More than 50 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were killed and explosions were heard from Kyiv to Odessa and throughout the contested Donbas region as Russia launched a bloody invasion of neighboring Ukraine early Thursday, according to officials in the embattled capital.
The deaths, which reportedly included more than 40 soldiers and at least 10 civilians, were the first to occur after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” within Ukraine. It was not clear how or where the people died, though Russia claimed its troops met little or no resistance as they moved in.
DAWN OF WAR IN UKRAINE AS RUSSIA INVADES AND STOCK MARKETS PLUNGE
At least one child was killed in the city of Chuguiv after it was attacked by Russian forces, Ukrainian officials said. The Conflict Intelligence Team, a local investigation group, claims Russians used a “Smerch” Multiple Launch Rocket System that fires “indiscriminately” at its targets.
At least seven people were killed and 17 injured in a missile attack around 2:30 p.m. local time, CNN reported. The missile hit the city of Brovary, where a Ukrainian Special Forces base resides.
Explosions were heard across Ukraine, including volleys of missiles late Wednesday night, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian forces also invaded at least one port and crossed the border in the northeast.
Russian military action occurred throughout Ukraine as missile and airstrikes rained down, including the cities of Lviv, Mariupol, and Kharkiv where Russian troops also crossed the border. Paratroopers were reportedly seen over Odessa, and ground assaults were launched from Crimea, Donetsk, and Belarus, among other cities.
A Ukrainian military plane with 14 aboard was shot down about 12 miles south of Kyiv, reported AFP. It is unclear how many were killed in the crash.
International leaders scrambled Thursday to address the fast-moving developments, and President Joe Biden vowed to impose a new round of tougher sanctions on Moscow to deter further aggression. It was unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to seize the disputed and largely ethnic Russian Donbas region along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, where he earlier recognized breakaway territories, or has his sights set on a full-scale invasion of the entire nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to brace for combat and said he was willing to take volunteers.
“We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country,” Zelensky tweeted on Thursday. “Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.”
We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022
Ukraine’s military claims that they have shot down at least five Russian aircraft and a helicopter, according to CNN.
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“The Ukrainian border guards are not putting up any resistance to Russian units. The Ukrainian air defenses are suppressed. The military infrastructure of Ukrainian Air Force bases has been degraded,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
President Joe Biden issued a statement on Wednesday declaring that the “world will hold Russia accountable.” Biden previously approved hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine in the weeks before the attack and is receiving regular updates on the situation in Ukraine, according to the White House.
