.

Ukraine’s border guard agency says that the Russian military attacked the country from neighboring Belarus.

The agency said that the Russian troops unleashed an artillery barrage as part of an attack backed by Belarus.

Ukraine also closed its airspace to civilian flights on Thursday, citing a high risk to safety, while Europe’s aviation regulator warned against the hazards of flying in bordering areas of Russia and Belarus, because of military activities.