Russian President Putin has declared war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation into Ukraine, sparking a war between the two nations.

The announcement was made at 5.55am Moscow time – and minutes later the first shelling and missiles were launched into Ukraine, according to reports.

In the capital of Kyiv, an emergency siren has gone off, and pictures show streams of cars clogging up an expressway as people flee the city.

Social media testimonies speak to a growing sense of panic, with some saying they are being rushed into bomb shelters and into basements. Television footage has showed people praying in the streets, huddled in groups.

Guardian journalist Luke Harding in Kyiv says on Twitter that there are few people on the streets, and people are queuing up at cash machines.

Ukraine has now shut down its airspace due to the threat of war in the region

Earlier on Wednesday, a conflict zone monitor stated that airlines should stop flying over any part of Ukraine because of the risk of an unintended shootdown or a cyber attack targeting air traffic control amid tensions with Russia,

Safe Airspace, which was set up to provide safety and conflict zone information for airlines after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, said it had increased its risk level to “do not fly”.

Russia has closed some airspace in the Rostov flight information region to the east of its border with Ukraine “in order to provide safety” for civil aviation flights, according to a notice to airmen.

The move to close the airspace is expected to cause major ramifications for air travel, particularly in the areas of Asia.