Ukraine: Defence Minister Urges Civilians To Join Forces

Ukraine's defence minister has urged citizens who are willing and able to help defend the country from Russia.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, coming after deploying 'peacekeeping' troops in the rebel-held regions of the country, which many world leaders correctly suspected as a pretext for war.

Within minutes of the address, in which he issued a chilling warning to the west against interfering, explosions were heard in multiple cities in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, with citizens taking cover or escaping while they can.

Ukraine's defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has appealed to those who are willing to join the territorial defence forces, after conscription for its army reservists was announced for people aged 18-60. A decree was also enacted yesterday which permits civilians to carry weapons and defend themselves. Weapons will also be distributed to military veterans in Ukraine, BBC News reports.

Reporting for Al Jazeera on the ground in Ukraine, Sara Cincurova shared the reaction among everyday residents when news of the invasion broke. 'Everybody was panicking … there was an old man asking what was going on and the train attendant told him the war has just begun,' she said.

'There was another passenger, an old lady whose son is in the army, who started crying. Other people were wishing each other good luck... and there was a big discussion about whether we should all get off in the next village. Some people decided to head east to meet with their families, but others got off.'

Several embassies have moved out of Kyiv amid the warfare: the UK moved its staff to Lviv a few days ago; Latvia, Sweden and Norway are also moving staff to Lviv; Czechia and Denmark have shut down their operations completely; and the Kazakhstan embassy has started providing evacuation assistance to its residents.

It's unclear how many people have been killed as a result of this morning's violence. The Ukrainian military claims around 50 Russian troops have been killed, as well as six planes being destroyed. A number of Ukrainian soldiers and border guards have also been killed, with Russia attacking the country from the north, east and south, according to local reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked world leaders to help the country with defending its airspace, also saying Russia 'has unleashed war with Ukraine and the entire democratic world'. Airlines have started suspending all flights to Ukraine.

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