The video from the surveillance captured the shocking moment when a thief knelt next to an elderly churchman and prayed with her as an accomplice went through her wallet, later using her credit cards when shopping for $ 7,000 at Sam’s Club.

Linda Morrow, 78, arrived early for the service at 6:30 p.m. at Hildale Baptist Church in Clarksville. Tennessee on February 9th.

The victim was sitting in mostly empty benches when a younger woman with waist-length dreadlocks sat in front of her and began a conversation. The video shows her kneeling next to the woman, holding her hands and bowing her head in prayer.

Meanwhile, an accomplice behind Morrow punches in Morrow’s bag while she is distracted and pulls out his wallet. She empties it, taking a number of cards and bills, and carefully puts it back in her purse.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Morrow said Internal edition. “I never thought anything like this would happen in a million years.”

Three of the four women involved in the theft were videotaped leaving Sam’s club “soon after the theft,” according to the Clarksville Police Department. They reportedly spent $ 7,000 at the wholesaler.

Scroll down for video

A woman kneels to pray with Linda Morrow, 78, at a church in Tennessee on Feb. 9

Another woman reached into Morrow’s purse and searched her wallet, stealing credit cards and cash while the false prayer continued.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Morrow (left) told the Inside Edition. “I never thought anything like this would happen in a million years.” On the right is Church Pastor Larry Robertson.

Three of the four women involved were later seen leaving Sam’s club, where they allegedly spent $ 7,000 on Morrow cards.

Police are still searching for the suspects and no arrests have been made.

Authorities say two of the four women involved approached Morrow at the church.

“After a short conversation, one of the women asked the victim to pray with her,” Clarksville police said. Facebook. “While they were praying, the second woman rummaged in the victim’s bag and stole her wallet.”

Hildale pastor Larry Robertson said the group of women arrived 50 minutes earlier, which he found strange, according to Fox TV stations. They said they came from another church, so he pointed them to the shrine for a prayer meeting before the service.

“The taller girl with red dreadlocks (her name is Jade) said the prayer, while the other girl (named Kesha) took the lady’s wallet out of her bag and took out cash and credit / gift cards,” Robertson said.

When Kesha was over, Jade finished the prayer. They apologized and left the building.

The incident occurred at Hildale Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Feb. 9, about an hour before the service at 6:30 p.m.

Police are still searching for the suspects and no further information is known

Morrow noticed that her cards and money were missing, and warned Robertson.

“I was sick and angry, to be honest,” he said.

Pastor Robertson said Morrow was doing well, but felt “broken.”

He shared the story with the gathering when the service began less than an hour later.

“I’m angry, I’m pushed,” Robertson told his congregation. Keep an eye on your wallet, even at church, I guess.

“People know that Christians are kind and trusting, and the devil knows that, too.”

A surveillance video from Sam’s Club shows three women leaving the store after spending $ 7,000, according to Inside Edition.

The Clarksville Police Department told DailyMail.com that no further information is known at this time.

IN COVID-19 the pandemic and the subsequent release of vaccines against the virus were a financial gold mine for some major players in the pharmaceutical industry, incl. Modern.

Stephen Bansel, chief executive of the Cambridge-based Massachusetts-based company, said in a earnings call Thursday morning that he expects to bring in more than $ 19 billion in revenue this year from sales of his COVID-19 vaccine.

The company produces the second most popular vaccine against Covid in America, and has been used more than 200 million times to completely vaccinate 75 million people.

It is expected that more revenue streams will come in the future, with Omicron a specific booster that will potentially be released in the coming weeks, Bansel said Squawk Box on CNBC that even more reinforcements may be needed this fall.

Moderna estimates revenue of $ 19 billion this year from sales of its COVID-19 vaccine. The company believes more photos will be needed this fall and plans to launch a specific hit for Omicron

Stefan Bansel (pictured), Moderna’s chief executive, said he expects the virus to go from pandemic to endemic in the near future.

The new forecast, announced on Thursday, is an increase of 2 billion dollars compared to the figures reported by the company earlier this year.

Like other experts, Bancel expects Covid to transform from a pandemic to an endemic phase at some point this year.

“We believe we are more likely to move to an endemic environment,” Bansel said.

“We still have to be careful, because as we saw with the delta, which came after the alpha and was more virulent,” [it] it is always possible to get the more virulent option, of course.

Keeping the virus under control is likely to require regular, potentially annual booster vaccines, similar to the annual flu vaccine that many Americans already receive.

Banselle believes the next available photo of Covid may be available in the fall, but said the US government has not yet ordered the purchase of more hits.

Moderna is also currently in Phase 2 testing for its Omicron Covid-friendly hit. It is reported that the goal is to make the photo available to Americans at the end of last month.

However, there may not be much absorption of the frame once it comes out, as Covid’s cases have risen in recent weeks.

The nation has an average of less than 80,000 cases of Covid per day, a 40% drop in the last week and a 90% drop from the peak of the virus in mid-January.

A fourth shot will probably be needed by the Americans at some point. mRNA vaccines are very effective in preventing serious Covid infection, but their effectiveness has been reduced for several months.

This is almost a guarantee that Americans who have already received Covid boosters will need a fourth injection at some point this year. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and Pfizer CEO Albert Burla, a direct competitor to Moderna, said the fourth dose had been on the road for months.

Moderna also plans to combine the Covid vaccine with the flu and RSV vaccine to create one, universal blow that one must receive each year to protect against all common viral infections.

Earlier this week, the company announced that it had begun phase 3 trials of its RSV vaccine.

The company also hopes to expand the eligibility of its Covid vaccine, which will also increase its revenue.

