According to President's office, more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers and around ten civilians were killed in the first hours of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at an emergency briefing on Thursday, vowed to fight back against Russia's major military intervention in his country. The Ukrainian leader stated that national solidarity is a defining feature of Ukraine and urged people with military training to join the fight against Russia.
He said Ukraine has ended diplomatic ties with Moscow on Thursday in response to Russia's invasion of its Western-backed neighbour. In his message, he said, "We severed diplomatic ties with Russia". It is the first break in relations between Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
According to President's office, more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers and around ten civilians were killed in the first hours of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In his message, Zelenskyy further said that they would give weapons to anyone who wanted to defend the country. He urged citizens to 'be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of the cities'. "We are fighting for our freedom and to protect our country," Zelenskyy said, adding, "We hope - we are ready to protect our country with the weapons we have."
We will lift sanctions on all citizens of Ukraine who are ready to defend our country as part of territorial defense with weapons in hands.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa)The leader also urged world leaders to provide Ukraine with defence assistance and to help protect its airspace from Russia. "Russia has unleashed a war on Ukraine and the entire democratic world," he declared. He requested that world leaders provide large-scale defence assistance and protect Ukraine's airspace from the aggressor.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Ambassador to India, Dr Igor Polikha, has urged the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and "immediately contact Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy."
He stated that India has a special relationship with Russia and that New Delhi can take a more active role in managing the situation. Polikha went on to say that they are willing to defend their territorial integrity. He went on to say that they are hoping for the active support of the Indian leadership in bringing the war to an end. He stated that they are currently asking for and pleading for India's assistance.
"In the event that a totalitarian regime attacks a democratic state, India should fully assume its global role. Modi ji is widely regarded as one of the world's most powerful and respected leaders," he added.
Further, he stated that he does not know how many leaders Putin might listen to, but Modi's status gives them hope that in the case of his strong voice, Putin should at least consider it. He went on to say that they are expecting the Indian government to take a much more favourable stance.
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