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.
