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.
Ukraine is coming under Russian artillery fire and land invasion along its northern and southern borders, the border guard service said on Thursday, adding that
This is one of the saddest places on earth now. with its largely Russian-speaking and Russia-backing population, its proximity to the front lines and the presence of a power plant makes it particularly vulnerable