Russia launched an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, said Prez Biden after a series of blasts were heard in the national capital according to sources. Ukraine officials claimed to have heard explosions in Khrakhiv and the country’s largest airport in Kyiv. ‘Russia has launched a full-scale invasion’ the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said through a tweet early morning Thursday. Civil air services were suspended as the airspace was compromised, according to a notice by airmen.
According to Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs- the troops heading towards Kharkiv are currently in Odesa- one of Ukraine’s most populous cities.
Shortly after the invasion, the Ukrainian President made an emotional address pleading Russia to stop their leadership from sending troops into their territory. He declared martial law as the 20,000 Russian troops stationed on the borders of Ukraine, launched attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk, the separatist dominated province.
The Russian attack came as Putin declared the launch of a ‘special military operation’ to carry out the ‘demilitarization and denazification’ of Ukraine and end the war in the eastern province of the country, where Kyiv forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists.
Meanwhile, according to a statement by the White House, Biden has plans to speak early Thursday afternoon where he would address’ further sanctions’ the US and its allies would impose on Russia.