Russian troops began launching attacks on Ukraine Thursday, with explosions reported in the capital of Kyiv and more than a dozen other cities and towns across the country.
Russia crossed the Ukrainian border in several areas including the southern port city of Odessa, the northeastern border into Ukraine鈥檚 second-largest city of Kharkiv and the area north of Kyiv.
- Russia attacks Ukraine; peace in Europe 'shattered'
- Canada to sanction 58 Russian individuals, entities and cut export permits amid Ukraine attack
The following map shows the locations of blasts reported so far.
NATO NATIONS
NATO, meanwhile, has condemned the Russian invasion. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called it a "reckless attack" by Russia that "puts at risk countless civilian lives."
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania鈥攆our NATO member states鈥攖riggered consultations under Article 4, which can lead to collective action among the 30 member states, according to NATO.
Since 1949, when NATO was formed, Article 4 has been invoked six times 鈥� after dozens of its soldiers were killed in Syrian air strikes in February, 2020.
鈥淭he Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened,鈥� Article 4 of the NATO Treaty says.
The map below shows countries surrounding Ukraine that are currently NATO member states.
UKRAINE FACTS
Ukraine has a population of nearly 44 million people, according to of latest United Nations data.
Ukraine is the eighth most populous country in Europe, with a size approximately equivalent to Texas. Nearly 70 per cent of the population lives in urban centres. The top five cities with the highest populations are Kyiv with 2.8 million; Kharkiv with 1.4 million; and Dnipro, Donetsk and Odessa with around 1 million each.
The cartogram below by shows the concentrations of populations around major centres.
Maps by 麻豆传媒' Jasna Baric
