“I made the decision to carry out a special military operation.” With these words, Russian President Vladimir Putin began, on February 24, 2022, the invasion of neighboring Ukraine, triggering the worst conflict on the European continent since the Second World War.
In a context of growing tensions with the West, the Russian president launches hostilities shortly before 06:00 local time (00:00 GMT), with a surprise announcement on television.
The objective is the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine”, says, in a harsh tone, the head of the Kremlin, reiterating the unfounded accusations of a “genocide” orchestrated by Ukraine in the Russian-speaking east of the country and denouncing an “aggressive” NATO policy .
Two days earlier, Putin had declared the “independence” of breakaway Ukrainian territories in Donbass, which Kiev has fought with weapons since 2014.
The Russian president threatens the West with “unseen consequences” in case of interference.
– “Large Range Invasion” –
Loud explosions are heard in the skies over the former Soviet republic. The attacks are targeting the capital, Kiev, Kramatorsk (headquarters of the Ukrainian army in the east) and Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country, located close to the Russian border. Also in Odessa, on the Dead Sea coast, and Mariupol, the main port.
Air warning sirens are heard from one end of the country to the other.
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, denounced the beginning of a “large-scale invasion”.
Since dawn, Ukrainians have been crowding the Kiev metro, which has been turned into a shelter. “I woke up to the sound of bombs. I packed some bags and left,” Maria Kashkoska, 29, told AFP, curled up in a state of shock.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky promises to “win”, proclaims martial law and asks, in a video on Facebook, that his 40 million fellow citizens “do not panic”.
– At the gates of Kiev –
In the first hour of the morning, Russian armored vehicles enter Ukrainian soil from the north – coming from Belarus, an ally of Moscow -, south and east.
With “total air superiority” over Ukraine – limited in anti-aircraft resources despite growing military aid from the West – the Russian army advances towards Kiev, where a curfew is imposed.
Russia wants to “decapitate the Ukrainian government” and install pro-Moscow leaders, according to an analysis by Western military sources.
Russian forces transported by helicopter attack the military airport of Gostomel, outside the Ukrainian capital.
As the hours pass, troops from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea – annexed in 2014 by Putin – advance in the south and take control of Genishesky, in the Kherson region.
In the northeast, fierce fighting takes place in Kharkiv, where Russian paratroopers arrive.
“I didn’t think this would happen while I was alive,” 52-year-old Olena Kurilo told AFP, her face covered in blindfolds, due to injuries sustained in an attack. “I will do everything for Ukraine, as much as I can,” assured this teacher from Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv.
– Putin, international “pariah” –
Criticism rains down on Western countries.
US President Joe Biden announces an arsenal of economic and financial sanctions aimed at turning the Kremlin leader into “a pariah on the international stage”.
The United States, says Biden in a solemn tone, will defend “the smallest inch of NATO territory”, but will not send troops to Ukraine, which is not a member of the Atlantic Alliance. The Pentagon announces the deployment of 7,000 additional troops to Germany, bringing the number of US troops in Europe to 90,000.
The Armed Forces of NATO countries are placed on standby.
European Union (EU) leaders adopt “massive” financial sanctions against Russia.
China, a rare dissenting voice that maintains close ties with Moscow, says it “understands Russia’s concerns”.
– Zelensky, the Commander-in-Chief –
At night, Ukraine denounces that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, near Belarus, scene of the worst nuclear accident in history, in 1986, fell into the hands of the invaders.
Russia claims to have destroyed more than 70 military installations, including 11 airfields. Ukraine says it has shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter.
At the end of this first day of war, Volodymir Zelensky mourns the death of “137 Ukrainian heroes” and decrees military mobilization.
The president presents his country as the “shield of Europe” against Russia and points to the lack of help from his Western allies. “Who is ready to fight with us? I don’t see anyone, ”he says, lamenting NATO’s refusal to send troops to Ukraine.
Assuming the role of Commander-in-Chief, wearing military clothes, the 44-year-old former comedian vows he will remain in the capital with his government, thus starting a powerful military resistance movement.
– Panic in the markets –
European stock markets fall by up to 5% and commodity prices soar. Investors worry about possible disruptions to the supply of oil and gas, of which Russia is one of the main producers.
Fears over Russian and Ukrainian exports send wheat prices skyrocketing to unprecedented levels.
– Refugee flow –
The Russian offensive forces around 100,000 Ukrainians from their homes. Several thousand rush to the EU’s borders, especially with Poland, Hungary and Romania.
The conflict sparks the fastest exodus since World War II.
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