'Explosions' reported across Ukraine as Russia orders 'special operation'
RT
Blasts have been reported in several Ukraine cities, as Moscow launched a "special operation" in Donbass
A series of explosions have been reported across Ukraine, with eyewitnesses saying blasts have occurred near a number of major cities as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order authorizing a "special military operation" in the Donbass region.
Speaking from a rooftop in central Kiev on Thursday morning, CNN reporter Matthew Chance said he heard “four or five explosions” erupt in the city, though stated “I can’t explain what they are.”
The report came moments after Putin announced the military operation on behalf of the newly recognized breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, where a military conflict has raged between separatist forces and the Ukrainian government for years.
Live on @CNN air- Matthew Chance hears loud explosions in the Capital City of Kyiv. Unclear where they came from- but they happened just minutes after Putin effectively declared war on Ukraine. Moments later Chance put a flack jacket on live on the air. pic.twitter.com/EQgsKPzlJQ
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) February 24, 2022
Some of explosions have struck Kiev’s international airport Borispol, TASS correspondent has reported. Unconfirmed claims on social media said a military section of the airport was hit by several cruise missiles. However, the mayor of Borispol, the city near Kiev that hosts the airport, said on Facebook that the blasts were the result of Ukrainian troops firing at an unidentified aircraft, “most likely a drone”. He called on residents to remain calm, saying there was no need for them to move to bomb shelters.
Blasts were also reportedly heard in Kharkiv, some 400km (250 miles) east of Kiev, closer to the border with the Donbass. AFP separately reported an explosion in the coastal city of Mariupol, a major port held by Kiev's forces in the Donetsk region.
Now hearing jets over Belgorod. Possibly flying towards the Kharkiv area. #CNN #Russia #Ukraine
— Frederik Pleitgen (@fpleitgenCNN) February 24, 2022
An unnamed US official described the activity as “pre assault fire,” with a “land attack to follow,” according to Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin. The official reportedly added that blasts had been heard in the cities of Odessa, a major seaport at the Black Sea and Mariupol, a city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov, saying “it’s begun.”
US official tells me: Right now we are seeing the pre assault fires. Expect this to go on for a few hours. Land attack to follow with ALL of the full forces Putin has arrayed. Explosions heard in Kiev, Odessa, Mariupol. “It’s begun.”
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 24, 2022
Reuters journalist Idress Ali, citing a local witness, said a “series of explosions” could be heard in Belgorod, Russia, while CNN international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen claimed to hear “what sounds like outgoing artillery and rocket fire” from the same area. He later added that jets were heard over the city.
The New York Times reporter Michael Schwirtz said he witnessed a series of explosions coming from the direction of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. The city is part of the territory that the Donetsk People’s Republic claims as part of its territory. The Ukrainian government remained in control of it since the civil war broke out in the country in 2014.
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