Moderna’s photo is currently only available to Americans aged 18 and over, while Pfizer’s photo is allowed for five-year-olds.

The company is collecting data on its injection in five-year-olds and is currently asking the FDA to allow the injection for those aged 12 to 17.

However, regulators, not only in America but around the world, have concerns about injections in younger people.

While Moderna injection is safe and effective, young men under the age of 30 are at increased risk of developing myocarditis from the injection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning for mRNA injections in young people, and some Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Norway have done so. limited use of Moderna photos in people under 30

Russian military forces are moving to behead the Ukrainian government in Kiev, the Pentagon said Thursday, grimly evaluating the early stages of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

A senior Defense Ministry official said three lines of Russian troops and military forces are rapidly advancing towards Ukrainian cities, with two of them heading towards Kiev, the capital, and the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Forces are making their way to Kiev from Belarus in the north and Crimea in the south, using rockets and long-range artillery, the official said.

“By our estimation, they have every intention of beheading the government and establishing their own method of government,” the official told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon. He said the Pentagon does not have “full knowledge” of Russian troop movements, but described what he described as the “initial phase of a large-scale invasion” coming from Belarus and Crimea.

To date, Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian military and air defense installations using more than 100 medium and short-range ballistic missiles. Russia also used sea-launched missiles from warships in the Black Sea, the official said. Until Russia attacked Western Ukraine.

Defense ministry officials said Ukrainian forces were fighting back, with the most intense fighting taking place in Kharkiv in the country’s east.

“We haven’t seen a traditional movement like this, from state to state, since World War II, and if it develops in the way we believe it will happen so far, it has every chance of becoming very bloody, very expensive. and has a very strong impact on European security,” the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make these comments publicly.

Republicans were torn apart by “despicable” former Secretary of State John Kerry because he said he hoped Vladimir Putin will continue to help fight climate change as Russian fighter jets, troops and tanks enter Ukraine in total invasion.

President Biden’s envoy for climate said frozen Russian land was “thawing”, Putin’s “infrastructure” was “threatened” and called on the Russian tyrant to “help us stay on track about what we need to do about the climate”. .

“I am concerned about Ukraine because of the people of Ukraine and because of the principles that are at risk with regard to international law and attempts to change the boundaries of international law by force,” Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate, said in an interview with BBC Arabic.

The video came just hours after Russian forces moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east and unleashed devastation in Ukraine. It is not clear when the interview was filmed.

On Thursday afternoon, Russian forces fought for control of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 60 miles north of the capital Kiev, amid fears the battle could damage nuclear waste storage facilities, causing precipitation that could to cover Europe.

Republicans have broken with “disgusting” former Secretary of State John Kerry over hopes that Vladimir Putin will still help fight climate change as Russian fighter jets, troops and tanks enter Ukraine in a total invasion

“I thought we lived in a world that said no to this kind of activity. And I hope diplomacy wins, “Kerry added.

“But the huge consequences of the emissions for the war – but just as important – you will lose people’s focus, you will certainly lose a lot of attention to the country, because they will be diverted and I think this could have a detrimental effect,” he said.

“You know, I think I hope President Putin understands that in the north of his country, they lived in 66 percent of the nation that was over frozen ground.”

“It is now thawing and its infrastructure is under threat,” he added. “And the people of Russia are at risk. And that’s why I hope President Putin helps us stay on track about what we need to do about the climate. ”

GOP members were quick to jump in for Kerry’s comments.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said: “With the outbreak of war in Europe and the increase in casualties, a terrifying look at the ALWAYS politicized priorities of the Biden-Harris administration.”

An injured woman was seen in an air strike in a residential complex outside Kharkov, Ukraine

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said: “With the outbreak of war in Europe and the increase in casualties, a terrifying look at the ALWAYS politicized priorities of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Republican August Pfluger of Texas said: “Putin is killing innocent Ukrainians and John Kerry is asking him to stay on the road to climate change? despised

Republican August Pfluger of Texas said: “Putin is killing innocent Ukrainians and John Kerry is asking him to stay on the road to climate change? Despicable.

“Russian energy is one of the worst for the environment. The Biden administrator’s climate religion has made our world less secure.

Kerry said the focus on climate change was still important during the fierce opposition between Ukraine and Russia earlier this week.

Egypt will host the COP27 climate conference in November, and Kerry said the task this year is to attract more countries to set ambitious climate goals and deliver on the promises made at COP26 in Glasgow.

“We are meeting this morning in Egypt, well aware of other tensions in the world, realizing that there are lives and principles at stake in what is happening to Ukraine today,” Kerry told reporters after meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister. Sameh Shukri.

“But that doesn’t change the reality of what happens every day in our climate. This is a national and international security threat to all of us. “

Egypt and the United States have set up a working group to set priorities for COP27 and support Egypt’s energy transition, Shukri and Kerry said.

Elsewhere, Kiev ordered civilians to go to bomb shelters and announced a curfew amid fears that Russia was on the verge of hitting the Ukrainian capital as Kiev troops lost control of a key airport about 25 miles away. Russian forces attacked him with about two dozen helicopter attackers earlier in the day, four of whom are believed to have been shot down.

“Now they will bomb Kiev. Authorities told us to hide in shelters, a city source told MailOnline, while authorities said a hospital was hit, killing four people.

The Ukrainian army is fighting in almost every region of the country this afternoon, fighting the Russians for control of military bases, airports, cities and ports from Kharkov to Kiev and Donetsk to Odessa.

This came after Vladimir Putin personally ordered an attack at about 5 a.m., firing a volley of missile fire that involved more than 100 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles, and 75 bombers that targeted military sites, including barracks, warehouses and airports, to dismantle the country’s military command structure.

