Late Wednesday night, Vladimir Putin declared the start of Russia’s military operation against Ukraine.
Within minutes of Putin's public address, Russian forces launched an attack on the Ukraine, causing explosions across the country, including in the capital city of Kiev.
Throughout the night, cruise and ballistic missiles hit strategic points causing chaos. Russian attacks focused on military infrastructure and strategically important facilities, such as airports.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Russian forces carried out a series of missile strikes on Ukrainian airports and military airbases, hitting several of them and causing catastrophic damages.
From Ukraine's Aeroflap News:
"According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the following airports/airbases were damaged by missiles: Boryspil (Kyiv), Chuguev/Chuhuiv (Kharkiv), Kramatorsk (Donetsk), Kherson, Kulbakino (Nikolaev, east of Odessa) and Ozerne (Zhytomyr).
The interest of doing damage early on in attacks is to prevent an air offensive against Russian forces on the ground or in the air. At the same time, with calculated and GPS-guided attacks, Russia manages to destroy the Ukrainian defense arsenal with weapons, fighters, aircraft, radar, missiles and anti-missile systems."
Several videos emerged online showing the wreckage:
Kherson airportpic.twitter.com/qvvDAsFPLP
— marqs (@MarQs__) February 24, 2022
Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport. pic.twitter.com/bxCXJ8z7Un
— doge (@IntelDoge) February 24, 2022
https://twitter.com/OSINT_Ukraine/status/1496730861378711552?t=VAOf53tY1QTMQmyCsyrugw&s=19
Another shows the Ukrainian Military Air Base at Kulbakinko. The runway and critical infrastructure was completely destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile attack.
Watch:
https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/status/1496725138162733056?t=IVctxctmui2ai8V6X1PHwg&s=19
In one jaw-dropping video, a group of people can be seen fleeing the Ivano-Frankvisk International Airport when a cruise missile speeds on screen and strikes the building behind them, causing a massive explosion.
Absolutely horrifying.
WATCH: Missile hits airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine https://t.co/EnskxXhpnq
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 24, 2022
Russian forces were even able to hit several of Ukraine's key military infrastructures, including military warehouses that held hoards of ammunition.
Ukrainian army warehouses near Vinnitsa, or what's left of them pic.twitter.com/88PcawVSPM
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) February 24, 2022
Ukrainain President Volodymyr Zelinsky has declared martial law and is telling his people to remain inside as the country mounts its response.
For now, all airports on the eastern side of Ukraine have been temporarily closed.