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Panicked Kyiv citizens empty ATMs, seek shelter in underground tunnels as Russian tanks roll

President Volodymyr Zelensky continued, "We are united by a desire to happily live in peace."

On the morning of February 24, barely hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin moved in with tanks over the Belarusian border, residents in Kyiv appeared to be filling up on gas and attempting to flee the city by car and rail, as many speculated that war had been declared overnight.

Many Ukrainians who had doubts about Putin's invasion had their minds enlightened to the reality of battle. Many people are rushing to the western border to avoid the incoming tanks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law. Following Vladimir Putin's announcement that a military campaign had begun, explosions were reported in Kyiv and other major cities. As air raid sirens screamed across the city on Thursday morning, photos and video showed Ukrainians heading out of Kyiv.

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Many people were rushing for the exits or waiting in long lines for gasoline, with some stopping at ATMs along the way. People seeking to get onto trains to depart the city formed long lineups at Kyiv's Metro station. Some were simply making their way into the station to seek refuge.

During a televised address early Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision, claiming it was in reaction to threats from Ukraine. He went on to say that Russia had no intention of occupying Ukraine. Putin claims the 'regime' in Ukraine is to blame for the bloodshed. Putin also warned other countries that interfering with Russia's actions will result in "consequences they have never seen."

Ukrainians resisted Moscow's pressure with a national show of flag-waving solidarity on Wednesday, despite the West's warning that no trace of the promised withdrawal of Russian troops from the country's borders has been seen. President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation when the alleged date of Putin's invasion failed to materialize, urging his compatriots that "we can defend our home only if we stay united."

Before going by helicopter to a training zone in Ukraine's west where live-fire tank and aircraft drills were taking place, he continued, "We are united by a desire to happily live in peace."

People of all ages waved flags in the streets and from apartment windows around the country as a two-finger salute in response to Putin's threat to attack with 150,000 troops massed on the borders. Hundreds of people unfurled a 650-foot banner at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium, while another was hung in a city retail mall. Residents in the government-controlled area of Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk, where a conflict with Russian-backed separatists has raged since 2014, draped another massive banner across a street.

Ukraine's border guard agency reported on Thursday morning that Russia's military had launched an attack on the country from Belarus. According to the agency, Russian troops launched an artillery barrage as part of a Belarus-backed invasion. They said that Ukrainian border guards were retaliating, but that no injuries had been reported as of yet. The deployment of Russian troops to Belarus for military training was interpreted by the West as a prelude to an invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, is about 50 miles south of the Belarusian border. As Russia launched military assaults on Ukraine, Ukraine's president declared martial law and urged civilians not to panic, while the country's foreign minister described the attack as a "full-scale invasion."