Putin declares military offensive in Ukraine as invasion starts

Putin declares military offensive in Ukraine as invasion starts

Vladimir Putin officially declared a military offensive on Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning, followed minutes later by explosions in the capital of Kyiv and across the country.

In an angry address broadcast just before 6am Moscow time, the Russian president said he could not tolerate what he called the threats from Ukraine.

"I have made the decision of a military operation," he said in the televised speech.

Following the end of his short speech, which coincided with an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Odessa, Ukraine’s third-largest city, as well as the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.