Putin declares 'special military operation' in Ukraine as Russia puts Europe on warpath

Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy entered politics and found himself in charge of his country's fight against Russia's Vladimir Putin, he led a life as an on-screen performer. A former comedian, Zelenskyy, 44, starred as a head of state in the 2017 political satire "Servant of the People," which is also the name of the real-life political party he founded.

Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have revealed their current Russian "kill count" since the start of the war last week.The former heavyweight world champion boxers have both taken up arms to defend Ukraine following the invasion by Russian troops on February 24.Vitali has now revealed that the brothers have both already killed an estimated six Russian soldiers since they joined the Ukrainian military in the wake of the invasion.Reports earlier this week claimed that both Wladimir and Vitali were included on Russian president Vladimir Putin's 24-man 'kill list', which also featured other key figures and president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Speaking to Sky News, Vitali, who is the mayor of Kyiv, confirmed that he and his brother have already "killed some people, I guess six people last night".Wladimir has also admitted that he is prepared to die to defend his country, telling CNN: "We’re not interested in how strong the Russian army is, we’re ready to fight.“And we’re ready to die for our home country and for our families because it’s our home.

Naman Ramachandran The producers of Ukrainian animated film “Gulliver Returns” will use earnings from further sales on the film to support their country’s defense.Oleg Khodachuk, producer of the film through the company Gulliver Films, said: “‘Gulliver Returns’ is based on [Ukrainian President] Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s idea and his ideal: that Jonathan Swift’s classic character Gulliver is not a giant in size, but a giant in heart and courage. And in the context of the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia, its story of the small country of Liliput being threatened by the invasion of the imposing Blefuscu army, takes on a new resonance.”The film has already sold to Germany (Telepool), U.K.

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many of the country’s citizens are left to make potentially grave decisions. While some have taken up shelter in Ukraine, some have fled.

Russian troops are lugging mobile cremation chambers to the war in Ukraine in order to conceal the true death toll, claims Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy fumed on Thursday that Vladimir Putin's men are incinerating the bodies of their fallen soldiers, with Russian and Ukrainian sources offering wildly different estimates of the true amount killed.

Tim Allen addressed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine in a tweet Thursday morning.  Allen, 68, shared with his followers that he is "full of anger and disgust" with the recent events in Ukraine.  "My mind and body are full of anger and disgust at the coward putin ghouls that have attacked a sovereign country," he said. "This is the definition of wrong. My head, heart and soul pray for the people of Ukraine." Allen concluded his tweet with "F-putin".

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorABC News anchor David Muir will anchor a live primetime “20/20” special from the border between Ukraine and Poland on Friday night, as the nation’s news networks continue to scramble to cover Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, one of the biggest global stories to take place in recent memory.Muir will report on the refugee emergency taking place along that border as Ukrainians seek safety amid turmoil in their country. The program will air on Friday, March 4, at 8 p.m.

Ukraine as it resists invasion from Russia, appeared in front of a giggling audience with his pants down.In the clip, piano music is playing as the comic stands with his hands above his head and his trousers around his ankles to give the illusion he is using another body part entirely to tinkle on the ivories.People in the audience appear to be almost suffocating with laughter at the daft sketch, and it's won him new fans after going viral on social media years later.The footage from the 2016 skit was dug up and shared on Twitter, with one user joking: "Who among us has not played 'Hava Nagila' on a piano with their genitals on stage and then gone on to lead their country against a foreign invasion?"A second tweeted: "How could we love him more? Okay, now we know. Hero. Fighter.

Sean Penn continues working on his documentary about Russia’s invasion, making his way to the Polish border on foot, after having to abandon his car in Ukraine.The 61-year-old actor is now giving an update about his experience in the middle of the conflict, detailing that he and his crew have fled the country, “Myself and two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road.”“Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value,“ the actor wrote, posting a photo of himself walking on the side of a road in the Eastern European country.The filmmaker previously met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. He was also photographed attending a news conference at the Presidential Office in Kyiv, where he confirmed his involvement in a documentary that promises to tell the truth about the ongoing invasion.Hollywood studios pull 'The Batman' 'Morbius' and more from release in RussiaUkrainian star Milla Jovovich shares emotional message amid conflict in her home countryMadonna shows support for Ukraine with new 'Sorry' remix video“Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and If he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were left in stitches as This Morning was interrupted by a barking dog on Wednesday 2 March.This Morning hosts Holly, 41, and 59 year old Phillip were seen chatting with journalist Tom Swarbrick and Camilla Tominey as they discussed the latest developments in Ukraine. Hosts Holly and Phil spoke with Tom, who appeared on the ITV daytime show via video link from his home.The group discussed the serious topic of the Ukraine and Russia war after resident Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an emotional plea to the European parliament after Ukraine’s membership application.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse, 40, took to Twitter yesterday to express her anger at the way those affected by the conflict in Ukraine have been described.She urged her followers to “stop saying Ukraine people are inspiring!!!!!” and suggested that the situation is much more sad than it is ‘inspiring’.She added: “It’s not inspiring seeing woman and children suffer!!! (sic)“It’s sad.”The Strictly star also shared a quote from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which read: “Do prove that you are with us, do prove that you will not let us go, do prove that you indeed are Europeans.“And then life will win over death and light will win over darkness…”In response to her Twitter outburst, @Emijo71replied: “But the spirit of facing the enemy and not shying from resistance is admirable.“I’m inspired by the soldiers and the plucky rescue services across Europe.”Motsi has continued to reveal her thoughts about the Russian invasion of Ukraine on social media.In view of her 72,000 followers, the professional dancer has been sharing tweets, reacting to the situation in Ukraine.Yesterday, Motsi admitted she feared that the conflict was “escalating”.Motsi explained: “Remember after the first lockdown how we all thought we will never see a lockdown again and then boom a second lockdown longer than the first one.“This is what the situation feels like!“It seems like the situation is escalating...“Just doesn’t feel good!!!!”Motsi is married to Ukrainian dancer Evgenij Voznyuk, whose parents remain in the country and have been unable to leave.Motsi and Evgenij have a three-year-old daughter together.On her Instagram story, Motsi shared: “This situation also makes me realise how I could never, ever be friends with some

Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury has taken to Twitter to condemn Russian president Vladimir Putin for his style of "leadership". Posting a snap portraying the stark contrast of leadership between the Russian leader and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the BBC presenter, 51, continued to post about ongoing conflict in Ukraine.The star shared an Instagram post from CNN reporter Ana Navarro-Cardenas, depicting the two men's leadership styles in view of her 165,000 followers.Julia simply wrote "Leadership", while the CNN writer penned: "Ukrainian President Zelensky's leadership vs Paranoid Puto Putin's 'leadership'."In the picture, Ukraine's leader could be seen sitting around a table with his fellow soldiers while laughing and enjoying a meal.However, the picture below depicted a very different scene.It showed Putin sitting at one end of an obscenely long table, while the people he was interacting with sat far down the end.After sharing the picture, Julia's followers were quick to share their thoughts on the image.Twitter user Gordon Hession wrote: "For sure, little man at a big table...a bigger man at a small table...picture describes it well."Tommy Kirk added: "A true leader - I wonder how many of ours would do the same.

Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, began her career as a screenwriter before becoming the First Lady of Ukraine. Olena, 44, was thrust into the spotlight three years ago, when her husband was voted in as the new president of Ukraine, in an election that saw him win over 70 per cent of the national vote.

Vladimir Putin has had many faces over the years, managing to transform himself from a skinny geek to a bloated brute - but it reportedly wasn't from ageing gracefully or exercise. The 69-year-old somehow went from being slender with wrinkles to a muscle man who loves to be photographed shirtless, which is all down to steroids and plastic surgery according to experts.

Prince Charles has spoken out against Russia and President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine during a royal engagement Tuesday, March 1, as he condemned the attack as "brutal aggression".The first in line to the throne was joined by his wife and future queen consort Camilla in Southend-on-Sea, for a visit in honour of the murdered MP Sir David Amess.The royal pair formally granted the seaside location city status, a triumph that the late Sir David had been campaigning for for decades. During his speech, Prince Charles, 73, also made a segue way into talking about the current Ukrainian crisis.

Sean Penn, 61, continued to chronicle his time in Ukraine on Monday, Feb. 28,  tweeting what he and his colleagues witnessed while waking to the Polish border. The Oscar-winner shared a photo of himself walking down a long road with his luggage in tow and what appeared to be miles of cars lining the road. “Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road. Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car, their only possession of value,” he wrote.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had quite the career in the entertainment industry, having worked as a comedian, starred in reality TV shows and even a major Hollywood film. The 44 year old former star turned politician was voted in as the new president of Ukraine in 2019, in an election that saw him win over 70 per cent of the national vote. At first, some were incredibly sceptical of the star's ability to lead the Ukrainian people, but that has been firmly put to rest with his incredible response to Russia's invasion of the country in recent days.

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Motsi Mabuse has revealed fears she'll never see her husband's Ukrainian hometown after it came under attack from Russian forces. The professional dancer, whose husband Evgenij Voznyuk is from Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, has been horrified by the devastation caused by the Russian invasion. Today she wrote on Twitter: "2020 we booked our flights to spend Easter in Kharkiv and return a day before my birthday, because of lockdown we cancelled the trip.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Ukraine – and the world – with nuclear weapons, as he bids to bring back the era of the Soviet Union.But it now appears that Soviet infrastructure could be saving the lives of thousands of innocent Ukrainians.In a tweet from Ukrainian front-line journalist Illia Ponomarenko, it is now clear that many of Kyiv's metro stations are actual nuclear war vaults.Posting a picture of one of the entrances from the Akademmistechko Station in the country's capital city, he tweeted: “In case you were interested, this is how a sealed subway station look like in Kyiv.“The Soviets designed them as potential nuclear war vaults. Now our metro protects us form the new Soviets.”Mr Ponomarekno is the defence reporter with The Kyiv Independent newspaper.Around 47 of the city's 52 stations have features enabling them to be used as bomb shelters, and they have been used as such during the current invasion.The system is the oldest and largest underground network in the country, and has become the main source of protection as Russian bombs and missiles rain down on the country.The Arsenalna station, located in the Pecherskyi district is thought to be the safest station to go to, as it is the deepest of all of them.It goes down underground by around 346ft, or 105.5 metres.

Sean Penn said he "walked miles" to the border of Poland on Monday from Ukraine, where he has been filming a documentary about Russia's invasion. The actor took to Twitter to share an update just days after it was revealed he was in Kyiv to film a documentary about the escalating conflict. "Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road," Penn revealed in his tweet on Monday.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has broken a 24-hour social media silence to thank Prince William and Kate Middleton for their support as his country faces a massive onslaught from invading Russian forces. People following the charismatic Ukrainian leader breathed a sigh of relief as his first tweet of the day dropped, after reports that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had sent a bloodthirsty special forces hit squad to take President Zelenskyy out.But despite the incredible pressure he’s under, the comedian turned president – who won his country’s version of Strictly and dubbed Paddington’s voice for the Ukrainian release of the popular kids’ films – didn’t forget his manners.