Reports of 40 dead as blasts ring out across country, including Kiev, after Russian president announces start of war
Video appears to show Russian helicopters attacking military airport near Kiev
Dozens of people have died after Russia attacked Ukraine with airstrikes in a “full-scale invasion”.
CCTV cameras caught Russian military vehicles rolling through border force checkpoints as ground troops crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine early on Thursday.
Ukraine said at least 40 of its soldiers had died after being bombarded with more than 30 strikes on civilian and military infrastructure by 11am GMT.
The country’s national police force said Russia had already carried out 203 attacks, with fighting going on almost everywhere throughout Ukraine‘s territory.
Border force guards were among the dead, as was a boy killed after shelling struck an apartment building in the eastern region of Kharkiv.
Explosions were heard on the outskirts of the cities of Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, as well as the capital Kiev, shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in the east of the country on Thursday morning.
Inside the country, airports have been shut down temporarily and secured against potential Russian aircraft landings, while Russia has closed its own airspace around the border to civilian access for the next four months.
Long queues could be seen snaking along a motorway on as Ukrainians attempted to flee following the invasion.
The New York Ukrainians organising medical aid for their homeland as Russia invades
Members of the US-based non-profit Razom for Ukraine are organising medical supplies and helping to train civilian medics as part of a country-wide effort to repel the Russian military.
Board member Maria Genkin, 46, told The Independent the organisation had raised $70,000 in recent days as part of the effort.
Ms Genkin, who moved to the US 27 years ago, said she had spent much of Thursday coordinating with territorial defence units in Ukraine.
Here, she talks to our reporter Bevan Hurley:
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 15:22
Missile appears to hit Odessa military base amid Russian-Ukraine invasion
Russian missiles have targeted air bases and military infrastructure in at least 25 Ukrainian cities, Eliza Ketcher reports.
CCTV footage shows a huge explosion after a missile appears to strike the Odessa military base, with other blasts reported in cities including Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Dnipro and Mariupol.
Missile appears to hit Odessa military base amid Russian-Ukraine invasion
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 15:17
Schalke remove Gazprom logo from team shirts after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
German football team Schalke 04 has removed the name of Russian sponsors Gazprom from their shirts.
The 2 Bundesliga club have been sponsored by the energy giant, which is majority-owned by the Russian state, since 2007, but will replace the logo with “Schalke 04”.
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 15:12
Watch live as Ukrainian ambassador to UK holds briefing on Russian invasion
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK is currently holding a briefing on the situation.
You can watch our live stream here:
Watch live as Ukrainian ambassador to the UK holds briefing on Russian invasion
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 15:08
Map plots explosions and troop movements in Ukraine
Here’s a graphic showing explosions and troop movements in Ukraine as Russia continues to invade
Watch as Russian airborne troops ‘take control’ of Antonov airport to form air bridge
A CNN journalist at Antonov airport, about 15 miles outside the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, is reporting that Russian airborne troops have now taken the airport.
Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance, who is at the scene, said he had spoken to the commander of the unit, who said they are now “in control of the airport”.
They are reportedly aiming to form an air bridge to allow more Russian troops to enter Ukraine via the air base.
Ukrainian defences are thought to be planning a counter offensive to take back the airport.
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 14:59
Video: Emergency workers battle apartment block fire after reported missile attack in Ukraine
A missile attack has devastated a residential district in eastern Ukraine.
Footage shared on social media shows emergency crews battling a fire in an apartment block in Chuguiv, a small town in the Kharkiv region.
Emergency workers battle apartment block fire after reported missile attack in Ukraine
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 14:45
‘Darkest hour’: Russia launches invasion of Ukraine as world leaders vow to punish Putin
Russia unleashed all-out war on Ukraine from land, sea and air on Thursday, attacking targets all around the country including the capital Kiev, pushing Europe towards its most ruinous conflict since 1945 and prompting international fury at the actions of President Vladimir Putin.
Officially, at least 40 Ukrainian lives, including civilians, have already been lost to the conflict, but that number is certain to grow much higher as the conflict rages. Ukraine claims to have killed 50 Russians.
My colleague Samuel Lovett has a summary of the key updates so far:
Chiara Giordano24 February 2022 14:38
Explosion at power plant – minister
Ukraine’s energy minister says there has been an explosion at the Trypilska power station but it continues to operate.
Reuters
Zoe Tidman24 February 2022 14:33
Images from Ukraine
Here are some images coming out of Ukraine after Russian troops invaded
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man sits outside his destroyed building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv
(AFP via Getty Images)
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Russian military vehicles drive along a street in the town of Armyansk in Crimea
(REUTERS)
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