Russia invades Ukraine in Europe's 'darkest hours' since WWII

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's aim was to destroy his state.

Damaged radar arrays and other equipment is seen at Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Picture: AP Photo/Sergei Grits

Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, confirming the worst fears of the West with the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders into the eastern Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, and landing by sea at the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.