Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin authorised a military operation. Over 40 Ukrainian and 50 Russian soldiers have died. 18 civilians in Ukraine’s Odessa were also killed in a missile attack.
Here are the 5 latest developments of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
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Ukraine says it has killed ‘around 50 Russian occupiers’. The announcement came hours after Russia’s ground forces crossed into Ukraine from several directions.
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The Russian defence ministry said it has destroyed air bases, air defences in Ukraine with precision weapons. A Ukrainian military plane with 14 people aboard crashed south of Kyiv on Thursday, emergency services said.
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Ukraine claims that it has downed five Russian planes and a helicopter in the east of the country. “According to the Joint Forces Command, today, February 24, in the area of the Joint Forces operation, five planes and a helicopter of the aggressors were shot down,” the army general staff said.
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Anton Gerashchenko, Ukraine’s deputy interior minister, said that Russia has fired missiles on military headquarters, airports, military warehouses near Kyiv, Kharkov and Dnieper.
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Local media reported explosions in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire was also heard near the capital’s main airport.
