Russian forces are advancing closer towards Kiev, a senior US defence official has warned, amid fighting at Hostomel airport just outside the capital, and the loss of Chernobyl, 100km to the north, to Vladimir Putin’s forces on Thursday evening.
Ukraine’s military says Russia has already moved more than 60 battalion tactical groups across the border – each with roughly 700-900 troops. In a post on Facebook, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russian troops were launching “full-scale aggression against Ukraine”.
The offensive came on day one of what Ukraine described as a “full-scale invasion”, which had led to dozens of people being killed or injured. CCTV cameras earlier caught Russian military vehicles rolling through border force checkpoints as ground troops crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has announced harsh new sanctions coordinated with allies in the UK and EU. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Mr Biden said.
