[USA Today] International condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's pre-dawn attack against Ukraine mounted Thursday, as U.S. and Western allies prepared to impose punishing sanctions against Moscow for a stunning full-scale invasion that global leaders had been warning about for weeks.
The attack threatened to create global upheaval and escalate into the largest military conflict on European soil since the end of World War II.
"This is a brutal act of war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
Here's what to know about Russia's attack on Ukraine:
WHEN DID THE INVASION START? At roughly 10 p.m. ET (5 a.m. in Ukraine), Russian forces began a military operation in eastern Ukraine.
HOW DID BIDEN RESPOND: Biden said G7 leaders would convene Thursday morning. He is expected to announce the harshest sanctions possible against Russia at noon ET.
HAS PUTIN SAID ANYTHING? Russian president has not made any comments since his declaration of war was televised in Russia. He met with the president of Pakistan at the Kremlin on Thursday.
ARE THERE CASUALTIES? Ukraine last reported about 40 people dead from Russian attacks.
Explosions were heard in major cities, including the capital of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said at least 40 people had been killed and dozens others wounded in the attack so far. Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had hit military assets and other defense facilities, while footage shared by Ukrainian border guards showed Russian military vehicles moving across the border from Crimea.
Zelenskyy announced Ukraine had cut diplomatic ties with Russia, declaring martial law and offering to issue weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Despite pleas to stay home, people in Kyiv were jamming roads to leave.
Global markets plunged and oil prices skyrocketed on news of the invasion, a dramatic escalation after weeks of diplomacy talks failed to defuse the months-long standoff between Moscow and NATO countries over Ukraine's sovereignty. |