World War III: #Ukraine Downs Five #Putin Led Russian Planes And Helicopter—The Genius Media Nigeria reports that The Ukrainian military claimed on Thursday 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.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday it had neutralised Ukrainian military airbases and its air defence systems, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military offensive against his country’s neighbour.
“Military infrastructure at Ukrainian army air bases has been rendered out of action,” the defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies, which added that Kyiv’s air defence systems were “eliminated”.
Minutes after Putin’s brief broadcast on Thursday morning, explosions were heard in many major Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.
According to The Guardian, Ukraine’s interior ministry warned that the nation was under attack by cruise and ballistic missiles, with Russia reportedly targeting infrastructure in important towns like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Dnipro.
As bombardment near Mariupol started, footage showed explosions from artillery rockets lighting up the night sky. According to a senior advisor to Ukraine’s interior ministry, Russian forces seemed to be moving toward Kharkiv, which is roughly 20 miles from the border. Residents of Kyiv took refuge in bomb shelters after hearing blasts outside the city.
