Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights: 137 dead after first day of fighting, reports AFP citing Ukrainian president

The Ukrainian interior ministry said on Thursday that one person was killed and another was wounded in Brovary, Kyiv, according to news agency Reuters. 

Meanwhile, Russia backed separatists said that they have claimed control of two towns in the Luhansk region. 

The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Thursday issued an advisory for Indian nationals. 

The present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are. 

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday came out with a to-do list for the world as Russia has started a military operation in the country.

Moscow said on Thursday that it destroyed Ukrainian airbases and air defences, moments after the military claimed it shot down five Russian planes and one helicopter in Luhansk region. 

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that five Russian planes and one  helicopter were shot down in Luhansk region, according to news agency Reuters. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a "glaring violation" of international rights, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday, joining the growing chorus of voices condemning the military operation. The German leader joins US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UN chief Antonio Guterres, and others in denouncing Russia's attack on Ukraine. India has warned the attack could spiral into a major crisis.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday Russia's attack on Ukraine and said that Moscow will be held accountable. “In these dark hours, our thoughts are with Ukraine and the innocent women, men and children as they face this unprovoked attack and fear for their lives,” Leyen said. 

Air India flight AI1947 is coming back to Delhi due to civilian aircraft curbs in Ukraine's Kyiv. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Thursday warned airlines to not fly over or near Ukraine and exercise "extreme caution" in airspace within 185 km of the Belarus-Ukraine and Russia-Ukraine borders, news agency Reuters reported. 

A special flight from Ukraine landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday morning, carrying 182 Indian nationals (mostly students) from the crisis-hit European country. The flight landed at 7.45 am. Earlier this morning Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a surprise 'military operation' in Ukraine.)

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday that Russia has launched full scale invasion, moments after Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine. 

"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now," Kuleba tweeted. 

According to reports, military command centres in two Ukrainian cities- Kyiv and Kharkiv have been attacked by missile strikes.

On Thursday morning, Sensex dropped by more than 1,300 points at 55,880 while Nifty was trading at 16,667.

Explosions were reported in Eastern Ukraine's Mariupol region after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced military operation in the country. 

US President Joe Biden condemned Russia for an “unprovoked and unjustified attack” on Ukraine, warning that the decision of what Putin called a “military operation” will bring a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”. Biden promised that the and its allies “will hold Russia accountable.”

In a written statement, Biden adds: “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the “military operation” would lead to “consequences they have never seen”. Minutes after the UN chief asked Putin to stop the troops, the Russian President said the decision to conduct a special operation was made to “protect” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Putin insisted that he doesn't plan to occupy Ukraine while urging Ukrainian soldiers to lay their arms and go home.

“Anyone who tries to interfere with us, or even more so, to create threats for our country and our people, must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history,” he said, as quoted by news agencies.

Russia President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine and called on the Ukrainian military to lay down its arms, warning that the responsibility for any "bloodshed will be on the conscience" of the Ukrainian regime, reported news agency AFP.

Acknowledging the operation being prepared by Russia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Putin to give peace a chance. 

“Indeed an operation is being prepared (by Russia). President Vladimir Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance,” Guterres said at the emergency Security Council meeting.

Civilian aircraft have been restricted in Ukrainian airspace "due to potential hazard for civil aviation", according to a notice to airmen issued on Thursday after a conflict monitor zone increased the risk to ‘do not fly’.

The notice, issued at 0156 GMT, is due to expire at 2359 GMT on Thursday unless extended, reported Reuters.

A conflict monitor zone has increased the risk level of flying over Ukrainian airspace to ‘Do Not fly’ given the significant risk to civil aviation amid heightened tension in the region. 

"Regardless of the actual movements of Russian forces into Ukraine, the level of tension and uncertainty in Ukraine is now extreme," Safe Airspace, which was set up in the aftermath of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash, said on its website. "This itself gives rise to significant risk to civil aviation."

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members.

The Ukrainian government shut down airports in eastern Ukraine from midnight through 7am (local time) due to the ongoing confrontation with Russia. The authorities have also declared some airspace as “danger areas”.

At least five explosions were heard in Donetsk, the separatist-held eastern Ukrainian city, early on Thursday followed by four military trucks heading for the scene, according to a Reuters witness.

The United Nations Security Council will hold its second emergency session in three days over the ongoing Ukraine crisis, reported news agency AFP citing diplomatic sources as Russian troops build-up continue near border areas. The meeting requested by Kyiv is scheduled for 2.30am GMT Thursday (8am IST), according to the report.