Watch: Ukraine President speaks on Russia attack, says 'don't panic, help army'

Hours after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a brave front, refusing to bow down before the aggressive neighbour, and calling on citizens of the country to fight against the invaders.

Zelenskyy announced the severing of all diplomatic relations with Russia, and called Moscow's actions an attack on the "democratic world". The Ukrainian leader also appealed to other countries to provide defence assistance, and help Kyiv protect its airspace.

By the afternoon of February 24, around 40 Ukrainian soldiers had reportedly been killed in the fighting. Russia's attack reportedly began at 5 am on February 24, with Ukraine claiming it was facing a three-way assault from Belarus and Crimea as well.

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Zelenskyy said that weapons would be provided to all those willing to fight, and said that the populace should be ready to support Ukraine in the "squares of our cities". He said, "Today Russia started an invasion in Ukraine. Putin has unleashed a war with Ukraine and the entire democratic world. He wants to destroy wants to destroy our state, everything that we have built, everything we live for. Don't panic. Let's do everything necessary to support our army."

Zelenskyy said, "I talked to (US President Joe) Biden, (UK Prime Minister) Johnson, (President of the European Council) Charles Michel, (Polish President Andrzej) Duda, (Lithuanian President Gitanas) Nauseda. We started putting together an anti-Putin coalition. I have already urged global leaders to slam Putin with all possible sanctions, offer large-scale defense support and close the airspace over Ukraine for the aggressor. Together we must save Ukraine, save the democratic world, and we will do it."