According to the latest news, bombings have occurred in cities across Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
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Russia attacked Ukraine in an all-out attack
According to The New York Times, explosions in cities across Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday indicate that Russia has begun a full-scale invasion. Ukrainian officials say Russia has fired cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at airports and military headquarters near the Ukrainian capital Kiev. In the south, Russian troops landed in Odessa.
Ukrainian officials said that in eastern Ukraine, Russian missiles hit Kharkiv and Dnipro, and Kramatorsk also heard a loud roar. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Russia had launched attacks on 10 regions of Ukraine, mainly in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a message saying that high-precision weapons will cause the Ukrainian Air Force's military infrastructure, air defense equipment, military airfields and air forces to lose combat capabilities.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has entered a state of emergency operation and has mobilized all military forces and special forces.
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Russian army route prediction
According to U.S. and Ukrainian officials, Russia has been building a massive military force along the Ukrainian border since October, with as many as 190,000 soldiers in or near Ukraine. In recent weeks, the presence of the Russian army has evolved from troops scattered around military bases and training grounds to combat readiness units arranged in tactical formations. According to military analysts, they appear ready to attack Ukraine from three directions: north, east and south.
Here are the places where Russia has increased its troops during the current build-up:
Figure 1 Before the troop build-up: Russia has numerous military bases near its border with Ukraine and added several additional facilities in Crimea after annexing Crimean territory in 2014. Russian troops are also stationed in transnistria, a Russian-backed separatist region of Moldova.
Figure 2 December 2021: Towards the end of last year, Russia began moving troops, tanks and heavy artillery to new positions across the country. Much of the build-up is concentrated in two separatist provinces in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, where troops have been at war with Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
Figure 3 January 2022: Russia begins shipping equipment and troops to its close ally Belarus in preparation for joint military exercises. Russian troops in Belarus could allow Russia to open a new front on Ukraine's northern border, near the capital Kiev.
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Figure 4 February: Russian officials announce a partial withdrawal, but U.S. officials dispute this claim and say Russia has instead increased its presence. Troops from Russia's most advanced central and eastern military districts are still deployed.
In recent weeks, Russia has deployed the final components needed for a large-scale military operation against Ukraine. Military experts say the force includes fighter jets and attack helicopters, as well as elite paratroopers and special forces, which typically act as spearheads in any invasion plan.
Troops deployed in northern Belarus could quickly reach the capital Kiev, while the Russian navy in the Black Sea could threaten Ukraine's southern coast. Most military analysts and officials believe any attack would begin with a massive incursion into eastern Ukraine, an area located near two separate territories to which Russia has long supplied troops and weapons.