General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Thursday said it had shot down six Russian Military aircraft and a helicopter.
This is as Oleksiy Arestovych, one of the advisers in Ukrainian President’s Office, announced that more than 40 soldiers and up to 10 civilians had been killed by the Russian invasion.
“As far as I know, at the moment there are a few civilian deaths — up to ten,” Arestovych said.
President Vladimir Putin early hours of Thursday authorised a military operation in Ukraine.
State news agency TASS, said Russia had denied the claim by Ukrainian that it had shot down Russia’s six planes.
CNN reports that the European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to “weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize” following the “barbaric attack” by Moscow against Ukraine.
“We will freeze Russian assets in the European Union and stop the access of Russian banks to European financial markets,” Von der Leyen told reporters on Thursday.
“We condemn this barbaric attack and the cynical arguments that are being used to justify it.”
“Harshest” sanctions: Von der Leyen said she will present “massive and strategic” sanctions against Russia for approval later today.
“These sanctions are designed to take a heavy toll on the Kremlin’s interests and their ability to finance war. And we know that millions of Russians do not want war..
“We will not allow President [Vladimir] Putin to replace the rule of law, by the rule of force, and ruthlessness. Ukraine will prevail,” she said.