Russia starts its war against Ukraine [Video]

• Russia has initiated its attacks on Ukraine on Thursday morning.
• The nation made its move despite several threats of sanctions from Western countries.
• Russia’s 8-year war with Ukraine started in 2014 when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea.

Russia has started its attacks against Ukraine early Thursday morning, according to the Ukrainian interior ministry.

Artillery fires have been reported across the border, along with missile strikes in the eastern city of Kharkiv and blasts heard from the capital, Kyiv.

US President Joe Biden stated, “The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President Putin has chosen a pre-mediated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.”

Prior to the attack, Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine had formally requested military intervention.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still tried to appeal for peace on the night before the attack, but promised to “fight back” if Russia continues its incursion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin effectively declared war in an early morning address that occurred during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Putin declared that Russia aims for the “demilitarization” and “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, whose president is Jewish.

Following Putin’s remarks, explosions were heard in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and the port city of Odessa.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told everyone to expect a “full scale” and “comprehensive military assault” that could come in the form of airstrikes, amphibious landings, cyber attacks, and “a large ground force to occupy a large swath of territory.”

Ukrainian authorities have already reported hundreds of casualties, as Russian tanks started entering the border from Belarus and occupied Crimea. Such attacks have prompted analysts to believe that Russia has started a full-scale invasion.

Russia had been amassing its military might around Ukraine’s borders since late 2021. About 190,000 Russian troops have been deployed by the time of the attack.

The US and its allies have worked to find a diplomatic solution, but Russia made impossible demands, such as banning Ukraine and Georgia from NATO.

Putin has expressed his plans to claim Ukraine for years, telling former President George W. Bush in 2008 that Ukraine is “not even a country,” and that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people.”

During Putin’s 20 years in power, he has made moves to retake countries that have once been part of the Soviet Union. The recent attacks prove his determination to this cause despite facing heavy economic sanctions or a strong response from NATO.

Source: Business Insider