International News Updates

Putin on Thursday authorised "a special military operation" in the Donbas region, and Ukraine confirmed that military targets across the country were under attack.

Oksana, a 40-year-old manager, said she was hiding in an underground parking area after an air defence alarm in Kyiv.

The US President tweeted that he and his G7 counterparts had agreed to move forward on what he called "devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures" against Russia.

Prime Minister Modi appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue, it said.

Putin said Russia's move came in response to threats emanating from Ukraine. He also warned other countries that if they attempted to interfere with the Russian military operation they would see consequences they have never seen .

As well as an appeal to end "business as usual" with Russia, Kyiv wants the EU to open its emergency aid system (the civil protection mechanism) to Ukrainians, The Guardian reported.

The Russian Defence Ministry has claimed that it is not targeting cities or civilians and in a warped attempt to reassure Ukrainians, it said there is 'no threat to the population' because Moscow's forces are using precision weapons, the report said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba issued a statement in which he asserted that Moscow "has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine."

A residential building in Chuguev was destroyed after it was shelled. Footage has emerged which shows the devastation being inflicted by the Russian military, BBC reported.

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Russian maritime traffic authorities had earlier banned all travel in the Sea of Azov due to the country's ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

He asked the people of Ukraine to support the national armed forces, including by taking up arms and preparing for a fight. He promised to lift personal sanctions, which he had imposed previously, from anyone willing to defend Ukraine, RT reported.

Russia launched its "special operation" in Ukraine on Thursday morning. As President Putin said, the operation is aimed at stopping the Ukrainian army's attacks on the two breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, now recognized by Moscow as sovereign states.

Six Russian jets were shot out of the sky over the eastern Donbass region with 50 Russian troops killed, Ukraine claimed, before Moscow boasted of taking full control of the skies, the report said.