CNN reported on Thursday that Russian forces have taken control of Hostomel Airport, located 25 kilometers from Kyiv, through an air assault. Earlier, the Ukrainian border guard announced on Thursday that Russian ground forces had entered Ukraine. Officials from the border guard later stated that the Russian military was attempting to breach the Kyiv area. The officials mentioned that Russian helicopters were attacking Hostomel military airport near Kyiv and reported the downing of three Russian helicopters. The Ukrainian military commander stated, "We are engaged in combat against Russian forces at Hostomel Airport in Kyiv."
Ukrainian border officials confirmed that Russian troops entered Kyiv from Belarus to launch Grad rocket attacks on Ukrainian military targets. The Ukrainian military reported being hit by four ballistic missiles launched from Belarus. Meanwhile, Russia claimed that "the Ukrainian border guard has abandoned all its positions at our borders." The Ukrainian police confirmed that "Russia has carried out 203 attacks since Thursday morning," and fighting is ongoing on various fronts.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine confirmed the entry of Russian military vehicles into the country, arriving from Crimea. It reported that Russia was moving military equipment and vehicles to Ukraine from Crimea and executing bombings across the country, reaching the Lviv area in western Ukraine. The Ukrainian border guard stated in a release that Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the borders in several northern areas, as well as from Crimea, which has been annexed by the Kremlin in southern Ukraine.
A Ukrainian official stated that the country is facing ongoing cyberattacks without interruption. This comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow, summoned his military leaders on Thursday in light of the military operation Russia launched against Ukraine, as reported by a Telegram channel linked to the presidency. However, Lukashenko stated that his armed forces are not participating in the Russian military operation against Ukraine. The "Pol Pervog" Telegram channel reported that "Lukashenko is urgently calling for a meeting with military leaders. The meeting will start at the Independence Palace within an hour," around 08:00 GMT.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that precision weapons were being used to disable military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airports, and the Ukrainian army's aviation. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Russian armed forces were not carrying out any missile, air, or artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities, asserting that "military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airports, and the aviation of Ukrainian armed forces are being disabled by precision weapons," emphasizing that there is no threat to civilian populations, according to Russian media.
