Political | Process

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a chilling warning to the West, saying any country which tried to “interfere” would face immediate consequences.

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• Russia launched an unprecedented invasion of its neighbor Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning, with reports of explosions and missile strikes on several key Ukrainian cities including its capital, Kyiv.

• The military assault on Ukraine appears to be taking place both on the ground and by air, with preliminary reports of the first casualties coming in from officials in the country.

• Explosions have been heard in the cities of Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Mariupol, and there are incoming reports of fighting and fatalities in other parts of the country. 

• Russia began attacking various positions across the country early Thursday local time after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would carry out a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

• Explosions and sirens in Kyiv as Russia invades Ukraine

• Its goal, Putin said, was what he called “the demilitarization” of Ukraine. He said Russia’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, saying “we are not going to impose anything on anyone by force.”

• There’s little evidence of military aggression from Ukraine, and Russia’s claims to the contrary are seen by many as a pretext for justifying an invasion.

• On Twitter on Thursday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for “an immediate end to Putin’s war against the world” and said “we are building an anti-Putin coalition” without elaborating further. He also called for immediate sanctions on Russia as well as “defense and financial support” saying that “the world must force Russia into peace.”

• The Kremlin issued more statements later on Thursday morning, saying Putin would decide how long the military operation would last “based on its progress and aims.” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, also told reporters that Ukraine needs to “ideally” be “liberated” but that “nobody is talking about the occupation of Ukraine,” saying that word was “unacceptable,” according to Reuters.