Over 40 Ukrainian Soldiers Dead, Dozens Injured in Russian Shelling | 10 Points

Russia-Ukraine News: Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian government spokesperson had confirmed that Russia had invaded over the Belarus border as well, only 120 miles from Kyiv.

New Delhi: Adviser to Ukraine President Office has informed that more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and several dozen by Russian shelling, news agency Reuters reported. Notably, Ukraine is under siege after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was invading in what he termed a “special military operation”, sending in tanks from the northern border with Belarus in a combined Russian-Belarussian offensive, and launching attacks from the east and south, including on the capital Kyiv, a Daily Mail report said. Putin had also issued a warning to other countries saying that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action will lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

More than 40 Ukraine soldiers, around 10 civilians killed – AFP News Agency quotes Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy#RussiaUkraineCrisis pic.twitter.com/0FKVprKpI9

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022

Here are the key points

1. Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital and other major cities following Putin’s announcement.
2. Ukraine has claimed it has killed ‘around 50 Russian occupiers’.
3. The Ukrainian military also claimed to have downed five Russian planes and a helicopter in the east of the country near a rebel-held enclave. “According to the Joint Forces Command, today, February 24, in the area of the Joint Forces operation, five planes and a helicopter of the aggressors were shot down”, the army general staff said.
4. The Russian defense ministry also said it has destroyed air bases, air defences in Ukraine with precision weapons.
5. Photos and video showed Ukrainians driving out of Kyiv Thursday morning, as air raid sirens wailed across the capital.
6. Intense lines were also seen at Kyiv’s Metro station with people attempting to get onto trains to flee the city. Some were just heading into the station to take refuge.
7. Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian government spokesperson said that Russia had invaded over the Belarus border as well, only 120 miles from Kyiv.
8. “The state border of Ukraine was attacked by troops from Russia and Belarus. At about 5 AM, the state border of Ukraine, in the area with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, was attacked by Russian troops supported by Belarus”, he said.
9. The Indian embassy in Kyiv had also issued an advisory for stranded citizens there and urged them to remain safe at their location.
10. “Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your home, hostels, accommodation, or in transit,” the Indian embassy in Kyiv said.