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A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military action in the breakaway regions of Ukraine, Russian forces have reached the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Explosions could be heard in Kyiv early Friday local time, as reports indicated Russian troops were closing in on the city. Many Ukrainians had rushed to leave the capital Thursday.
People wait for buses at a bus station as they attempt to evacuate the city Feb. 24, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Overnight, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with explosions reported in multiple cities and far outside the restive eastern regions held by Russian-backed rebels.
(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
“Russian mechanized forces, which came in from Belarus, are 20 miles outside of Kyiv,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Thursday night, according to reporting from Axios. Austin added that the military is looking into ways to provide Ukrainian forces with more equipment, including ammunition.
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Kyiv residents reported loud explosions, the Kyiv Independent reported. Ukrainian forces might have shot down a Russian missile in the capital, according to the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet.
Russian shelling outside Kyiv had already done significant damage.
The debris of a privet house in the aftermath of Russian shelling outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia on Thursday unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian facilities across the country.
(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russia had lost an estimated seven aircraft, six helicopters, more than 30 tanks and 800 troops, as of 3 a.m. Friday.
The Kyiv Independent posted photos of the destruction from what appears to have been a plane crash.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
