Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing air strikes and ordering ground troops across the border in fighting that Ukrainian authorities said left dozens of people dead.
The attack triggered Western warnings of unprecedented sanctions against Russia as NATO, EU and G7 leaders condemned the invasion and vowed to hold Moscow accountable.
Weeks of intense diplomacy failed to deter Putin, who amassed over 150,000 troops on Ukraine's borders in what the West said was the biggest military build-up in Europe since World War II.
"I have decided to proceed with a special military operation," Putin said in a surprise statement on television shortly before 6 am.
Shortly afterwards, the first bombardments were heard in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and several other cities.
Russian air strikes hit military installations across the country as ground forces moved in from the north, south and east, forcing many Ukrainians to flee their homes to the sounds of bombing.
Fighting was also seen raging in Chernobyl near the nuclear facility where the 1986 reactor blast leaked radiation, after which Ukraine reported that Russian troops captured the Chernobyl power plant.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its first day of the Ukraine invasion was "successful" hours after announcing it had destroyed 74 above-ground military infrastructure facilities, including 11 aerodromes. Ukrainian police said Russia had carried out 203 attacks since the beginning of the day.
PM Modi spoke to Putin today regarding the crisis and called for an immediate end to violence.
Here are the live updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis:
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday his country was "left alone" to fight Russia after the Kremlin launched a large-scale invasion.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a "frank" phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday, the Kremlin said, after Moscow sent troops to invade its pro-Western neighbour Ukraine.
Russian forces restored water flow to a canal linking the Dnieper River in Ukraine to Russian-annexed Crimea, a Russian defence ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, as Russia pressed ahead with a vast military operation against Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced severe new sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, including freezing assets of major banks and cutting off high-tech exports to the country.
Britain on Thursday imposed a biting package of sanctions on Russia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson said would degrade its economy "for years to come", as he slammed President Vladimir Putin in unusually personal terms.
A Russian AN-26 military transport aircraft crashed in Russia's southern Voronezh region on Thursday, killing its crew on board, Interfax news agency quoted Russian military officials as saying.
The United States will deploy 7,000 more troops to Europe, to be based in Germany, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon announced Thursday.
The United States has expelled Russia's number two diplomat in Washington in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow's expulsion of a senior US envoy, a State Department official said Thursday.
The Russian forces came in shooting as they dropped from the open doors of helicopters to gain control of a strategic airport on the edge of Kyiv.
Ukrainian forces are defending against an invasion on three sides by a Russian military that is bigger, better armed and steeped in recent combat experience from Syria's civil war.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been captured by Russian forces, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Thursday.
The Pune district administration has set up a control room to help students and others from the district who are stranded in Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he had no other option but to order what he has called a special operation against Ukraine, saying all of Moscow's previous attempts to change the security situation had come to nothing.
Moscow vowed Thursday to respond in kind to "unfriendly" European Union sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko on Thursday announced an overnight curfew in Ukraine's capital as the country battled to repel a Russian invasion.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are battling for control of an airbase on the northern outskirts of Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian officer said Thursday, as dozens of attack helicopters swooped on the area. Read more here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an attack on Ukraine shortly before 8:30 am Indian time, saying the military operation was to defend separatists in the east from "genocide". Dozens have been reported dead on both sides. Read more here.
Russian authorities on Thursday warned anti-war sympathisers from gathering for protests, after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently meeting key ministers of his cabinet to discuss the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and ways to mitigate the impact of rising crude oil prices.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the alliance had no intention to send forces into Ukraine after Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday compared Russia's invasion of his country to military campaigns carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Kremlin said Thursday it believes Russians will "support" Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, saying the duration of the mission will depend on "results" and will last as long as necessary.
EU and NATO member Lithuania said on Thursday it would impose a state of emergency after the Russian army's air and ground attack on Ukraine. Read more here.
PM Modi will meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other officials on Thursday evening to discuss the economic impact of Russia-Ukraine crisis and ways to mitigate the impact of rising crude oil prices, a government source told Reuters.
