JAKE JOHNSON|
RUSSIA launched a far-reaching military attack on Ukraine on Thursday, invading the country through multiple border sites and bombing more than a dozen cities as civilians attempted to flee their homes in panic.
One Ukrainian official reported that “hundreds” have likely been killed thus far as explosions and artillery fire were heard throughout the country, including in the capital Kyiv. Ukraine’s military said it shot down six Russian warplanes and one helicopter, but Russia denied that any of its aircraft were struck.
Russia’s assault—which came after months of troop build-ups along the Ukrainian border—drew widespread international condemnation, with world leaders and humanitarian groups denouncing the invasion as an illegal act of aggression and demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces.”We will defend ourselves,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech ahead of the invasion. Zelensky has since imposed martial law, noting that Russia “conducted strikes on our military infrastructure and our border
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