Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced a special military operation in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in a move he said was aimed at protecting civilians that didn’t include plans to occupy Russia’s smaller neighbor.
Ukrainian airspace has been closed to all civilian aircraft, according to Eurocontrol which manages European air traffic. A formal notice to pilots and operators has been sent warning of the "potential hazard for civil aviation."
Ukraine shifted Wednesday to a war footing, declaring a state of emergency, beginning to mobilize reservists and calling on its citizens to leave Russia immediately in the midst of warnings of an imminent full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he tried to call Mr. Putin but was unable to speak to him. Instead, the Ukrainian leader released a video address in Russian in which he urged Russian citizens to oppose the war, which he said would lead to the deaths of tens of thousands. He said that Ukraine posed no threat to Russia.