Ukrainians living alongside fellow expats from "brother" Russia in the Mediterranean seaside town of Limassol in Cyprus looked on in horror Thursday at the Russian assault on their homeland.
Germany on Thursday said the EU, NATO and the G7 would work to hit Russia with severe sanctions after the Kremlin launched an air and ground assault on Ukraine.
"We will launch the full package with the most massive sanctions against Russia and we will strengthen our security and our allies," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
China reiterated on Thursday a call for all parties involved in the situation in Ukraine to exercise restraint and rejected a foreign journalist's description of Russia's actions as an invasion.
The comments were made by foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular daily briefing.
Ukraine says killed 'around 50 Russian occupiers', reported news agency AFP.
Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that his military is not taking part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, state media reported.
"Our armed forces are not taking part in this operation," Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said. Moscow has stationed tens of thousands of troops in Belarus.
The head of the Ukrainian military said Thursday he had received orders from President Volodymyr Zelensky to repel a Russian invasion of his country.
"The supreme commander the Armed Forces of Ukraine gave orders to inflict maximum losses against the aggressor," Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Valeriy Zaluzhny said.
The Ukrainian military death toll from the Russian invasion rose to three Thursday, the border guard service said, with confirmed losses suffered along the southern border with Kremlin-annexed Crimea.
The Russian armed forces were trying to invade Ukraine from several directions, using rocket systems and helicopters to attack Ukrainian position in the south, the border guard service said.
India is looking for alternative routes to evacuate its citizens living in conflict-hit Ukraine after the east European nation closed its airspace following a Russian invasion. An Air India flight going to Ukraine turned back for Delhi this morning. Flight trackers on the internet show no commercial aircraft in Ukrainian airspace as of now.
Sources said high-level meetings are going on at the Ministry of External Affairs, or MEA, to work out contingency plans and find alternate evacuation routes for thousands of Indian citizens living in Ukraine.
Poland on Thursday asked NATO to activate Article 4, which calls for emergency consultations if a member is threatened, after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine.
Poland's ambassador in Brussels, where NATO is based, "submitted a request to the NATO secretary general, together with a group of allies," Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, but the alliance has repeatedly condemned Russia's aggressions against its neighbour.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for European "unity" in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron after his country came under Russian attack, Macron's office said.
Zelensky also called for "many interventions" to aid Ukraine, while Macron assured Ukraine of France's "support and solidarity," it said.
President Emmanuel Macron has summoned the French defence council early Thursday in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine, his office said.
The gathering of the council, headed by Macron and featuring a small number of key ministers, is to start at 9:00 am (0800 GMT), the Elysee said.
Russia faces "unprecedented isolation" over its attack on Ukraine and will be hit with the "harshest sanctions" the EU has ever imposed, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday.
"This is not a question of blocs. This is not a question of diplomatic power games. It's a matter of life and death. It is about the future of our global community," he said in a broadcast statement.
China says 'closely watching' Ukraine situation after Russian attack, reported news agency AFP.
Ukraine border guards report first death from Russian invasion, reported news agency AFP.
Russia on Thursday said it closed shipping in the Azov Sea, which lies between Russia and Ukraine, after President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine, agencies reported.
"In connection with the conduct of anti-terrorist activities, shipping in the Azov Sea is suspended from 4.00 am (0100 GMT) on February 24 until further notice," a representative of the Federal Agency for Maritime Transport Rosmorrechflot told Russian agencies.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday strongly condemned Russia's military action against Ukraine, vowing Paris would work with allies to end the war.
"Russia must immediately put an end to its military operations," Macron wrote on Twitter, saying Russia had made the decision to "wage war" on Ukraine.
Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine, news agency AFP reported.
Russia's assault on Ukraine is reverberating in the energy-rich Gulf, where top oil and gas producers face economic and political dilemmas in easing sky-high prices and alleviating shortages in Europe.
Australia hit Russia with a "second phase" of sanctions on Thursday over its assault on Ukraine, the first salvo in an expected battery of new international measures to punish Moscow.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Thursday preside over an emergency meeting to discuss the "horrific" Russian attack on Ukraine, his office said.
