Conflict in Ukraine: After Russia invaded, fighting raged near Kyiv
Written byTimes Magazine
Ukrainian troops try to repel a full-scale Russian invasion, with fierce fighting raging near the capital, Kyiv.
There was fighting at the airport on the city's outskirts, which could serve as a stepping stone for the Russian troops to Kyiv if their forces managed to seize it.
On Thursday, the Russian offensive is being waged on multiple fronts after striking from the east, north, and south. Explosions hit Kyiv, damaging at least one apartment building. Ukrainian authorities said there had been a rocket attack on the city, and there were reports that a plane had been shot down.
Moscow launched the attack in the early hours of the morning, shortly after President Vladimir Putin declared war in a dramatic televised address. He threatened any state that wanted to intervene with "consequences you've never seen before."
Air and missile strikes rained down on towns and military bases before tanks hit three sides of the vast Ukrainian border. This was followed by weeks of escalating tensions as Russia amassed troops across the country.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to continue the struggle. He says the "new Iron Curtain" is falling, and his job is to make sure his country stays on its west side.
Mr. Zelensky ordered troops and reservists to be called in for a battle in all areas of Ukraine. The country's defense minister urged anyone who could hold a gun to join Russia's efforts to fight it.
But as night fell, fears of a Russian attack on the capital grew. Gunfire and explosions were attended throughout the city, and the President was quoted by Ukrainian media as saying that "saboteurs" had entered Kyiv.
Western intelligence officials had previously warned that Russia was building a "force" to control the city.
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