Thousands flee Kyiv in panic after Russia bombs Ukraine and invades country

Big queues shaped on the roads out of Kyiv because the Russian invasion started (Image: Getty Photographs)

The roads out of Kyiv have full of automobiles as households try and get to safer territory following the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Individuals contained in the under-siege nation have been warned to not panic however a state of martial legislation has been declared.

In an handle to the nation, president Volodymyr Zelensky advised folks to remain at dwelling except they're concerned in essential work.

However photos confirmed automobiles bumper-to-bumper on the roads out of the capital with drivers trying to get nearer to the Polish border, the place it's seen as safer.

Individuals have been advised to remain at dwelling however many try to flee (Image: Reuters)

Drivers try to succeed in areas nearer to the Polish border, the place it's seen as safer (Image: Reuters)

Metro trains within the metropolis have additionally full of folks (Image: Getty)

Though there have been fears of a possible invasion for a lot of months, Ukrainian leaders have persistently downplayed the fears and lots of hoped this present day would by no means come.

Liudmila Gireyeva, 64, was planning to go to the western metropolis of Lviv after which attempt to transfer to Poland to hitch her daughter.

‘We face a battle and horror. What might be worse?’ she mentioned.

Inside Kyiv, it has been described as ‘eerily quiet’ though massive queues have shaped at ATMs as information of the ‘full-scale’ invasion unfold.

Explosions had been heard at daybreak within the capital in addition to the nation’s different huge cities of Odesa and Kharkiv after Vladimir Putin’s announcement that the navy operation had begun.

Elsewhere, baggage was seen deserted at Kyiv airport and planes had been diverted from Ukrainian airspace.

A putting picture of the European flight map confirmed the skies above the nation had been utterly empty regardless of crowds of plane elsewhere on the continent.

Ukraine’s State Air Visitors Providers Enterprise has confirmed it closed the nation’s airspace at 12.45am ‘as a result of excessive danger of aviation security for civil aviation’.

Industrial airways, together with Ryanair and Wizz Air, that had been nonetheless working flights have postponed companies as a result of safety state of affairs.

There have been lengthy queues at ATMs as folks ready to depart Kyiv and different main cities (Image: AP)

The skies above Ukraine emptied as invasion started (Image: AP)

Deserted baggage was left on the entrance of the departures terminal at Kyiv Airport (Image: Reuters)

Some are sheltering in metro stations (Image: Getty)

These utilizing the Metro on Thursday morning had been seen carrying baggage (Image: Getty)

Early within the morning, Kyiv’s metro system was busy with folks, a few of whom had been carrying baggage and suitcases.

Others took to the stations to hunt shelter from potential bombs.

A kind of hiding inside was Maria Kashkoska. She mentioned: ‘I awoke due to the sounds of bombing. I packed a bag and tried to flee. We're sitting right here, ready.’

One other, Ksenya Michenka, seemed deeply shaken as she took cowl together with her teenage son. ‘We have to save our lives,’ she mentioned.

Kyiv has been deeply shaken because the invasion started (Image: Reuters)

This American crossed the border into Poland after and fleeing the violence (Image: Reuters)

A few of these on the border had walked for a number of hours to get there (Image: Reuters)

The Russian Defence Ministry mentioned it was not focusing on cities, however utilizing precision weapons and claimed that ‘there isn't a menace to civilian inhabitants’.

Earlier than the invasion started, there have been fears that Ukraine’s neighbours would see a whole lot of hundreds of refugees flooding throughout the borders.

Individuals had already begun arriving on the Polish border early on Thursday, a few of whom had walked for hours.

Many international locations have already pulled diplomats out as tensions heightened and the UK on Thursday morning advised any remaining residents to get out as rapidly as attainable.

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