Ukraine leader says at least 137 killed in full-scale Russian military attack as Western powers announce a series of sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has launched a full-scale military attack on Ukraine that opened with air and missile attacks on Ukrainian military facilities before troops and tanks rolled across the borders from the north, east and south.
The Ukrainian military has fought back on multiple fronts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address early on Friday that 137 people, both servicemen and civilians, have been killed and hundreds more wounded. A senior United States defence official said Russia may be intent on seizing Kyiv, the capital, and other key cities and ultimately installing a more friendly government.
As Ukrainian forces fought back and civilians piled into trains and cars to flee, the US and European leaders rushed to punish Russia with strong financial sanctions. NATO moved to strengthen its eastern flank.
Putin makes his move
In a televised address as the attack began, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists have been fighting for almost eight years.
The Russian leader warned other countries that any attempt to interfere in Ukraine would “lead to consequences you have never seen in history”. Putin accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to block Ukraine from ever joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees.
Putin said Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine but plans to “demilitarise” it, a euphemism for destroying its armed forces. He urged Ukrainian servicemen to “immediately put down arms and go home”. Soon after his address, explosions were heard in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had destroyed 83 Ukrainian military facilities.
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