Ukraine says ‘full-scale invasion’ by Russia underway as Putin orders military operation

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Putin’s move a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine” and said cities were being hit with military strikes.

“This is a war of aggression,” he said on Twitter. “Ukraine will defend itself and will win.”

During and immediately after Putin’s announcement, reporters on the ground in eastern Ukraine — including the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk — said they could hear explosions nearby.

A Reuters reporter later heard a series of distant loud noises similar to the firing of artillery in Kyiv, while local media reported gunfire was heard near the capital’s airport.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that missile strikes were fired at military command centres in Kyiv and Kharkiv. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Russian state media said that military infrastructure was being targeted, not Ukrainian cities themselves.

Russian troops have also landed in the southern port cities of Odessa and Mariupol, Interfax Ukraine reported.

Russia’s move came as the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday night, where U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Putin to “give peace a chance” and stop troops from entering Ukraine.

Russia’s U.N. ambassador Vassily Nebenzia later confirmed the operation in Donbas at the meeting, but admitted he did not have all the details on what was unfolding. He insisted, however, that military action was meant to end years of conflict in the region.

Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya confronted Nebenzia and the rest of the council, calling on the U.N. to “stop the war.”

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, called what is happening “a grotesque war crime.”

“Putin is the cause of all this. We cannot let him win,” Rae said on Twitter. “C’mon people, stop pretending. War has started.”

Rae went on to call what is happening “brutal thuggery.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Russia’s “egregious” and “unprovoked” attack on Ukraine, warning Putin’s actions will be met with “severe consequences.”

A meeting of G7 leaders had already been scheduled for Thursday before Putin’s announcement. Trudeau promised “significant sanctions” will likely arise from the meeting.

U.S. President Joe Biden also denounced the “unprovoked and unjustified” attack and said the world will “hold Russia accountable.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said allies would meet Thursday to tackle the consequences of Moscow’s “aggressive actions.”

“Once again, despite our repeated warnings and tireless efforts to engage in diplomacy, Russia has chosen the path of aggression against a sovereign and independent country,” he said.

A full-blown Russian invasion could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government. And the consequences of the conflict and resulting sanctions levied on Russia could reverberate throughout the world, affecting energy supplies in Europe, jolting global financial markets and threatening the post-Cold War balance on the continent.

For weeks, Russia has amassed over 150,000 troops along the border with Ukraine, though continuously denied it was planning to invade. Putin has demanded NATO withdraw from eastern European countries and that Ukraine demilitarize — demands Ukraine and the West have rejected.

The prospect of war in Ukraine grew louder on Monday after Putin recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, sanctioned the deployment of troops to the rebel territories and received parliamentary approval to use military force outside the country. The West responded with sanctions.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said rebel chiefs in those regions had requested military help from Russia to counter Ukrainian “aggression.” The announcement immediately fueled fears that Moscow was offering up a pretext for war, just as the West had warned.

A short time later, the Ukrainian president rejected Moscow’s claims that his country poses a threat to Russia and said a Russian invasion would cost tens of thousands of lives.

“The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an emotional overnight address to his nation in Russian. “But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.”

Zelenskyy said he asked to arrange a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin late Wednesday, but the Kremlin did not respond.

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had warned Wednesday night that they expected Russia to mount an invasion into Ukraine overnight, but were still holding out hope for a diplomatic solution to the unfolding crisis.

As a result of the Russian threat, Ukrainian aviation authorities declared some airspace in the east to be “danger areas” because of attempts by Russian aviation authorities to seize control of the airspace.

The announcement established buffer zones for Ukrainian-controlled traffic to avoid coming into conflict with Russian-controlled aircraft. Russia also issued a flight ban on civilian air traffic over eastern Ukraine.

On Wednesday evening, the only aircraft visible in the region on commercial flight-tracking websites was an American unmanned surveillance drone.

In other developments, Russia evacuated its embassy in Kyiv; Ukraine recalled its ambassador to Russia and considered breaking all diplomatic ties with Moscow and dozens of nations further squeezed Russian oligarchs and banks out of international markets.

–With files from the Associated Press and Reuters

by Sean Boynton, Global News

Ukraine says ‘full-scale invasion’ by Russia underway as Putin orders military operation

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