The Ukrainian army announced the downing of 5 Russian planes and a helicopter in Luhansk, according to media reports.
And in a dangerous escalation, I announce Russian President Vladimir Putin, the start of a military operation in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, whose independence Russia recognized two days ago and concluded with its leaders a charity agreement, coinciding with the start of the military ground movement in Ukrainian cities during the past few hours.
Putin said that his country does not intend to occupy Ukraine, but rather to protect the Donbass region, which includes the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, warning against any external interference in Ukraine and at the same time calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms..
On the ground, Russian media announced that Russian ground forces had begun entering Maripol and Odessa, and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that a large fire had occurred in the Mykolai region, after a missile fell on a depot of missiles and artillery equipment near Kharkiv..