An apartment complex was reportedly hit during the opening salvo in Russia’s early morning full-scale invasion into Ukraine, which started off with an intense barrage of bombs and missiles that hit several major cities and ports.
Justin Yau, a freelance journalist that has worked for The Los Angeles Times and Reuters, tweeted a video of the apartment complex, writing: “An apartment complex in [Chuhuiv] is devastated by bombardment, south of Kharkiv. Untold number of casualties.”
An apartment complex in Is devastated by bombardment, south of Kharkiv. Untold number of casualties. pic.twitter.com/jdx4CQdGeK
— Justin Yau (@PDocumentarians) February 24, 2022
Russians bombed a civilian apartment complex in Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv pic.twitter.com/EXpvbwhRM5
— Alexander Lourie (@AlexanderLouri4) February 24, 2022
Getty Images later published images of firefighters trying to extinguish fires at the apartment complex. “Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an airstrike hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2022,” the caption of the photo, which is the featured image of this news report, states.
Sky News reported that firefighters were trying to rescue civilians from inside the apartment complex while The Telegraph reported that Ukrainian security forces were helping those wounded at the scene.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine during the early morning hours on Thursday, at approximately the same time that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a “special military operation” was underway. Putin told Ukrainian soldiers to give up and go home while threatening the U.S. and NATO that, if they intervene, “Russia will respond immediately, and you will have consequences that you never have had before in your history.”
The initial wave of Russian attacks against Ukraine targeted military and government facilities, airfields, and installations along the border, and large explosions were seen in videos posted on social media. Ukraine said that Belarus, which is aligned with Putin, assisted Russia in attacking Ukraine. A senior Ukrainian official told The Wall Street Journal that hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers died in the initial volley of attacks. That number is likely to quickly rise as Russian ground forces entered Ukraine and Russia has launched attacks against targets in multiple cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mariupol, and others. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he was imposing martial law “across the entire territory of our state.”
Oil prices skyrocketed to more than $100 per barrel, Dow futures plummeted 700 points, and Bitcoin lost as much as 8.6% of its value following the invasion. A top Russian official responded to relatively weak sanctions from Democrat President Joe Biden against Russia by effectively saying that Americans would feel the repercussions of the sanctions because Russia would raise the cost of gas. “There is no doubt that the sanctions introduced against us will hit global financial and energy markets,” the official said. “The United States will not be left out, with its ordinary citizens feeling the consequences of the price increase in full.”
Leaders from around the world issued statements condemning Putin for launching the attack while Ukraine pleaded for help at the United Nations. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the United Nations General Assembly, “We urge member states to use all available means to protect Ukraine and deter Russia.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the organization will “meet to address the consequences of Russia’s aggressive actions” and that NATO would “do all it takes to protect and defend all Allies.”