Digital Desk: Ukraine's fate is becoming increasingly uncertain as Russia launches a series of strikes across the country, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to RT.
Ukraine's president appears to have warned that the Eastern European country may not be able to withstand Moscow's military offensive.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer shared details of his phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a statement issued on Thursday. According to RT, Zelensky told Vienna's leader, "I don't know how much longer my country will exist."
Austria, according to Nehammer, "is not indifferent to violations of international law," promising to assist wherever possible.
The remarks come after the leaders of the newly recognised Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics formally requested Moscow's military assistance to combat what they claimed was an increase in "Ukrainian aggression."
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Hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised the use of force in the Donbass.
Rounds of explosions hit sites across the country, including military installations and airfields, within moments of the televised address. Blasts also erupted in and around major cities, including Kiev.
Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, issued a statement in which he claimed that Moscow "has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine."
For months, Western officials had warned that Moscow's armed forces were amassing near the Ukrainian border in preparation for an invasion. Until Thursday morning, Russia denied any intention of attacking and insisted that its intervention in the Donbass would be defensive in nature.
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