Putin announces 'military operation' in Donbas. Russian President Vladimir Putin has just announced a "military operation" in Ukraine's Donbas region.
He made the declaration in a televised speech at the same time as the UN Security Council was imploring him to stop.
In a televised address on Thursday morning, Putin urges Ukrainian soldiers in the combat zone in eastern Ukraine to lay down weapons and return to their homes.
He warned Ukraine that it would be blamed for any bloodshed.
Putin also says "justice and truth" are on the Russian side, warning that Moscow's response will be "instant" if anyone tries to take on Russia.
The Russian president also says his country's actions are self-defence and tells Ukraine’s military their fathers and grandfathers did not fight so they could help neo-Nazis.
According to BBC Putin adds that clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces are “inevitable” and “only a question of time”.
Only minutes earlier, the UN's under secretary had warned that a military escalation would lead to "an unacceptably high cost, human suffering and destruction".
