Within hours of President Vladimir Putin authorizing military action in Ukraine, dramatic video hinted at the force of Russia’s military hardware.
As Russian forces launched what Ukrainian officials described as a “full-scale attack” on their homeland Thursday, footage captured on the ground showed helicopters swooping over cities. Meanwhile, tanks and other military vehicles rolled out onto streets.
In one video verified by NBC News, helicopters could be seen flying towards Antonov Airport in Gostomel, near Kyiv, as heavy smoke swirled on the horizon.
“Around 20 already flew, can’t see Ukrainian coat of arms, definitely Russian,” the person filming can be heard saying in Ukrainian.
“They are flying above the houses, they are flying towards the airport, they are bombing the airport — can hear there is a fight,” they say.
In another video, shot from nearby Vyshhorod, helicopters appear to drop flares as they travel over water and then inland.
The Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior’s spokesman said a number of Russian helicopters were shot down in Gostomel.
It came as Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said more than 40 of the country’s soldiers had been killed.
NBC News was not immediately able to confirm the government reports of casualties, battles and troop movements.
For weeks, Russia had been massing tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine’s border. And on Thursday Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was now under attack “from the south, north, east and from the air.”
Missiles and shelling struck a slew of targets Thursday, including airports and military sites, according to Ukrainian officials.
In Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, a Russian shell hit a hospital, killing four people and leaving 10 others injured, the Ministry of the Interior said in a Telegram chat. At least six doctors were among those hurt.
Video was also alleged to show tanks crossing the Belarus-Ukraine border on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, explosions could be heard before dawn in eastern Ukraine, with video appearing to capture explosions near Dnipro, less than 300 miles southeast of Kyiv.
“No, this is not a Russian invasion only in the east of Ukraine, but a full-scale attack from multiple directions,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet Thursday.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
