Russian forces attacked targets across Ukraine on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin vowed to “demilitarise” the country and replace its leaders, triggering the worst security crisis in Europe since World War II as the West threatened further punishing sanctions in response.
Russia launched a barrage of missile, artillery and air attacks early on Thursday. Ukraine’s border guard said that it was being shelled from five regions, including from Crimea in the south and Belarus to the north, as Russian tank columns moved into the country. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said that the capital, Kyiv, was under attack and urged citizens to go to shelters.
