Russia launched an attack on Ukraine early Thursday morning. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Russian soldiers have reached the coastal towns of Odessa and Mariupol.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation during a speech on state television during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. He did so at a time when the UN Security Council was meeting in emergency session to discuss the security situation in Ukraine.
Putin said he would conduct “a special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region. There lie the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia has recognized as independent. He called on Ukrainian soldiers to “lay down their weapons”, but also said he “does not want to occupy Ukrainian territory”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks on Twitter of “all-out war.” According to Kuleba, Russia is carrying out attacks on “peaceful cities” in Ukraine. He says Ukraine will defend itself and win.
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Several explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, according to Reuters news agency, after President Putin announced the military operation in the Donbas region hundreds of kilometers away. CNN journalists also hear explosions in Kharkiv. Explosions were also observed soon after the speech in the coastal towns of Mariupol and Odessa, where, according to Interfax, the first Russian soldiers have now also arrived.
Biden: World will hold Russia responsible for ‘needless aggression’
US President Joe Biden said in response to Putin’s announcement that “the world will hold Russia accountable.” According to Biden, Russia’s attack will bring “disastrous loss of life and human suffering.” He also promised to pray for the Ukrainian people.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said early Thursday morning via Twitter that he “strongly condemns” the Russian attack on Ukraine. He says he is in close contact with NATO and EU allies and that his thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergei Kislitsia, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council called on the UN to “do everything possible to end this war” and also immediately urged the Russian ambassador to end the war .
Earlier in the night from Wednesday to Thursday, Ukraine closed all airspace because of “a potential danger to civil aviation”. Several flights bound for Kiev were diverted to airports in neighboring countries. Kiev International Airport was completely shut down early Thursday morning. All travelers and employees are being evacuated, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said. Airports in the east of the country are also closed.