The attack has reached Ukraine on all fronts, with bombs and missiles hitting targets across the country, ground forces targeting Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, and paratroopers throwing over Kharkiv

Russian Mi-8 attack helicopters attack Gostomel air base, right on the outskirts of Kiev, after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale attack on the country

A Russian helicopter is shot down somewhere above Kiev (left) as the wreckage of what looks like an airplane falls from the sky near the capital (right)

A huge explosion is observed at the Vinnytsia military base in central Ukraine as the country comes under widespread attack from Russia.

Russian Ka-52 combat helicopter seen in the field after forced landing Kiev, Ukraine

A severe winter storm is expected to hit the Southern Plains as far as the Ohio Valley on Thursday before moving into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions late into the evening and Friday, creating dangerous travel conditions and raising the risk of widespread power outages, meteorologists said. said.

On Thursday afternoon, more than 100 million people from Texas to New England came under a winter storm warning or winter weather warning. About seven million people in the Tennessee and Ohio valleys have been placed on flood watch due to expected heavy rains from the same weather system.

James Connolly, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in New York, said Thursday the system will bring mixed weather to the New York area.

“Snow will disturb first, then it will turn into a winter mix, and then into rain,” he said, adding that coastal areas may have the least amount of snow. About three inches of snow is expected in the New York area, while parts of Connecticut and the Lower Hudson Valley could get up to six inches, he said.

Farther north, the forecast was more severe. Upstate New York and most of New England are forecast to experience heavy snowfall at the rate of one inch per hour on Friday. This is reported by the National Weather Service.. That Albany, New York, region up to one foot of snow could be seen, while the same amount was expected around Boston as well as Burlington, Florida.

A storm was expected before moving to the northeast bring heavy ice to the Southern Plains, parts of the Mississippi Valley and parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Thursday night, paving the way for possible massive power outages, tree damage and dangerous driving conditions. More than a quarter of an inch of ice glazing was likely across the Ozarks and southeast Missouri, according to forecasters. Locally, about half an inch of ice damage was possible, while freezing rain was forecast from the eastern Ohio Valley across the mid-Atlantic. Significant ice accumulation was possible in areas of Maryland and Pennsylvania, where National Weather Service An ice warning was issued in Pittsburgh at noon Thursday.

Freezing rain was also expected from the eastern Ohio Valley across the Mid-Atlantic states.

Weather conditions on Thursday were relatively calm in other parts of the country, with a cold wind warning in the northern plains and thick fog in the southeast.

The East Coast has seen active weather this winter.

In early January, successive storms created dangerous driving conditions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including one weather system that stranded hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 in Virginia. more than 24 hours. The storm captured truckers, students, families and all commuters, including Senator Tim Kaine.

In the middle of January another storm hit the south, killing at least two people and leaving thousands without power before moving north and unleashing heavy snowfall across parts of the northeast and Canada. Another January storm swept across the East Coast, causing the cancellation of thousands of flights and forcing the governors of New York and New Jersey to declare a state of emergency. This storm dropped more than 30 inches snow in parts of Massachusetts.

While some hope a storm on Thursday and Friday could end the winter season, Mr Connolly warned people not to put away their shovels.

“March tends to be pretty rough,” he said. “You can’t say it’s the last one.”

Alyssa Loukpat contributed reporting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is aiming to ‘decapitate’ the current Ukrainian government and install one more favorable to Moscow, a grim prediction from the US Defense Department read on Thursday.

Two waves of Moscow’s soldiers are headed for Kiev after entering Ukraine through Belarus in the north and from the south via Crimea, according to the New York Times. A third wave detected from the Pentagon could be heading to another part of the country, hours after Putin personally gave the green light for his forces to move in.

Their movements are the ‘initial phase of a large-scale invasion,’ a Pentagon official told the outlet.

‘Our assessment is they have every intention of decapitating the government and installing their own method of governance.’ 

The Pentagon also said that 75 Russian jets entered Ukraine in the early hours of Moscow’s invasion, and 100 missiles have been fired into the sovereign nation’s territory. 

Putin disparaged Ukraine’s government in early Thursday remarks local time, calling them Nazis and their country a ‘colony.’ 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, accused Putin of building a new Iron Curtain in his latest round of remarks on Thursday and implored his citizens to aid in making sure ‘this curtain does not fall across our land.’

Zelensky promised any Ukrainian who wanted to stand and fight would be armed to do so.  

The US official said Pentagon didn’t have ‘perfect knowledge’ of Russia’s movements but warned that if intelligence reports are correct, the conflict could break into the bloodiest fight Europe’s seen since the second world war.

‘We haven’t seen a conventional move like this, nation-state to nation-state, since World War II, and if it unfolds the way that hereto we believe it will come to, it has every potential to be very bloody, very costly, and very impactful on European security writ large,’ they said.  

In other developments:

• China stands as the lone superpower that has not condemned Russia for the attack. Instead, Beijing approved Russian wheat imports, a move that could reduce the impact of Western sanctions
• Global financial markets tanked and oil barrel prices rose above $100 for the first time since 2014
• President Joe Biden is holding an emergency meeting at the White House with his national security team 
• Russian forces have reportedly been targeting military bases, air bases and airports in its assault that Kiev claims has already cost civilian lives 
• A Ukrainian military plane with 14 people aboard crashed  south of Kiev on Thursday, local authorities have said. It’s still not confirmed how many people were killed

photo provided by the Ukrainian President’s office appears to show an explosion in the capital city of Kiev early Thursday, February 24

Russian forces have entered Ukraine by land, air and sea as explosions are heard across the country and roads are deadlocked with traffic of people trying to flee

President Joe Biden met with his fellow Group of 7 leaders on Thursday morning, after which the economic powers issued a statement claiming Putin is on the ‘wrong side of history.’ 

