The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict

Russia has launched war on Ukraine and has launched missiles onto Kharkiv and Kyiv and many other reported places.

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Ukrainian military airbases have been hit at 5 am. And the UN has declared Ukraine as an active war zone.

Missiles are raining down on kiev and russian forces are attacking Odessa via an amphibious assault. Putin says It's a "special military operation" to "denazify" Ukraine. However, Biden says the attacks are "unjustified".

Biden is also being pressured to send aid to Ukraine.

And It is expected that Biden will do a mass wave of sanctions on Russia by Thursday (according to the state department).

Russia also holds a large supply of oil to many countries such as Germany, and oil prices are increasing.

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky now has issued martial law across the entire country, and is urging citizens to stay calm and inside their homes. He has tried to call Putin on Wednesday but was unsuccessful.

Ukrainian forces also say 5 russian aircraft and a helicopter have been shot down. And airports in southern Russia has restricted all operations.

And It looks like Belarus is in on it as well (allegedly), The US Department of Defense is tracking the incursion of troops from Belarus into Ukraine, However, not completely confirmed.

UPDATE 1:

The President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission issued a joint statement Thursday condemning Russian military action in Ukraine "in the strongest possible terms."

UPDATE 2:

The two self-proclaimed "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, in the breakaway Ukrainian region of Donbas, which he had officially recognized as independent less than two days before, had "turned to Russia with a request for help," he said. To answer that call he was launching a "special military operation." Its purpose: to "demilitarize" and "denazifiy" Ukraine.

 Putin described the "special military operation" in limited terms, to protect people living in Donbas who, he claimed, had been subjected to "genocide," a charge that Ukraine has strenuously denied. But in the next breath, he lashed out more broadly: "NATO supports Ukrainian neo-Nazis ... our actions are self-defense against threats."

Putin is making the claim that Russia is defending innocent people from the Ukrainian miltiary which is commiting "genocide" in Donestsk and Luhansk. He claims that Russia has always defended itself and now It is "demilitarizing" and "denazifying" Ukraine which "supports neo-nazis".

Nato cheif confirms they will respond to Russia's attack.

Russian state media is calling this a "moment of liberation" in Luhansk and Donetsk.

UPDATE 3:

An Air raid warning has been issued by the kyiv city governemnt, all residents are being asked to seek shelter.

On Thursday morning, air raid sirens sounded in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv for the first time, outside of regular drills, since World War II. The picturesque city is being transformed from a tourist hotspot to a place preparing for war.

Most shops in the city were shuttered. Long queues extended outside the few open stores; pharmacies, supermarkets, and even pet stores. The wait is over two hours long at most petrol pumps, or gas stations, where fuel is being rationed in an attempt to prevent fuel shortages.

The Biden administration is considering moving more US forces already in Europe to countries further east due to the massive Russian firepower so close to allies, according to a US official familiar with the matter.  

Russian authorities have told citizens not to participate in anti-war protests, the country's Investigative Committee warned in a statement on Thursday. 

RUSSIAN SUCCESS IN THE WAR:

Russian airborne troops have taken control of the Antonov Airport, which is about 25 miles away from the center of Kyiv.

This could lead to a direct opening to Kiev which would be devestating for Ukraine.

MAP OF THE BOMBINGS IN UKRAINE:

https://gyazo.com/9329836af871c4ffa93f53ef34d3d689

(Live cam of kiev)

(another source)

(another source)

(another source)

What do you think the outcome will be?

MAP OF RUSSIAN-SEPERATIST HELD AREAS:

(DARK YELLOW: OCCUPIED)
(LIGHT YELLOW: PARTIALLY OCCUPIED)

https://gyazo.com/de9f9c5343c908c911dedb0f54592403