INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, forcing residents to flee for their lives and leaving
plane with 14 people aboard crashed south of Kyiv on Thursday, the emergencies service said.The service said it was "still determining how
many people died." The incident occurred about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Kyiv, amid reports of several locations around the city
consequences and urged neighbouring countries to keep borders open to those fleeing the violence."We are gravely concerned about the
figures also made statements against the war."Soviet crimes went unpunished in Russia, and so they recur
The price for what was not done in 1991 are the Russian missiles and bombs killing Ukrainians today," Sergei Lebedev, author of
buried."It is too early to ask Ukrainians to forgive us," he wrote
"We will ask for forgiveness after the criminals who began this war are punished
If they are punished."Yelena Kovalskaya, director of the Meyerhold Theater Center, announced her resignation from the state theater
Thursday, saying: "It is impossible to work for a murderer and receive salary from him
duration of the mission will depend on "results" and will last as long as necessary
celebrities have posted black squares to Instagram in protest of the war.Russian journalists also joined the chorus of voices opposing the
war, with at least three dozen signing an anti-war petition launched by Kommersant business daily reporter Yelena Chernenko as of Thursday
territory.Military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told state television that forces of the Donetsk People's Republic gained "up to three
kilometers" (1.8 miles) in territory and those of the Lugansk People's Republic "advanced one and a half kilometers."He added that Russia
had "high precision weapons" and that Ukrainian civilians had "nothing to fear."12:52 p.m.: More than 40 Ukrainian service personnel and
"nearly 10 civilians" have been killed in the early stages the Russian attack, the Ukrainian government's press service said.12:39
command said that government forces had killed "around 50 Russian occupiers" while repulsing an attack on a town on the frontline with
AFP could not immediately confirm the death toll."Shchastya is under control
50 Russian occupiers were killed
Another Russian plane was destroyed in the Kramatorsk district
to repel a Russian invasion of his country."The supreme commander the Armed Forces of Ukraine gave orders to inflict maximum losses against
entered Ukraine across the Belarusian border
crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine's border guard service said.Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the
frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said.It said one of
its servicemen died in a shelling attack along the Crimean border, the first officially confirmed military death of the Russian
all sides."China is closely watching the latest situation, and we call on all parties to maintain restraint and prevent the situation from
von der Layen says Europe will "not let Putin tear down the security architecture of Europe," and expressed the bloc's unwavering support
She promised to level a "massive, unprecedented" package of sanctions against Russia later today to "severely weaken" the Russian
"In connection with the conduct of anti-terrorist activities, shipping in the Azov Sea is suspended from 4:00 a.m
24 until further notice," a representative of the Federal Agency for Maritime Transport Rosmorrechflot told Russian agencies.10:34 a.m.:
17 more unaccounted for.Russia's ground forces crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine's border guard service said,
Russia must end its military operations immediately
France stands in solidarity with Ukraine
immediately following Putin's announcement to a new all-time low, falling through 90 against the United States dollar and 100 against the
euro.10:08 a.m.: All Russian diplomatic staff have been evacuated from Ukriane, the Russian Embassy in Kyiv told the state-run RIA Novosti
news agency.9:53 a.m.: Video footage published by independent monitors appears to show that Russian rockets have targeted Ukrainin
Russia's military operation in Ukraine as "a day of shame" and warned that the political and economic consequences for Moscow would be
severe."Germany condemns in the strongest possible terms this unscrupulous act by President (Vladimir) Putin
Our solidarity goes out to Ukraine and its people," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement.9:42 a.m.: The first casualties have been
it has taken out military infrastructure at Ukraine's air bases and degraded its air defenses.It denied reports that one of its aircraft
had been downed over Ukraine
Krasnodar, Sochi and Anapa were temporarily suspended," Russian agencies quoted an aviation official as saying
Flights from Rostov airport were also cancelled, local media reported
reported in Ukrainian cities including Odessa, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol and Kyiv.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declares
martial law.AFP contributed reporting.
