War in Europe: After Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine this morning (Thursday) as part of a “special military operation” in the Donabas region of eastern Ukraine and launched a general attack on the country from three fronts – the border with Russia, Belarus and the Crimea, fighting continues into the evening. The Russian military has reportedly captured various targets, including the Chernobyl nuclear site, and is advancing towards Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlansky said during a televised speech that in the first day of the Russian invasion, 137 Ukrainian civilians and soldiers were killed and 316 wounded in the fighting.
Russia invades Ukraine: all the details of the dramatic morning in Eastern Europe
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ongoing updates:
02:29: White House: Putin’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine.
01:31: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlansky said during a televised speech that in the first day of the Russian invasion, 137 Ukrainian civilians and soldiers were killed and 316 wounded in the fighting. He added that “no one is fighting alongside Ukraine.”
01:15: White House spokeswoman Gan Pasaki expressed outrage over reports of Chernobyl nuclear power plant staff being taken hostage by Russian troops. According to her, in fact there could be worrying consequences for the maintenance of the reactor, which has been leaking radiation since the 1986 disaster.
00:30: Ukrainian President Zalansky has signed an order for the general mobilization of the population, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. The agency added that the recruitment will take place within 90 days from the moment the order takes effect.
23:20: Macron spoke with Putin and demanded immediate cessation of military activity in Ukraine.
23:05: After talking to Ukrainian President Zalansky, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin and demanded that he end the operation immediately.
23:00: An American source said that the Russian army was getting even closer to Kiev.
22:30: Ukrainian Army: “The Russian plan is to occupy Kiev and create a land corridor to the Crimea.”
22:10: The Ukrainian defense minister said he was anticipating another wave of attacks by Russia, including airstrikes.
21:45: Ukrainian Ministry of Health: 57 civilians were killed on the first day of the Russian offensive.
21:25: The Latvian prime minister said “we must isolate Putin and his government from the rest of the world.” Moldova has declared a state of emergency for 60 days.
20:45: President Biden Nam: “The Russian army launched an offensive without any justification, it is a pre-planned attack. Putin has been saying for months, he has transferred 175,000 troops, ammunition, military hospitals. Putin declared war within moments, then there were airstrikes, tanks “To avoid confusion, Putin is the aggressor who chose the war and now Russia will have to bear the consequences. Although we have already transferred a lot of money to Ukraine for its defense, I want to say again – our forces will not get into conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”
Joe Biden in speech on Russian invasion of Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)
20:40: Putin spoke with Iranian President Raisi and updated him on what was happening.
20:20: Britain has declared that Russian national bodies will not be able to invest more than £ 50,000 in British banks.
19:50: Biden: “The G7 has agreed to impose devastating sanctions on Russia.”
19:20: An adviser to the President of Ukraine has confirmed that the Russian military has taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear site.
???????????????? | #NOW Russia took control of Chernobyl.#Russia #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/rj8Cwk6jfU
– Page 13 (@pagina_13) February 24, 2022
19:15: Hundreds of American soldiers reportedly landed in Latvia.
19:05: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson: “Russia will be completely removed from the British banking system.”
19:00: German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said the West had formulated sanctions that would cause Putin to pay a high price for the invasion.
18:44: Putin: “We had no other way to act. All attempts to change the situation have yielded nothing and so we have had to take these actions. Russia remains part of the global economy and we have no intention of harming the system to which we belong.”
18:20: The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States called for escalation of sanctions and extensive military assistance.
18:10: The Japanese prime minister has said he will join international sanctions on Russia.
17:48: Moscow police have begun arresting people protesting against the Russian invasion of Pushkin Square in the city.
Multiple arrests in central Moscow this afternoon as people come out with posters reading “No to War!” The central Pushkin Square has now been blocked off by police. pic.twitter.com/2Wy9Vt6yWF
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) February 24, 2022
17:39: Zlansky: “We have lost, many aircraft and armored vehicles were destroyed.”
17:31: The Vilnius Ministry of Defense said that “the United States will increase its manpower in Lithuania by 500 troops, and will send F-35 fighter jets to Estonia and Lithuania.”
17:27: A senior US security official said: “The Russians have an intention to overthrow the Ukrainian government.”
17:15: The UN Security Council will convene tomorrow to discuss the decision to condemn Russia.
17:07: Russian media report: “Curfew imposed on Kiev city”.
17:05: Ukrainian President Zalansky: “The Russian army is trying to take over Chernobyl, the tragedy of 1986 cannot be repeated. This is a declaration of war on the whole of Europe.”
16:44 Adviser to the Minister of the Interior of Ukraine: “Russian military forces have entered the Chernobyl region through the border with Belarus.”
16:34CNN reported that Russian military forces had taken control of Antonov Airport, located about 40 km from central Kiev.
16:15: The Prime Minister of Denmark has said that her country is ready to receive refugees from Ukraine.
Video shows aftermath of bombed residential blocks in Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv, Ukraine. https://t.co/hE8ymcwk7q pic.twitter.com/gkRG3hdX7s
— ABC News (@ABC) February 24, 2022
16:05: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anthony Blinken told Russian officials before the invasion that he did not intend to coordinate security between the United States and Russia.
15:40: The German economy minister said his country has oil reserves for 90 days, but there is no way to avoid harming the German economy following the invasion.
15:25: The Russian Defense Ministry said that as of this morning, 74 Ukrainian military targets had been attacked on the ground.
15:15: According to a Reuters report, UEFA has decided to copy the 2022 Champions League final from St. Petersburg.
15:10: According to Ukrainian police, Russia has attacked 203 targets in the country since the beginning of the day.
15:00: The Czech Republic has returned its ambassador to Moscow.
Soldiers from the Ukrainian army (Photo: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP via Getty Images)
Heavy smoke near the intelligence headquarters of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (Photo: REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukrainian citizens flee the country via the border with Poland (Photo: REUTERS / Kacper Pempel)
Ukrainian policemen stand near the remains of a Russian missile that fell in Kiev (Photo: REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko)
The streets of Kiev emptied (Photo: REUTERS / Umit Bektas)