Kyiv residents flee city, take shelter in underground

Thousand of Kyiv residents were seen fleeing the city after an emergency siren went off in the capital of Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of the military operation into Ukraine at 5.55am Moscow time.

Streams of cars clogged up the expressways, reports BBC.

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.

Though people were expecting the imminent invasion, no one could quite believe it's actually happening.

Many people in Kyiv have rushed to underground metro stations to take shelter. Others have boarded buses to leave the city, and there are queues of cars trying to get out.