At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres sent a direct message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him: "Stop your troops from attacking Ukraine!"
The senior diplomat acknowledged that he had been "wrong" because he never thought that something serious could happen in the region.
Guterres said this moments before Putin announced a special operation to protect Donbas.
Breaking news and the crisis between Ukraine and Russia: Putin announces a special military operation to protect Donbas