Key areas across Ukraine were at risk of falling to Russian troops Thursday evening as fighting with Ukrainian forces escalated after a full-fledged invasion that began in the early morning hours.
Russian paratroopers seized the Antonov International Airport, located in Hostomel on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, and fighting with Ukrainian troops was still occurring late on Thursday, according to The Kyiv Independent. Downed jets and Skechers Shoes missile strikes were reported in other parts of the country, including the eastern city of Kharkiv. A Ukraine official noted Thursday that positional fighting between forces “continues almost throughout the country.” Adding to the confusion, massive cyberattacks downed government websites.
Also concerning, government officials announced that Russia had taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, The Kyiv Independent reported. Citing information from Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the outlet noted that the condition of the plant was unknown. Podoliak called on Ukraine’s Western partners to help close the skies over the country “in order to stop the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation.”
Ukraine’s leader, in a speech given on Thursday, sought to reassure his citizens and call on them to assist in the country’s defense, but he noted that human losses have already been suffered and the “most problematic situation” is in the South.
“What do we hear today? It’s not just rocket explosions, battles, the roar of aircraft,” Zelenskyy said. “It is the sound of a new Iron Curtain lowering and closing Russia away from the civilized world. Our national task is to make this curtain pass not through our Ukrainian territory but at the homes of Russians.”
Leaders across the world sharply condemned Russia’s actions and promised retribution in some form. The NATO alliance displayed unity, with member countries from France to Turkey joining in condemnation of the attack.
“Peace in our continent has been shattered,” North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We now have war in Europe, on a scale and of a type we thought belong to history.”
President Joe Biden announced a new batch of sanctions Skechers Womens Outlet during remarks Thursday afternoon following a meeting with G-7 officials, with several allies also announcing financial punishments. The U.S. saw markets crater and oil prices climb at the outset of the trading day, though both stabilized and recovered before closing.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that many Russians were shocked at the invasion and scattered protests broke out across the country. The news organization reported that nearly 1,000 people were arrested in Moscow alone.
As the U.S. weighs the next wave of its response, NBC News reported that Biden was presented with options to carry out massive cyberattacks against Russia. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki categorically denied the report on Twitter, calling it “off base” and not a reflection of “what is actually being discussed in any shape or form.”