Russian forces have attacked Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced he had authorised a “special military operation” in the ountry’s east at the same time as the United Nations Security Council met for its second emergency meeting this week.
Russian media on Thursday reported President Putin saying he had approved a “special military operation” in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where Moscow earlier recognised rebel-held territories in Luhansk and Donetsk and said they had asked for its “help”. Clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces were only a matter of time, he added.
Shortly after Putin spoke, Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, who is in Kyiv, said there were explosions in the capital and power had been cut.
It appeared to be a “full-scale attack”, targeting the airport and key buildings, he said. There was “chaos” in the city centre, he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a brief national address to say that he was declaring martial law and that Ukraine would “win”.
“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
US President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Zelenskyy, condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces”, the White House said.
Biden said in a statement he briefed Zelenskyy on Washington’s and its allies’ planned next steps against Russia, including “severe sanctions”.
In an impassioned appeal, UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s actions.
“In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia,” he said. “In the name of humanity, do not allow a war to start in Europe which could be the worst war since the beginning of the century with consequences not only devastating for Ukraine, not only tragic for the Russian Federation but with an impact we cannot even foresee.”