"The Prime Minister will chair a COBR at 0730 (local and GMT) to discuss the response to the horrific attacks in Ukraine this morning," a Downing Street spokesperson said.
India's embassy in Ukraine has asked Indian nationals living in the conflict-hit eastern European nation to "maintain calm and remain safe". The advisory comes hours after an Air India flight going to Ukraine turned back for Delhi after the country closed it airspace, following Russian military operations in two breakaway areas.
Flight trackers on the internet show no commercial flights in Ukrainian airspace as of now.
"Dear Indians in Ukraine, the present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodations or in transit," India's embassy in Ukraine said in the advisory.
Russia's attack on Ukraine "shakes the foundation of the international order", Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday, strongly condemning the military incursion.
"The latest Russian invasion shakes the foundation of the international order, which does not permit unilateral attempts to change the status quo," he told reporters after a meeting of the country's security council.
US President Joe Biden will meet with his counterparts from the Group of Seven allies early Thursday to map out more severe measures against Russia after President Vladimir Putin launched what Biden called "a premeditated war" against Ukraine.
Biden, who spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy late on Wednesday, said the United States and its allies will respond in "a united and decisive way" to what he called "an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces" on Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday lashed Russia's attack on Ukraine as "unjustified and unjustifiable," saying Europe and NATO were working on an immediate response.
"The Italian Government condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine. It is unjustified and unjustifiable. Italy is close to the Ukrainian people and institutions in this dramatic moment. We are working with European and NATO allies to respond immediately, with unity and determination," Draghi said in a statement.
Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the country's allies were building a "coalition" against Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged the world to take measures to force Moscow to stop its attack.
"We are building an anti-Putin coalition," Zelensky wrote on Twitter, after talks with the leaders of the US, EU, Britain, Germany and Poland.
"The world must compel Russia to peace," he wrote.
The Ukrainian military claimed on Thursday to have downed five Russian planes and a helicopter in the east of the country near a rebel-held enclave, reported AFP.
"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.
Russia Says Destroyed Ukraine Airbases, Air Defences: Reports
Air raid sirens rang out Thursday in Ukraine's western city of Lviv, an AFP reporter said, adding that there were no immediate sounds of explosions or other signs of attack.
The city has turned into the temporary base of several Western embassies, including the United States and Britain, which evacuated their diplomats from the capital Kyiv in the days preceding Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Ukraine is coming under artillery attack along its northern border with Russia and Belarus, the border guard service said on Thursday, adding that Ukrainian forces were returning fire.
The statement was issued as a Ukrainian interior ministry official reported the Ukrainian government-held town of Shchastya had fallen to Russian-backed eastern insurgents.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned on Thursday the "horrific events in Ukraine", saying Russia's President Vladimir Putin "has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack".
"The UK and our allies will respond decisively," he tweeted, adding he had spoken to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A visibly emotional Ukrainian ambassador traded barbs with his Russian counterpart during a heated late-night emergency Security Council meeting on the Russia-Ukraine crisis Wednesday.
Sergiy Kyslytsya implored the council, chaired by Russia, to "do everything possible to stop the war" against his country.
"It is the responsibility of these bodies to stop the war," Kyslytsya told the meeting of the 15-member council, which began shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine.
Kyslytsya urged UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia of Russia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the council, to "call Putin, call (Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov to stop (the) aggression."
Ukraine's armed forces are heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's, but as Russia begins what may be a large-scale invasion, military experts say they would be capable of mounting significant resistance and inflicting heavy casualties.
Ukraine's army is also better trained and equipped than in 2014, when Russia captured the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine without a fight, and is widely seen as highly motivated to defend the country's heartland.
Here are some details of Ukraine's military.
Russian forces attacked targets across Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin ordered an operation to demilitarize the country, in what Ukraine's foreign minister called a "full-scale invasion."
Putin appealed to Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and go home in a nationally televised address ahead of the offensive. He said Russia doesn't plan to "occupy" its southern neighbor, but that Russia must "defend itself from those who took Ukraine hostage," accusing the U.S. and its allies of crossing Russia's "red line" by expanding the NATO alliance.