Russia launched total war on Ukraine Thursday, with missiles raining from the sky, tanks rolling across the border from Belarus, and masses of attack helicopters swarming on Kiev after Putin gave the order to attack. Kremlin forces are also landing on the southern coasts from the Black Sea and Azov Sea.

Hours later Russian forces took control of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, amid concerns that a severe enough attack from Moscow on the defunct nuclear plant could trigger a cloud of radiation across Europe.

 ‘Hundreds’ of Ukrainian troops have already been killed in early clashes, an official said, as the fight came to them on all fronts at a moment’s notice. Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD rockets took out targets from east to west – aimed at airfields, military bases, ammo dumps, and command posts including in the capital. 

The first sign an invasion was imminent came at just before 12am Ukrainian time (10pm in the UK), when Russian-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine issued a request for military assistance from Moscow in what is being widely seen as a ‘False Flag’ operation to justify Putin’s decision to attack. 

A view of the debris of a privet house and a burned car in the aftermath of Russian shelling, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24

Emergencies personnel work at the crash site of a Ukrainian military plane south of Kyiv on February 24. A Ukrainian military plane with 14 people aboard crashed south of Kyiv on Thursday, the emergencies service said. The service said it was “still determining ‘how many people died.’

Attack helicopters are pictured flying over the Kiev region of Ukraine after dozens of Russian aircraft attacked the city

An image captured near Kiev shows what appears to be the wreckage of a downed Russian attack helicopter with a soldier parachuting out of it (to the left of the frame)

Moments later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a defiant message to the nation, vowing his countrymen would ‘fight back’ in the event of an invasion, telling Moscow: ‘When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.’ 

A frenzied string of diplomatic manoeuvres, including an emergency UN Security Council meeting in New York, were not enough to dissuade Putin, who declared a ‘special military operation’ at around 3am Ukraine time. 

At around 6am, Zelenskyy declared martial law in a video message filmed on his phone, urging his people ‘not to panic’ and promising: ‘We will win over everybody because we are Ukraine.’ 

As Europe faced its worst military crisis for decades, here is how this morning’s dramatic events unfolded, minute by minute. All times are shown first in Ukrainian time with the GMT equivalent following in brackets.  

12:00am (10pm)  

‘We will fight back’: Ukrainian president delivers emotional TV address

Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows the Ukrainian people will ‘fight back’ if Putin launches a full-scale invasion.

His comments follow a request by Moscow-backed rebel leaders in the east of the country for military assistance to fend off Ukrainian ‘aggression’ – considered by the West to be a ‘false flag’ to justify an invasion. 

A solemn President Zelenskyy says: ‘The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace.

‘But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.’

View of a damaged building in the aftermath of Russian military operation in Kharkiv. The Pentagon is concerned that Putin is aiming with his invasion to install a new government in Ukraine

The Ukrainian president says he tried to call Putin earlier in the evening, but there was ‘no answer, only silence’, adding that Moscow has around 200,000 soldiers by Ukraine’s borders.

At Ukraine’s request, the United Nations Security Council quickly schedules an emergency meeting – the second in three days.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls the separatists’ request ‘a further escalation of the security situation.’ 

Ukraine readies for conflict and enters a month-long state of emergency, effective at midnight. 

3:30am (1:30GMT) 

Explosions heard in strategically important port city of Mariupol 

Residents in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol are woken up at 3.30am by the sound of explosions.  

Video footage appears to show clouds of smoke rising up into the night sky nearby, but it is unconfirmed whether this is as a result of shelling.

Mariupol, located on the Black Sea 50 miles from the Russian border, handles 50 per cent Ukraine’s steel and mineral exports.

Taking the strategic location would give the people’s republics of Donbas access to the sea, and choke off a vital economic artery for Ukraine’s legitimate government.  

4:30am (2:30am GMT) 

UN meeting where Ukraine’s ambassador tells Russian counterpart: ‘war criminals go straight to hell’  

The UN Security Council holds an extraordinary emergency meeting in New York to try to dissuade Russia from sending troops into Ukraine. 

During the charged session, Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya implores the council, chaired by Russia, to ‘do everything possible to stop the war’.

He demands that Russia’s ambassador relinquish his duties as chair.

‘There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, ambassador,’ a visibly emotional Kyslytsya says.

At a charged UN Security Council meeting, Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told his Russian counterpart: ‘There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go straight to hell, ambassador’

Secretary General Antonio Guterres urges Putin to stop his tanks.

‘If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,’ he says.

‘President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.’

Mr Guterres says he is witnessing, ‘the saddest moment in my tenure as Secretary General of the United Nations’ and that Europe risks, ‘the worst war since the beginning of the century’.

Afterwards, he warns Russian action would not only be ‘devastating for Ukraine’ and ‘tragic’ for Russia ‘but with an impact we can not even foresee in relation to their consequences for the global economy.’

‘In a moment when we are emerging from Covid and so many developing countries absolutely need to have space for the recovery, which would be very, very difficult with the high prices of oil, with the exports of wheat from Ukraine and with rising interest rates caused by instability in international markets,’ he adds. 

5am (3am GMT) 

Putin’s announces ‘special military operation’ and threatens West 

Putin announces a ‘special military operation’ in eastern Ukraine, claiming it’s intended to protect civilians.

In a televised address, Putin says the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine.

He claimed Russia wanted to ‘de-Nazify, not occupy’ Ukraine. Putin says the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian ‘regime.’

Putin warns countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action will lead to ‘consequences they have never seen.’

