Ukraine conflict: Russia attacks Chernobyl - Zelenskyj sees "declaration of war on all of Europe"

Created: 02/24/2022, 17:13

By: Andreas Schmid

The war has started.

The Russian army bombs Ukraine.

There are already dead.

All information about the Ukraine conflict in the news ticker.

• Russia's invasion of Ukraine has begun: The Ukraine conflict* has escalated.

• There are reports of deaths, the air raid alarm was triggered in Kiev.

• This

  news ticker on events in Ukraine

  is continuously updated.

  All information on the Ukraine conflict can be found in our overview text on our topic page on the Ukraine conflict*.

Kiev/Moscow - The Ukraine conflict escalated on Thursday.

The war has started.

Russia invaded Ukraine.

As reported by the Ukrainian police, the fighting has now spread to almost the entire country.

The Ukraine conflict* also comes into effect in Chernobyl.

Ukraine conflict: fighting with Russian troops near nuclear waste storage facility in Chernobyl

According to the government in Kiev, the fighting in Ukraine is also spreading to the area where the Chernobyl nuclear reactor was destroyed.

A representative of the Interior Ministry in Kiev said there were fighting between Ukrainian and Russian units near the nuclear waste storage facility.

Russian troops entered northern Ukraine from Belarus, and the Ukrainian National Guard soldiers stationed at the nuclear waste disposal site put up "stubborn resistance" to the attack.

"Russian occupying forces are trying to capture the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Zelenskyy tweeted on Thursday.

"Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 does not repeat itself." The head of state emphasized: "This is a declaration of war against all of Europe." The Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986 is considered the greatest disaster in civilian use of nuclear power.

Hundreds of thousands were forcibly resettled.

At that time Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. 

Ukraine conflict: air alert in Kiev - people should be in air raid shelters

An air alert has been sounded in the Ukrainian capital.

On Thursday afternoon, the administration called on all citizens to get to safety in air raid shelters if possible.

Kiev has about 2.8 million inhabitants, the entire Ukraine 45 million.

In the morning, the air raid sirens could already be heard as a test.

In Ukraine, martial law has been in force nationwide since 5:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. CET) by decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyj*, initially for 30 days.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko* imposed a curfew.

According to the country's army, there is fierce fighting with Russian troops for a military base near Kiev.

As the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zalushny announced on Facebook, there was fighting over the Hostomel military airport in the north of the capital.

Combat helicopters were also apparently deployed in the area.

In this photo released by the press service of the Police Department of Ukraine, Russian military helicopters appear to be flying over the outskirts of Kiev as smoke billows over houses.

The Ukraine conflict escalates.

© Uncredited/Ukrainian Police Department Press Service via AP/dpa

Ukraine conflict: official reports of deaths

Russian President Vladimir Putin* had ordered the invasion of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions during the night.

At noon, the authorities in Ukraine reported Russian attacks from different directions.

By 12 p.m. (CET), Russia had carried out more than 30 attacks with aircraft, artillery and cruise missiles “on Ukrainian civilian and military infrastructure”, the General Staff said.

There are official reports of deaths on both sides.

At least 18 people died in a rocket attack in the Odessa region.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, "nearly 50 Russian soldiers were killed in the Shchastya area."