KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Ukrainian forces battled Russian invaders on three sides on Thursday after Moscow unleashed the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, prompting tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in a pre-dawn televised address, explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the day in Kyiv, a city of 3 million people.
The assault brought a calamitous end to weeks of fruitless diplomatic efforts by Western leaders to avert war. EU leaders made an unprecedented Thursday to close borders for all travelers outside the EU in an effort to remain out of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict as thousands of Ukrainian refugees are looking to flee the country. There is no details yet on how soon this will be enforced or how long these restrictions will be in place.