The strongman could be seen wearing the same suit and red tie he wore on Monday to lay out his factually inaccurate version of Ukraine’s history, saying essentially that it was always part of Russia.

In hindsight, Putin’s attempts to rewrite history at his convenience, could be interpreted as evidence that he had already decided to invade Ukraine, and that he misled leaders in the West who pleaded with him for diplomacy. 

5:30am (3:30am GMT) 

Explosions are heard in Kiev just minutes after Putin’s speech ends  

Following the end of Putin’s speech, explosions are reported in Kiev, Odessa, Ukraine’s third-largest city, as well as the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region. 

A CNN reporter in Kiev says: ‘I just heard a big bang right here behind me. I’ve never heard anything like it.’

Matthew Chance, Senior International correspondent for the network, says he heard between seven and eight blasts.

Chance quickly put on his flak jacket and headgear while he continued to report from a balcony in the Ukrainian capital.

A CNN reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev puts on a flak jacket as he hears explosions just after 5.30am

‘There are big explosions taking place. I can’t see them or explain what they are. but I will tell you the U.S has warned the Ukrainian authorities there could be air strikes and ground attacks as well around the country, including the capital.

‘I don’t know if that’s what’s occurring now but it’s a remarkable coincidence that the explosions come just minutes after Putin gave his speech,’ Chance explained.

‘This is the first time we’ve heard anything. It has been absolutely silent. This is the first time. It has to be more than just a coincidence.

‘I think it’s safe where I am. I have a flak jacket,’ Chance remarked before ducking down to put on his protective gear.

He suggested that the blasts he heard were still some distance away from the centre. 

6am (4am GMT)

Ukrainian president declares martial law 

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposes martial law and urges his people to stay at home and not panic as Russian troops pour into the country. 

In a video message published shortly after the Kremlin began its attacks across Ukraine, Zelenskyy says Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and border guards, and that explosions have been heard in many cities.

The Ukrainian President also says he had spoken by telephone to US President Joe Biden. 

He pleads: ‘Dear Ukrainian citizens, this morning President Putin announced a special military operation in Donbas. Russia conducted strikes on our military infrastructure and our border guards. There were blasts heard in many cities of Ukraine. We’re introducing martial law on the whole territory of our country.

‘A minute ago I had a conversation with President Biden. The US has already started uniting international support. Today each of you should keep calm. Stay at home if you can. We are working. The Army is working. 

‘The whole sector of defence and security is working. No panic. We are strong. We are ready for everything. We will win over everybody because we are Ukraine.’

6:48am (4:48am) onwards

Tanks and troops pour into Ukraine 

A livestream – seen by CNN – captures a column of Russian military vehicles entering Ukraine across the border from Belarus, an ally. 

The footage was filmed at a crossing between Senkivka in Ukraine and Veselovka in Belarus at around 6:48am local time. 

Reports suggested the border with Belarus had first come under attack with artillery at 5am.   

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service release a video showing tanks and trucks crossing unchallenged over a crossing from Crimea. 

Russia also announces it has suspended shipping in the Azov Sea, a major trade route for Ukraine, from 4am.  

11:40am (9:40am GMT) – approx

Dozens of Russian helicopters swarm Antonov Airport

Ukrainian officials confirm Antonov international airport has fallen to the Russians after footage captured a large air assault by dozens of Mi-8 helicopters – some of which are shot down by Ukrainian MiG jets. 

The cargo airport is of significant strategic importance given its location just 15 miles west of Kiev’s ring road. 

One officials says ‘hundreds’ have been killed in early fighting, while another puts the death toll at 40 Ukrainians and 50 Russians. 

2pm (12GMT) 

Boris Johnson gives address to the nation, condemning ‘wanton and reckless aggression’ 

In an address to the nation, the PM says Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to ‘snuff out’ freedom in Ukraine with an act of ‘wanton and reckless aggression’.

He says Putin has ‘unleashed war’ on the continent and the West must respond to ensure the eventual ‘failure’ of his offensive ‘diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily’. 

In a hard message to Germany and Italy among others, Mr Johnson also calls for countries to wean themselves off gas and oil supplies from Moscow.

‘Today, in concert with our allies we will agree a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy. And to that end, we must also collectively cease the dependence on Russian oil and gas that for too long has given Putin his grip on Western politics,’ he said.

‘Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually, militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure.’

Openly branding Mr Putin a ‘dictator’, the premier admitted that the months ahead might be ‘grim’, but the ‘flame of freedom’ will ‘blaze bright again in Ukraine’.

5pm (3pm GMT) 

‘Russians troops are trying to take Chernobyl,’ says Zelenskyy  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

The plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident when a nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986, spewing radioactive waste across Europe. The plant lies (80 miles north Kiev. 

The exploded reactor has been covered by a protective shelter to prevent radiation leak and the entire plant has been decommissioned.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that ‘our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.’ He added that ‘this is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.’

Russia’s Defense Ministry says its military has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases. 

American consumers should brace for widespread inflationary ripple effects as oil prices soar after Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike Europe, which is facing massive potential disruptions in grain and natural gas shipments from Ukraine and Russia, the US is impacted most by gyrations in the world oil market, which can have wide-reaching impacts. 

In addition to even more expensive gasoline, soaring crude oil prices will make shipping more expensive and increase the cost of a wide range of plastic products and packaging.

In the US, more than 70 percent of retail goods are transported by truck, meaning that rising gas prices increase the cost of selling a wide range of products — costs that will inevitably passed along to consumers.

As well, many kinds of plastic packaging and labels are made from petroleum byproducts, meaning that sustained high oil prices could have widespread impacts on the cost of a huge range of goods.

The potential misery comes on top of already-raging inflation, which in January hit a 40-year high of 7.5 percent in the US. 

