Ukraine on Thursday said Vladimir Putin had launched a “full-scale invasion”, after the Russian president announced a “special military operation” in the east of the country.
Shortly after his televised address, explosions were reported in the outskirts of the cities of Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, as well as the capital Kiev.
US president Joe Biden and Boris Johnson joined other global powers in condemning Russia’s ‘unprovoked and unjustified’ attack on Ukraine as and promised to hold it “accountable”.
Inside the country, airports have been shut down temporarily and secured against potential Russian aircraft landings, while Russia has closed its own airspace around the border to civilian access for the next four months.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the government is introducing martial law on all territories of the state and urged citizens to stay at home as much as possible.
