english.jpnn.com, KYIV - Russia began its invasion of Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized military operations in the Eastern Europe country, Thursday (24/2).
A large explosion occurred near the main airport in Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday (24/2) morning local time.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba immediately made a statement.
"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Kuleba said via his Twitter account.
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He called the attack "a war of aggression". Kuleba also ensured that Ukraine will try to defend its territory from Russia.
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Kuleba appealed for international assistance.
"The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now," he stressed.
Previously, Putin denied accusations by the United States that Russia would invade Ukraine.
The former intelligence officer of the Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) in the Soviet Union also urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to stop all military activities in Eastern Europe.
Russia also asked NATO not to accept Ukraine and other former Soviet Union countries as members of the defense pact based in Brussels, Belgium.
The virtual world is also boisterous with the Russian military action. Many netizens are worried that the Russia-Ukraine crisis will trigger a third world war. (mcr9/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Rusia Gempur Ukraina, Putin Awali Perang Dunia Ketiga?