Disruptions to oil markets mean gas is likely to get more expensive. The national average price of regular gasoline hit $3.53 on Tuesday, up 21 cents from a month ago and 90 cents more than a year ago

In the US, more than 70 percent of retail goods are transported by truck, meaning that rising gas prices increase the cost of selling a wide range of products — costs that will inevitably passed along to consumers

Many kinds of plastic packaging and labels are made from petroleum byproducts, meaning that sustained high oil prices could have widespread impacts on the cost of a huge range of goods

US crude oil futures hit touched $99 on Thursday after Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine

Why does the Russian invasion affect US oil prices?

The United States and its allies are now contemplating severe financial sanctions in response to the invasion. 

Russia could retaliate by withholding oil from the world market, which is already tight and struggling to keep up with demand as the global economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Russia is one of the leading oil producers globally, behind only the United States and Saudi Arabia,’ said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross in a statement. 

‘And if they choose to withhold their oil from the global market, such a move would eventually be reflected in higher gas prices for American drivers,’ he said.

Higher oil prices could also quickly lead to broader inflation. 

‘US inflation is rising strongly with the cost of goods increasing across the board, from food to housing to vehicles, and energy prices are getting swept up in this too,’ said Laura Page, senior LNG analyst at Kpler, the data and analytics platform for global commodities professionals. 

‘The primary driver for gasoline prices is the price of oil, hence as oil prices have approached $100/barrel, a move sped up by heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, gasoline prices continue to rise,’ she added in a note to DailyMail.com. 

Inflation hit a 40-year high of 7.5 percent, the Labor Department announced last week

The national average price of regular gasoline hit $3.53 on Tuesday, up 21 cents from a month ago and 90 cents more than a year ago

‘The worry is that, as oil prices remain supported by geopolitical uncertainty, as well as rebounding demand and supply concerns, gasoline prices will continue to climb higher in the weeks and months ahead,’ added Page.

US gas prices, already at their highest level since 2014, could soon exceed the record of $4.11 per gallon set in the summer of 2008, warned Page.

The national average price of regular gasoline hit $3.53 on Tuesday, up 21 cents from a month ago and 90 cents more than a year ago, according to the AAA Gas Price Index.

California leads the nation with gas at an eye-watering $4.74 per gallon, and the average cost in Los Angeles county is $4.796.

At one Los Angeles Chevron station, the price of regular unleaded was listed at an eye-watering $6.219 on Wednesday, when it was spotted by an AFP photojournalist.

Even prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s troop movements had a ripple effect on the oil market, which in turn is driving up the price of gasoline in the US.  

At one Los Angeles Chevron station, the price of regular unleaded was listed at an eye-watering $6.219 on Wednesday

Facing backlash over rising inflation and gas prices, the Biden administration is considering proposals to suspend the federal gasoline tax, which would spare drivers 18.4 cents per gallon for standard gas.

Oil prices have been creeping toward $100 a barrel amid the Ukraine crisis, hitting levels not seen since 2014. 

On Thursday, Brent crude oil jumped above $100 per barrel in London for the first time since 2014 on unease about possible disruption of supplies from Russia, the No. 3 producer. 

Benchmark U.S. crude was close behind at $99 per barrel. Prices of wheat and corn also jumped. 

How could the Russian invasion impact other commodity prices? 

The Russian invasion and subsequent sanctions are likely to have major impacts on other commodity prices in addition to oil, as both Ukraine and Russia are major commodity exporters. 

Though the military action could impact world grain prices, the US does not import significant amounts of grain from the region and supplies are unlikely to be impacted.   

Ukraine is a major exporter of corn, much of it destined for China and the European Union. It also competes with Russia to supply wheat to major buyers such as Egypt and Turkey. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack previously said that American wheat farmers will boost production to supply allies in the event of a grain shortage in Europe.  

Ukraine’s military has suspended commercial shipping at its ports after Russian forces invaded the country, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said, stoking fear of supply disruption from the leading grain and oilseeds exporters.

The attack has come to Ukraine on all fronts, with bombs and missiles striking targets across the country, ground forces rolling in from Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, and paratroopers dropping on Kharkiv

Russia earlier suspended the movement of commercial vessels in the Azov Sea until further notice, but kept Russian ports in the Black Sea open for navigation. 

‘The market is still struggling to get a clear picture of the actual military situation on the ground. The ports in the Azov and Black Sea so far seem not to have been damaged according to the initial shipping agency reports,’ one European grain trader said.

The trader said the market was looking out for any declarations of force majeure, meaning suppliers will not fulfil contractual obligations because of extreme circumstances.

Shipping group Maersk said on Thursday it has halted all port calls in Ukraine until the end of February and has shut its main office in Odessa on the Black Sea coast, because of the conflict.

What sanctions is Biden considering and how could they impact trade? 

With Russia’s military attacking across Ukraine, President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Thursday at least some of the toughest sanctions and financial penalties that the United States, the world’s biggest economy, can muster in response.

Biden, for weeks, has promised ‘swift and severe costs’ if Russian forces moved into Ukraine, and he made clear that the U.S. would go after Russia financially, not militarily.

Biden administration officials have described measures that would send Russia’s ruble crashing, isolate Moscow from the world financial system and possibly drive the country into recession. 

They also have said minimizing the damage to European economies is a primary concern.

President Biden convened a meeting of the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room on Thursday to discuss the ‘unprovoked and unjustified’ attack on Ukraine, the White House said

Vladimir Putin is pictured this morning declaring war on Ukraine, in what he termed a ‘special military operation’

U.S. export controls could deprive Russian industries and the military of the high-tech components that help warplanes and passenger jets fly and make smartphones smart, along with other software and advanced electronic gear that make the modern world run.

