Here's what we know about how Russia's invasion of Ukraine unfolded

Russian forces invaded Ukraine from three sides, while explosions rang through a number of cities, including the capital Kyiv, in a broad attack that began before dawn on Thursday.

Here's how it unfolded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a speech early Thursday morning, saying he had decided "to conduct a special military operation ... to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years," repeating a baseless claim about Ukraine's Russian-separatist-backed Donbas region.

He denied, however, that Russia was planning to occupy Ukrainian territories. "We are not going to impose anything on anyone by force."