Ukraine says 50 Russian troops killed, four tanks destroyed

Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near the eastern city of Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in Luhansk region and downed a sixth Russian aircraft, also in the country’s east.

Russia has denied reports that its aircraft or armoured vehicles have been destroyed.

Ukraine’s border guard service said that three of its servicemen had been killed in the southern Kherson region and that several more were wounded.

Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two and confirmation of the worst fears of the West.

Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders into the eastern Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, and landing by sea at the cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.

⚠️ #RussiaInvadedUkraine Today, on February 24 at 5AM, the armed forces of the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. #StayWithUkraine, stay tuned for updates on Ukraine’s official sources and channels in English and support Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy in Europe. pic.twitter.com/MYGk5zmLz2

— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 24, 2022

Explosions could be heard before dawn in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Gunfire rattled out near the main airport and sirens blared across the city.

A resident of Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv, the closest big city to the Russian border, said windows in apartment blocks were shaking from constant blasts. The city was gripped by panic as people tried to flee, said the resident, who asked not to be identified.

Ukraine’s President Volodymur Zelenskiy said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s aim was to destroy his state.