The U.S. response could add Russia to the most restrictive group of countries for export control purposes, joining Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

That would limit Russia´s ability to obtain integrated circuits and products containing integrated circuits, due to the global dominance of U.S. software, technology and equipment. The impact could extend to aircraft avionics, machine tools, smartphones, game consoles, tablets and televisions.

Sanctions could target critical Russian industry, including its defense and civil aviation sectors, which would undermine Russia´s high-tech ambitions, whether in artificial intelligence or quantum computing.

U.S. export restrictions would risk motivating businesses to look for alternatives elsewhere, including China.

Will the US go to war with Russia? 

A direct military confrontation between the US and Russia remains extremely unlikely.

President Joe Biden has said that the movement of US troops to reinforce NATO allies in Eastern Europe is defensive in nature and that the U.S. has ‘no intention of fighting Russia.’

Ukraine is not a member of the NATO alliance and US officials have said clearly that American troops will not intervene to protect it from Russia, though they strongly condemn the attack.

Early on Thursday, a small force of 40 troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, known as the Sky Soldiers, arrived in Latvia from their home base in Italy, the U.S. Embassy in Riga confirmed.

The deployment is part of a movement of 800 American troops and equipment into the Baltics – the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are all now part of the NATO alliance. 

The Pentagon says the Baltics deployment is part of a broader shuffling of troops and equipment that will reinforce NATO allies close to the war in Ukraine and near Russia’s border

Early Thursday, a small force of 40 troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, known as the Sky Soldiers, arrived in Latvia from their home base in Italy, the US Embassy in Riga confirmed

Biden has said that the troop movement is defensive in nature and that the US has ‘no intention of fighting Russia’

The small size of the Baltics deployment is strategically insignificant on a military level, but appears designed to reassure the NATO allies and serve as a ‘tripwire’ that assures an immediate U.S. military response to any aggression against the Baltic states.

Nevertheless, the deployment of U.S. troops to the Baltic states, which all share borders with Russia, is sure to infuriate Putin, who has long demanded that NATO withdraw allied forces from Eastern Europe.

‘I have authorized additional movements of U.S. forces and equipment already stationed in Europe to strengthen our Baltic Allies — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania,’ said Biden on Tuesday.

‘Let me be clear: These are totally defensive moves on our part. We have no intention of fighting Russia,’ he added.

‘We want to send an unmistakable message, though, that the United States, together with our Allies, will defend every inch of NATO territory and abide by the commitments we made to NATO,’ said Biden.

The Pentagon says the Baltics deployment is part of a broader shuffling of troops and equipment that will reinforce NATO allies close to the war in Ukraine and near Russia’s border. 

What did Putin say after announcing’s today’s invasion?  

Putin said the military operation was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine – a claim the US had predicted he would falsely make to justify an invasion.

The Russian leader also accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to block Ukraine from ever joining Nato and offer Moscow security guarantees. 

Putin said Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine but will ‘demilitarize’ it. Soon after his address, explosions were heard in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. Russia said it was attacking military targets.

He told Ukrainian service members to ‘lay down their arms and go home,’ saying Russia could not exist with a ‘constant threat emanating from the territory of Ukraine’ and clashes between Russian and Ukrainian solders was ‘inevitable.’ 

The Russians launched a total war against Ukraine today with rockets falling from the sky, tanks rolling across the Belarusian border and masses of paratroopers descending to the eastern regions after Vladimir Putin personally ordered an attack.

“Hundreds” of Ukrainian soldiers have already been killed in early clashes, Kiev said, because the battle came to them on all fronts at one time. Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD missiles are destroying targets from east to west – aimed at airports, military bases, ammunition depots and command posts, including in the capital.

The first sign that an invasion was imminent came shortly before 12 noon Ukrainian time (10 pm in Britain), when Russian-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine demanded military assistance from Moscow in what is widely seen as a “fake” flag “operation to justify Putin’s decision to attack.

A moment later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a provocative message to the nation, promising that his compatriots would “retaliate” in the event of an invasion, telling Moscow: “When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.”

A fierce series of diplomatic maneuvers, including an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, were not enough to dissuade Putin from announcing a “special military operation” around 3 a.m. Ukrainian time.

Around 6 a.m., Zelensky declared martial law in a video message recorded on his phone, urging his people “not to panic” and promising, “We will all win because we are Ukraine.”

As Europe faces its worst military crisis in decades, this is how dramatic events unfolded this morning, minute by minute. All times are displayed first in Ukrainian time, with the GMT equivalent in parentheses.

12:00 (22h)

“We will retaliate”: Ukrainian president delivers emotional televised address

Vladimir Zelensky has promised that the Ukrainian people will “strike back” if Putin launches a full-scale invasion.

His comments follow a request from Moscow-backed rebel leaders in the east for military aid to repel Ukrainian “aggression” – considered by the West a “false flag” – to justify the invasion.

Solemn President Zelensky says: “The people of Ukraine and the Government of Ukraine want peace.

“But if we are attacked, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.

The Ukrainian president said he had tried to call Putin earlier in the evening, but there was no answer, only silence, adding that Moscow had about 200,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders.

At the request of Ukraine, the UN Security Council quickly scheduled an extraordinary meeting – the second in three days.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the separatists’ demand a “further escalation of the security situation”.

Ukraine is preparing for conflict and enters a one-month state of emergency, which takes effect at midnight.

3:30 in the morning (1:30 GMT)

Explosions were heard in the strategically important port city of Mariupol

Residents of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol were awakened at 3.30 am by the sounds of explosions.

