The Russian military started a massive offensive on Ukraine on Thursday, striking cities and military posts with airstrikes and artillery as residents crowded into trains and automobiles to flee. Ukraine's government said that Russian tanks and personnel had crossed the border, and it accused Moscow of launching a "full-scale war" that had the potential to rewrite the world's geopolitical order and whose repercussions were already being felt throughout the world.
Putin averted worldwide outrage and a cascade of additional sanctions when he announced a large military operation. He also chillingly referenced his country's nuclear arsenal, warning any foreign government seeking to intervene would face "consequences you have never seen" if they did not comply.
Sirens wailed in Ukraine's capital, and people gathered in train stations and on the roadways as the authorities declared that the former Soviet republic was being invaded from the east, north, and south and that more than 40 troops had been killed and dozens more had been injured in the conflict.
"There has been a full-scale war in Europe," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak declared on Wednesday. "Russia is assaulting not only Ukraine but also the rules of regular living in the modern world," says the author.
Several world leaders condemned the attack, which they said had the potential to cause widespread casualties, topple Ukraine's democratically elected government, upset the post-Cold War security order, and have severe economic consequences around the world, ranging from skyrocketing heating bills to food price spikes.
"We woke up in a different world today," Germany's foreign minister remarked as NATO decided to increase the number of land and air forces on its eastern flank, which borders Ukraine and Russian territory.
After weeks of fruitless diplomatic attempts, the world's financial markets fell, oil prices skyrocketed, and governments from the United States to Asia and Europe prepared fresh sanctions in response to the crisis. Global powers, on the other hand, have stated that they would not act militarily to defend Ukraine.
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, severed diplomatic ties with Russia and announced a state of emergency. Ukrainians who had been bracing for an invasion were told to remain at home and not to panic, despite reports that Russian forces were rolling into the country and large explosions were reported in the capital, Kyiv, the eastern city of Kharkiv, and the western city of Odesa.
"We are in the midst of a battle and terror." 'What could be worse?' said Liudmila Gireyeva, a 64-year-old woman from Kyiv. She intended to go to the western city of Lviv and then attempt to relocate to Poland in order to be with her daughter. President Vladimir Putin "will be condemned by history, and the Ukrainian people are damning him."
Russia's President Vladimir Putin justified his invasion of eastern Ukraine in a televised address broadcast over the weekend after weeks of denials. He claimed the attack was necessary to protect civilians, a claim the United States had predicted Putin would make as a pretext for military intervention. He accused the United States and its allies of turning a blind eye to Russia's demands to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to provide security assurances for the country. In his words, Russia does not plan to invade Ukraine, but rather to "demilitarize" it in order to prosecute those who have committed crimes against the country.
The initial wave of strikes came from the air. Later, Ukrainian officials reported ground incursions in a number of locations, and border guards on Thursday revealed security camera footage showing a convoy of Russian military vehicles moving into Ukraine's government-held territory from Russian-annexed Crimea, according to the BBC.
In a short of hours, the Russian military claimed to have destroyed all of Ukraine's air defenses, prompting European officials to designate the country's air space to be an active war zone. The allegations of Russia, as well as those of Ukraine, that they had shot down many Russian aircraft, could not be verified immediately. Ukraine's air defense system and air force date back to the Soviet period and are dwarfed by Russia's vast airpower and precise weaponry. Ukraine is a former Soviet republic.
Joe Biden, the President of the United States, promised fresh penalties against Russia for the "unprovoked and unlawful strike." Following a summit of the Group of Seven leaders on Thursday, the president announced that he will address the American people. It was believed that more penalties against Russia will be issued.
According to Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, the attack is a "full-scale invasion," and the country will "defend itself and will prevail. Putin must be stopped, and the world must do all it can to do so. "The hour for action has come."
Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of the capital, recommended citizens to stay at home unless they were involved in the crucial activity and to prepare go-bags with essentials and papers in case they needed to escape.
When an Associated Press photographer arrived in Mariupol, he heard explosions and observed hundreds of people with luggage making their way to their cars to get out of town. In Kyiv, another Associated Press correspondent witnessed the aftermath of an explosion. Various damage was discovered by the Associated Press in other parts of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy appealed to world leaders to offer Ukraine defense aid and to assist the country in protecting its airspace from a "aggressor."
In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that it was not targeting cities, but rather was employing precise weaponry, and that "there is no threat to the civilian population."
Ukrainian interior minister's adviser Anton Gerashchenko said on Facebook that the Russian military had begun missile attacks against Ukrainian military command centers, air bases, and military depots in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.
It was not long before the ramifications of the conflict and the sanctions imposed on Russia began to reverberate around the world.
The stock markets throughout the world have plummeted, and oil prices have risen by about $6 per barrel. Market benchmarks in Europe and Asia were down dramatically, while futures in the United States were also down significantly. On Thursday, the price of Brent crude oil soared beyond $100 per barrel as investors fretted about the possibility of an interruption in Russian supply. The ruble plummeted.
Putin issued a stern warning to other nations not to interfere, presumably in anticipation of international criticism and retribution.
"No one should have any doubts that a direct assault on our nation will result in the annihilation of our country and horrific repercussions for any possible aggressor," Putin said, referring to Russia's nuclear arsenal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his declaration only hours after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych dismissed Moscow's assertions that his nation is a threat to Russia and made an impassioned, last-minute plea for peace.
When Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned nighttime message in Russian, he was making a direct plea to Russian citizens. "The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine desire peace," Zelenskyy declared. In the event that we are attacked, in the event that an effort is made to take away our nation, our freedom, our lives, and the lives of our children, we will protect our rights.' When you assault us, you will be able to see our faces rather than our backs.
Zelensky claimed that he had requested a phone conversation with Putin late on Wednesday, but that the Kremlin had not responded.
In an apparent allusion to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to approve the deployment of Russian military forces in eastern Ukraine to "keep the peace," Zelensky warned that "this action might herald the beginning of a major conflict on the European continent."
Any provocation or spark may set off a fire that would completely devastate the area, according to him.
The attack began just as the United Nations Security Council was convening an emergency meeting to prevent an invasion from taking place. They called on Putin to step down since they were still uninformed of Putin's disclosure of the operation. Just before the announcement, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres started the conference by imploring Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Give peace a chance."
Later, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both pledged to hold the Kremlin responsible for their actions.
The group sent a message on Twitter saying, "During these dark hours our thoughts are with Ukraine and the innocent women, men, and children who are facing this unjustified onslaught and fearing for their lives."
