Russian President Vladimir Putin declared de facto war on Ukraine shortly before 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

Shortly after he spoke, Russian warplanes and missile forces began striking cities across Ukraine, Kyiv included. In what was likely a prerecorded speech (it aired at 05:40 a.m. Moscow time), the Russian president announced a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of Nazis while also preventing a “massacre” of ethnic Russians in that nation.