Fighting rages around Ukraine as Russia invades from three sides

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the country's Paralympic team ahead of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games via a video link in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2022. Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces battled Russian invaders on three sides on Thursday after Moscow mounted an assault by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in a pre-dawn televised address, explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the morning in Kyiv, a city of 3 million people.