Missile barrage as Russia strikes by land, sea and air

Casualties ‘on both sides’ amid reports of troops being parachuted in

- Nicholas Cecil, Michael Howie, Rachael Burford and Will Stewart

EXPLOSIONS rocked Ukraine’s cities and towns today as a “full-scale” Russian invasion was under way, sparking horror and revulsion around the world.

Russian troops started attacking from around 5am local time on multiple fronts — from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east and annexed Crimea in the south, according to Ukrainian border guards.

In a televised address, Russian leader Vladimir Putin warned the West against intervening, saying: “To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside — if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history.”

Loud explosions were heard by residents in Ukraine’s capital , Kiev, believed to be an attack on the outskirts, and in other major cities. Within hours, a boy was killed in the Kharkiv region after shelling struck an apartment building, emergency services said.

Grisly images also showed a man who was believed to have been killed in an air strike outside of the city of Kharkiv, a cyclist being hit by an attack in Uman in central Ukraine, and bloodied, injured civilians.

An adviser to Ukraine’s presidential office said more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers were dead and dozens wounded, with 10 civilians also believed to have been killed.

Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in Luhansk region and downed six Russian war planes in the east. Russia denied reports that its aircraft or armoured vehicles had been destroyed.