Watch LIVE TV: Russia declares war on Ukraine

New Delhi: Russian forces fired missiles and landed troops at several cities in Ukraine on Thursday (February 24, 2022), officials and media said. The development comes hours after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a “special military operation” in the east.

Watch LIVE TV for latest updates 

Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Gunfire rattled near the capital`s main airport, the Interfax news agency said, and sirens were heard over the city.

"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

"This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now," he added.