Russia- Ukraine war: Denmark closes embassy in Kiev over insecurity

The Danish embassy in Kiev shut down for security reasons on Thursday amid hostilities in Ukraine, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

"The embassy in Kiev is temporarily closed for security reasons. There are reports of explosions and rocket attacks in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine.

"The airspace is closed," the ministry said in a statement.

On Thursday morning, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, declared a special military operation against Ukraine.

In a televised speech, the Russian leader said the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics requested help from Russia to counter Ukraine's military aggression, which has recently intensified in the eastern Donbas region.

The Russian Defence Ministry stressed that the army did not target Ukrainian cities, so there was no threat to the civilians.