A missile appears to crash into an airport which then bursts into flames
Horrifying videos taken by Ukrainians show missiles flying across the sky and crashing into airports as war erupts in front of their very eyes.
Russia has today launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine. Multiple explosions have been heard in major cities, with emergency sirens sounding across the country. A death toll has already started, with numerous people also missing. Meanwhile, traffic jams are already building as many Ukrainians attempt to flee their hometowns.
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin had ordered a “military operation” in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, as revealed during a televised address on Friday however the scale of what is happening appears to go far beyond this description.
Footage shows what appears to be a cruise missile crashing into the already-smoking Ivano-Frankivsk airport in the west of Ukraine.
The airport appears to burst into flames, followed by a huge cloud of smoke rising.
WATCH: Missile hits airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine https://t.co/EnskxXhpnq
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 24, 2022
Airports across Ukraine have been targeted, including Chuguyev airport near Kharkiv, the Mail Online reports.
Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD rockets have also taken out other targets from east to west, including airfields, military bases, ammo dumps and command posts.
Looks like this really is is the dreaded full-scale invasion. I genuinely didn't think Putin would do it to this extent, but here we are. Awful. Around 44million people live in #Ukraine. This could be catastrophic. pic.twitter.com/z8eETZ2c2v
— Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) February 24, 2022
Russian troops were seen parachuting into Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city located on the eastern border with Russia. A massive explosion was filmed in the city – but its target is still unclear.
The sky lit up with a huge explosion in Odessa, Ukraine’s south-western corner. Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Uman and Chernihiv in the east of Ukraine have all reported coming under attack, with blasts also seen in western areas Zhytomyr and Lviv, close to the border with Poland.
The international community has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, promising tough sanctions against the country.
Just hours before the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Putin to keep the peace in a speech aired live on television.
“The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” he said.
Related links:
- Reporters in Ukraine interrupted by explosions and missiles overhead
- Ukraine’s Twitter compares Putin to Hitler after Russia launch full-scale invasion
- Trump calls Putin ‘savvy’ and ‘genius’ as escalations on Russia-Ukraine border rise