Russsia-Ukraine Crisis News Live Updates: Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised address today announced a military operation to be conducted in East Ukraine. As per an AP report, Putin said the move comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine and that the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian regime. He warned any foreign attempt to interfere with Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.” Putin accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees, as per AP.

On the other hand, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Putin to “give peace a chance.” Guterres said that there were indications of imminent action against Ukraine, reported AP. The 15-nation UN Security Council held the emergency meeting on Ukraine late Wednesday night, the second meeting this week and the fourth since January 31 as tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated. India, along with countries, called for an immediate de-escalation of conflict between Russia and Ukraine and cautioned that the situation is in danger of spiraling into a major crisis.

Meanwhile, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the company in charge of building Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. “I’ve directed my admin to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers,” Biden said in a statement, reported ANI. “These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate.,” US President Joe Biden further added in the statement.

As the threat of Russian invasion grew, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an emotional address to the nation late on Wednesday. “The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” Zelensky said, reported AP. “But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs,” he further added. Zelenskyy said he tried to call Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, but the Kremlin did not respond.

TRUDEAU SAYS CANADA CALLS ON RUSSIA TO IMMEDIATELY CEASE ALL HOSTILE AND PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS AGAINST UKRAINE AND WITHDRAW ALL MILITARY AND PROXY FORCES 

Artillery fire was heard on Thursday in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk controlled by Russian-backed separatists, a Reuters witness reported, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine. 

Ukraine's parliament and other government and banking websites were hit with another punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks, and cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had also infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware. Some of the infected computers were in neighbouring Latvia and Lithuania, the researchers said.

A special flight from Ukraine comprising Indian nationals including students lands in Delhi. Visuals from IGI Airport.