By Nwafor Sunday

• As Russian military denies statement

Hours after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called ‘a special military operation in the east’, General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Thursday said it has shot down six aircraft and a helicopter.

Oleksiy Arestovych, one of the advisers in Ukrainian President’s Office, has argued that more than 40 soldiers and up to 10 civilians have been killed during Russian invasion. “As far as I know, at the moment there are a few civilian deaths — up to ten”.

Reacting to Ukrainian claim that she shot down its six plane, the Russian military had denied the claims, according to state news agency TASS.

In her response according to CNN, the European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to “weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize” following the “barbaric attack” by Moscow against Ukraine.

“We will freeze Russian assets in the European Union and stop the access of Russian banks to European financial markets,” Von der Leyen told reporters on Thursday.

“We condemn this barbaric attack and the cynical arguments that are being used to justify it.”

“Harshest” sanctions: Von der Leyen said she will present “massive and strategic” sanctions against Russia for approval later today.

“These sanctions are designed to take a heavy toll on the Kremlin’s interests and their ability to finance war. And we know that millions of Russians do not want war,” she said.

“We will not allow President [Vladimir] Putin to replace the rule of law, by the rule of force, and ruthlessness,” she said, “Ukraine will prevail.”