The videos appear to show clouds of smoke rising in the nearby night sky, but it has not been confirmed whether this was the result of shelling.

Mariupol, located on the Black Sea 50 miles from the Russian border, handles 50 percent of Ukraine’s steel and mineral exports.

Occupying the strategic location will give the people’s republics of Donbass access to the sea and will stifle a vital economic artery for the legitimate government of Ukraine.

4:30 AM (02:30 GMT)

UN summit at which the Ukrainian ambassador tells his Russian counterpart: “war criminals go straight to hell”

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting in New York to try to dissuade Russia from sending troops to Ukraine.

During the accused session, Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kislitsya begged the council, chaired by Russia, to “do everything possible to stop the war.”

He is urging the Russian ambassador to step down as chairman.

“There is no purgatory for war criminals. They go to hell, Ambassador, “says the emotional Kislica.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Ukrainian Ambassador Sergei Kislitsa accused his Russian counterpart: “There is no purgatory for war criminals. They’re going to hell, Ambassador

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Putin to stop his tanks.

“If surgery is really being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.

Mr Guterres says he is witnessing “the saddest moment of my term as UN Secretary-General” and that Europe is at risk, “the worst war of the century”.

He then warned that Russia’s actions would be “not only” devastating for Ukraine “and” tragic “for Russia,” but also with an impact we cannot even foresee in terms of their consequences for the global economy. “

“At a time when we are leaving Covid and so many developing countries, there must be room for recovery, which would be very, very difficult with high oil prices, wheat exports from Ukraine and rising interest rates caused by instability. international markets, “he added.

5 am (3 am GMT)

Putin declares a “special military operation” and threatens the West

Putin has declared a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, claiming it aims to protect civilians.

In a televised address, Putin said the action came in response to threats coming from Ukraine.

He claims that Russia wants to “denazify, not occupy” Ukraine. Putin says the Ukrainian regime is responsible for the bloodshed.

Putin warns the countries that any attempt to interfere in Russia’s actions will lead to “consequences they have never seen.”

The strong man could be seen wearing the same suit and red tie he wore on Monday to expose his de facto inaccurate version of Ukraine’s history, essentially saying it had always been part of Russia.

Looking back, Putin’s attempts to rewrite history when it suits him can be interpreted as proof that he has already decided to invade Ukraine and that he has deceived Western leaders who are asking him for diplomacy.

5:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Explosions were heard in Kiev just minutes after Putin’s speech ended

After Putin’s speech, explosions were reported in Kiev, Odessa, Ukraine’s third-largest city, and the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

A CNN reporter in Kiev said: “I just heard a big bang right here behind me. I’ve never heard anything like it.

Matthew Chance, a senior international correspondent for the network, said he heard between seven and eight explosions.

Chance quickly put on his bulletproof vest and hat as he continued to report from a balcony in the Ukrainian capital.

A CNN reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev wears a bulletproof vest when he hears explosions shortly after 5.30 am

“There are big explosions. I can’t see them or explain what they are. but I will tell you that the United States has warned the Ukrainian authorities that there may be air and ground attacks throughout the country, including in the capital.

“I don’t know if this is happening now, but it is a remarkable coincidence that the explosions came just minutes after Putin delivered his speech,” Chance said.

“It simply came to our notice then. It was absolutely quiet. This is the first time. It must be more than just a coincidence.

“I think it’s safe where I am. I have a bulletproof vest, ”Chance said before bending down to put on his protective gear.

He suggested that the explosions he heard were still some distance from the center.

6 a.m. (4 a.m. GMT)

The Ukrainian president declared martial law

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is imposing martial law and urging his people to stay at home and not panic as Russian troops enter the country.

In a video message released shortly after the Kremlin launched its attacks in Ukraine, Zelensky said Russia had launched missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and border guards and that explosions had been heard in many cities.

The Ukrainian president also said that he had talked on the phone with US President Joe Biden.

He pleaded: “Dear Ukrainian citizens, this morning President Putin announced a special military operation in Donbass. Russia has struck at our military infrastructure and our border guards. Explosions were heard in many cities of Ukraine. We are imposing martial law on the entire territory of our country.

“I had a conversation with President Biden a minute ago. The United States has already begun to unite international support. Today, each of you must remain calm. Stay home if you can. We work. The army is working.

“The whole defense and security sector is working. No panic. We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will all win because we are Ukraine.

Paratroopers are descending on Ukraine’s second-largest city as Russians carry out multiple attacks

From about 6 in the morning onwards

The footage appears to show masses of paratroopers landing in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest city.

The United States seems to have known there was an invasion, according to ABC’s Martha Radac.

She said she had received a message from a senior Pentagon official three hours before the invasion, saying: “You are probably in the last few hours of peace on the European continent for a long time to come. Be careful.’

As the violence spread, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, wrote on Facebook that the Russian military had launched missile strikes on Ukrainian military command posts, air bases and military depots in Kiev, Kharkiv and the Dnieper.

Later in the morning, five Russian planes were reportedly shot down from the skies over Donbass before Moscow boasted that it was removing all air defenses, giving them control of the skies.

Ukrainian border guards say they have been attacked by heavy artillery, tanks and troops from Russia and Belarus – while Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko throws his forces into battle.

Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv were reportedly under attack in eastern Ukraine, but explosions were also reported in the west, in Zhytomyr and Lviv, near the Polish border.

Extraordinary videos show what appears to be a cruise missile crashing into Ivano-Frankivsk airport, also in the west.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian rebel forces have been pushed out of the occupied Donbass region, capturing two villages and claiming to have shot down two Ukrainian planes from the sky. The port city of Odessa, home to Ukraine’s main naval base, is also under attack.