In Kharkiv, Ukraine on Thursday, just as Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced its invasion of the neighboring country, a few Ukrainian men were captured on camera dropping to their knees to pray. The powerful prayer scene was witnessed by CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward and the rest of the media outlet's staff.
Ward took to the airwaves to call what she witnessed "very moving" as it captured just how Ukraine has been plunged into uncertainty by Russia on Thursday.
"I think this...really speaks to the sort of desperation of this moment," Ward told CNN's Don Lemon, as reported by Faithwire. "We just see a small group of people...have gathered in the main square, and they are kneeling and praying because right now there is clearly a sense of having no idea what is coming down the pipeline, what is in store."
CNN's cameras then showed a group of prayerful Ukranians drop on their knees to pray as Ward explained the desperation and anxiety that they felt amidst Russia's Putin announcing their invasion of the country. Ward went on to say that it was "honestly very moving" to see "people kneeling on the cold stone in prayer" in the city where it was "freezing cold."
"I think it speaks to the state of ordinary Ukrainians here who have done absolutely nothing to deserve this," Ward lamented. Ukranians are now awashed with fear as the Russians continue to invade the country. After one day of invasion alone, the Ukraine death toll reached up to 137, with 316 wounded following Russia's unprovoked assault, The Independent reported.
What a moment captured by @clarissaward and her team in Kharkiv.
"A small group of people have gathered in the main square and they are kneeling and praying," Clarissa says. "Because right now there is truly a sense of having no idea what is coming down the pipeline." pic.twitter.com/cAoLi8Euaq"” Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 24, 2022
Fox News reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a martial law in response to Russia's brutal invasion, saying that the Ukrainian government would "give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country." Zelensky took to Twitter to announce, "Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities," as tensions continued to escalate.
On Thursday morning, Putin ordered the launch of several airstrikes against Ukraine, where residents woke up to blasts, taking shelter in subway stations and buildings as others continued to evacuate cities with cars. Putin said in a televised speech that his goal for the unprovoked attack was "for the demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine." Right after the dictator's speech, Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine from Belarus and Crimea, which in 2014 was annexed by Moscow.
In the U.S., President Joe Biden has begun rolling out several sanctions on Russia for its invasion into Ukraine. The sanctions are implementing "the toughest economic penalties ever introduced on a country of Russia's size," Vox reported.
But it remains doubtful that it would stop Russia from moving further into Ukraine. President Biden has targeted Russian financial institutions and cut off its largest banks from the U.S. financial system, as well as Russian elites close to Putin.
On Thursday, Biden called Putin "the aggressor" who "chose this war." Politico reported that the Democratic leader ordered the deployment of 7,000 additional U.S. troops to Germany, coming to a total of 12,000 deployed in Europe this month. However, Biden refused to "be engaged in the conflict" and clarified that U.S. troops will not be going to Ukraine.
