Ukraine Asks Its Citizens To Leave Russia Immediately As Zelensky Vows To Fight Back Russian Troops

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged all Ukrainian citizens to leave Russia immediately with up to 3 million Ukrainians and their families believed to be permanently residing in Russia. Zelensky declared a 30-day state of emergency now in force nationwide with its lawmakers giving an overwhelming approval Wednesday.

The state of emergency will call for rigid personal document checks as it blocks military reservists from leaving the country. This also bans mass gatherings with restrictions on radio communication systems. Major checkpoints will be set up on roads leading into the city and all access to government buildings will also be restricted.

Ukrainian citizens are urged to leave Russia due to the escalating Russian aggression citing how consular assistance at any time could be limited. Close to 2 million Ukrainians are also said to be living in Russia as migrant workers.

There are no confirmed reports of any Russian troops crossing the border into Ukraine, but, satellite imagery has highlighted new troop movement and build-up as well as equipment deployments in western Russia. More than 100 military vehicles were also spotted at an airfield in Belarus near the Ukrainian border.

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his military forces to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day on Wednesday as he boasted on their “battle readiness”. He assured troops and citizens that military forces will defend Russian security interests as these he reiterated are non-negotiable grounds. While Moscow has evacuated its staff from its Kyiv embassy, Ukraine’s security agency has claimed that over 45,000 body bags have been delivered to Russian frontlines in what would seem like a clear hint on the amount of devastation expected to be unleashed by Putin.

Leaders of Western-allied nations predict a full-scale invasion with direct attacks on Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv to take place within the next 24 hours.

In response to this, Ukraine has called on the first wave of military reservists with ages ranging between 18-60 years old to join in arms with its regularly armed forces.

According to the BBC, Zelensky has appealed to all Russians to oppose an imminent major war in Europe saying he had unsuccessful talks with Putin.

"I initiated a telephone call with the president of the Russian federation. Result: silence," Zelensky said as he cited nearly 200,000 Russian troops and thousands of combat vehicles have now been deployed on Ukraine’s borders.