On or about 03:00 UTC (06:00 Moscow time, UTC+3) on 24 February, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced in a prerecorded television broadcast that he had ordered "a special military operation" in eastern Ukraine; minutes later, missile strikes occurred at dozens of cities across the country,[2] including Ukraine's capital Kyiv.[3] The Ukrainian Border Service stated shortly thereafter that its border posts with Russia and Belarus were under attack.[4][5] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares martial law at around 03:00 UTC (05:00 Moscow Time, UTC+3)