February 24, 2022, 07:20 PM
More than 40 Ukrainian soldiers and around 10 civilians have been killed so far after the Russian invasion of capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement.
A few dozen soldiers are reportedly injured, according to CNN.
The aftermath of Russian air strikes in Ukraine’s Kharkiv — in pictures https://t.co/RAFF107wdb pic.twitter.com/1olxplrbOS
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 24, 2022
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser in the President’s Office, said that in addition to the military casualties, “as far as I know, at the moment there are a few civilian deaths -- up to 10.”
On Twitter, disturbing footage purportedly of a missile strike in the middle of the road in Ukraine obliterating a cyclist was circulated.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has to contend with an additional new dimension as it is the first war between two nations that will likely play out on social media platforms, such as TikTok, which will be inundated with both raw media of the war in real time, as well as memes and fake and altered information to confuse in the fog of war.
https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/status/1496803235692269569
Russian forces gain ground
Meanwhile, the Russian army said Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine are advancing and have gained territory.
Military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told state television that forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic gained “up to three kilometers” in territory and those of the Lugansk People’s Republic “advanced one and a half kilometers”.
Our latest photos as Russia invades Ukraine, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two https://t.co/iLv2gJzZNo pic.twitter.com/qVbDffTwPm
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) February 24, 2022
The effects of the shelling by Russia were evident across Ukraine.
Al Jazeera reported that a missile crater, 4m to 5m wide, was scoured into the earth between two devastated five-floor residential buildings.
Civilians were seen crying in a devastated housing estate in the middle of the wreckage of a missile attack in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv in the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine woke up on Thursday, Feb. 24 to an invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Top photo via Getty
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