Ukraine fighting to stop ‘a new iron curtain’ after Russian invasion

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said his compatriots are fighting to stop "a new iron curtain" falling across the country after Russian forces launched a huge and long-dreaded invasion that has sparked fears of the biggest war Europe has seen since 1945.

Minutes after the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ended weeks of agonised speculation by announcing a "special military operation" at dawn on Thursday, explosions were heard near major Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv.

Ukraine's interior ministry reported that the country was under attack from cruise and ballistic missiles, with Russia appearing to target infrastructure near major cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Dnipro.

Zelenskiy responded to the invasion by declaring martial law and saying Kyiv would issue weapons to every Ukrainian who wanted to defend their country.

As Ukrainian diplomats pleaded with the world to stop the Russian aggression, Zelenskiy warned of a bleak return to the past. "What we have heard today are not just missile blasts, fighting and the rumble of aircraft," he said.

"This is the sound of a new iron curtain, which has come down and is closing Russia off from the civilised world. Our national task is to make sure this curtain does not fall across our land."

By mid-afternoon on Thursday, Russia's defence ministry claimed to have "neutralised" Ukraine's airbases and air defences, destroying 74 military ground facilities, including 11 airfields, three command posts and 18 radar stations for anti-aircraft missile systems.