On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military action in Ukraine, which was followed by explosions in the capital and other regions of the nation, infuriating US President Joe Biden, who warned of "catastrophic loss of life."
Weeks of intense diplomacy and the introduction of Western sanctions were ineffective in deterring Putin, who had amassed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops near Ukraine's border.
He made a surprise speech on television soon before 6 a.m., saying, "I have made the choice of a military action" (0300 GMT).
Putin cautioned other nations that interfering with Russian
actions will result in never-before-seen repercussions.
He accused the US and its allies of rejecting Russia's requests to prevent Ukraine from joining Nato and provide security assurances to Moscow. He stated that he wants the former Soviet state "demilitarised," but not occupied.
Putin stated that any Ukrainian military who lay down their arms would be able to leave the battle zone safely.
"The current government in Ukraine will bear full responsibility for the carnage," Putin stated.
Explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn stillness of Kyiv,
Ukraine's capital, just after Putin spoke. According to the Interfax news
agency, gunfire rang out near the capital's main airport.
Donetsk, a separatist city in eastern Ukraine, was also shaken by explosions, and civilian planes were urged to stay away.
The breadth of Russia's military intervention was unclear at
first. Despite massing tens of thousands of troops near its neighbour, Moscow
has long denied any ambitions to invade.
NATO has revealed to Reuters that an invasion of Ukraine
has started.
Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a military action
in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, potentially igniting a conflict in Europe over
Russia's demands for NATO's eastward expansion to be halted.
According to Reuters, NATO has initiated a formal invasion
of Ukraine. Risk currencies in forex, on the other hand, are maintaining their
own battle lines, with AUD/JPY holding daily trendline support:
"The purpose is to protect persons who have been victims of the Kyiv regime's brutality and genocide." We shall also work to de-Nazify and de-militarize Ukraine. "We will also bring to justice anybody who has perpetrated heinous atrocities against people, including Russian nationals," stated Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I am certain that Russia's military forces will carry out their mission properly and heroically." I am certain that all levels of government, including the experts in charge of economic stability, the financial and social system, and our businesses, will collaborate efficiently."
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has stated that Putin
is to blame for future human misery, and that he will address the American
people tomorrow. President Biden of the United States has threatened Russia
with "more repercussions."
On Thursday, Putin made his comments after the Kremlin stated rebel commanders in eastern Ukraine had requested military assistance from Moscow against Kyiv.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by making an emotive late-night appeal to Russians not to embrace a "big conflict in Europe."
In Russian, Zelensky said that the Russian people are being misled on Ukraine, and that the likelihood of war "depends on you."
"Who can put an end to it (the war)?" People. "I'm confident these individuals are among you," he remarked.
Zelensky said he tried calling Putin but got "no
answer, only quiet," and that Moscow now has roughly 200,000 troops near
Ukraine's borders.
Separatist leaders in Donetsk and Lugansk have already written to Putin, requesting that he "assist them oppose Ukraine's aggression," according to Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The two letters, both dated February 22, were published by Russian official media.
Their pleas followed Putin's recognition of their independence and the signing of friendship treaties with them, which included defence deals.
Thousands of Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine's
borders, and the West has been warning of an impending onslaught for days.