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Reuters: Russian forces launch invasion of Ukraine with strikes on defence
MOSCOW/KYIV, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east.
Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Gunfire rattled near the capital's main airport, the Interfax news agency said, and sirens were heard over the city.
WSJ: The Latest News on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Live Updates
Russian troops and tanks pushed into Ukraine and airstrikes hit the country's capital and more than a dozen other cities early Thursday after President Vladimir Putin said he ordered a military operation to "demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine" and bring its leaders to trial.
Ukrainian officials said an initial wave of strikes targeted military installations, airfields and government facilities across the country. Ukraine's border service said its troops came under attack all along the country's frontiers with Russia and Belarus as well as Crimea. Heavy shelling targeted the city of Mariupol on the Azov sea. Air-raid sirens sounded in Kyiv after 7 a.m. and the city's airport came under attack. Ukraine's military said it shot down five Russian warplanes and one helicopter. Russia denied any of its aircraft were hit.
CBS: NATO officials say Russian attack on Ukraine has begun
Russia has begun attacking Ukraine, NATO officials confirmed. The late-night attack began moments after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had "decided to conduct a special military operation" to protect eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. CBS News correspondents reported hearing loud blasts in the capital city, Kyiv, and in the eastern city of Kharkiv.
A Ukrainian government spokesperson said early Thursday that "cruise and ballistic missile strikes are underway at the control centers" in Kyiv.
BBC: Ukraine conflict: Russian forces invade after Putin TV declaration
Russian forces have launched a military assault on neighbouring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.
In a pre-dawn TV statement Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and demanded that its military lay down their arms.
Moments later, attacks were reported on Ukrainian military targets.
Ukraine said that "Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine".
Russian military vehicles were said to have breached the border in a number of places, in the north, south and east, including from Belarus.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by loonycyborg on Friday February 25 2022, @08:29AM (4 children)
I disagree about the way Ukraine went about the solving Donbas crisis. Outright invasion isn't something what I would personally go for nonetheless wouldn't oppose it either since I don't really see a difference between Ukraine attacking own people and Russia attacking Ukraine in retaliation. USSR internal borders never made much sense so no new countries should have been formed from SSRs without letting individual regions switch allegiance if their dominant nationality doesn't match the country well enough. If attacking people in Donbas is acceptable then it was also acceptable for Soviet Army to prevent dissolution of USSR with force.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 25 2022, @05:18PM (1 child)
Careful there - you'll be branded a Russian shill. But, you're right. Virtually no one in the West has said anything about the ongoing fighting in the Donbass region. It just didn't matter, when their fair-haired boys seemed to have the upper hand.
In a year or two, it would be interesting to see an accounting of all the billions invested in Ukraine since about 1995. The US stands to see about $10 billion flushed down the toilet. I have no idea how much Europe has invested, but down the toilet it goes. I hope like hell that Koch and Soros lose a hundred billion between them.
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Sunday February 27 2022, @12:27AM
Money are abstractions, they have so much of it they don't care how they burn it. If their proxies die they don't care either. Potential loss doesn't mean anything to them, only extra chance to make ridiculous theater. They apply sanctions that target common man first because it's about breaking the entire people, not just its government.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday February 26 2022, @12:58PM (1 child)
The civil war was part of that retaliation in the first place. Wouldn't have happened if Euromaidan hadn't happened.
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Saturday February 26 2022, @08:21PM
All three are parts of same campaign: Russia vs NATO proxy war.