After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of that country, reporters and journalists in Ukraine reported hearing loud explosions near the country’s capital.
According to CNN journalists in Ukraine, the explosions were heard in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, located in the northeast, as well as in the vicinity of Kiev, the capital.
CNN reporters in the area also reported a “steady stream of loud explosions” heading towards the international airport.
“Reports on social media indicate several explosions in the Boryspil area to the east of the capital, where the international airport is located.“, reported the cited media.
In addition, people in the city of Kramatorsk also told CNN that they have heard at least two explosions in the last few minutes.
Such is the level of tension in the area that one of the CNN reporters was forced to put on a bulletproof vest and a helmet during the broadcast.
This is the moment when senior international correspondent Matthew Chance, a 21-year veteran of CNN, donned his flak jacket and helmet live on the air pic.twitter.com/sbj5Fao5uJ
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 24, 2022
The explosions began to be reported just after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine. and urged the soldiers of that country to lay down their weapons.
“I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin declared in an unexpected television message after denouncing a “genocide” orchestrated by Ukraine in the east of the country.
In the message he promised retaliation against those who interfere in the Russian operation in Ukraine, and called on the soldiers of the neighboring country to lay down their weapons.
In response, US President Joe Biden assured that “the world will hold Russia responsible” for the attack on Ukraine, which he described as “unjustified.”
Putin’s message came hours after the Kremlin claimed to have received a request for help from pro-Russian separatists to “counter” the Ukrainian army.
Throughout the day, Ukraine mobilized its reservists from 18 to 60 years old, approved the state of emergency and announced that it had been the victim of a new massive cyberattack.
“Nearly 200,000 Russian soldiers” are deployed on the border with Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday in an address to the nation, adding that he had unsuccessfully requested a meeting with Putin. He warned that the situation could lead to “a great war in Europe”.
Putin is “as ready as he can get” for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with “nearly 100% of the force pool that we had calculated he could deploy” to invade the country, a US defense official said on condition of anonymity.
*With information from AFP
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