Russia Just Launched A 'Full-Scale Invasion' Of Ukraine & Hinted At Its Nuclear Weapons

Russia has finally invaded Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered some 190,000 troops to cross the Ukrainian border for a "special military operation" early Thursday, although Ukraine had a different term for it: "full-scale invasion."

Putin also issued his own warning to the world that strongly hinted at Russia's nuclear arsenal, the Associated Press reports.

"Whoever would try to stop us and further create threats to our country, to our people should know that Russia's response will be immediate and lead to such consequences that you have never faced in your history," Putin said in launching the attack.

Putin didn't say the word "nuclear" in his pre-invasion speech, but his country has the largest stockpile in the world and everyone else knows it.

"No one should have any doubts that a direct attack on our country will lead to the destruction and horrible consequences for any potential aggressor," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law in response to the invasion and condemned Russia for the move.

"Russia has embarked on a path of evil," he said. "But Ukraine is defending itself and won't give up its freedom."

Explosions were reported throughout Ukraine on Thursday, including in the capital city of Kyiv.

It's the largest invasion since the former Soviet Union moved into Afghanistan in 1979, and one of the most aggressive pushes into another country since the Second World War.

Putin spent weeks telegraphing his plan to invade. He lined up troops and tanks all around Ukraine and warned the country against joining NATO, an international defence pact meant to discourage Russia from doing exactly this kind of thing.

Ukraine was never close to joining NATO, but that didn't stop Putin from raising it as one of his reasons for invading.

Putin also said before the invasion that he was moving in to defend pro-Russian separatists who have been in control of eastern Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.

The Russian president said he's not moving in to occupy Ukraine. Instead, he's going to "strive for de-militarization and de-Nazification" of the country.

Ukraine has a population of some 44 million people and while it was once part of the Soviet Union, it's been leaning more toward the West and the European Union in recent years.

No other countries have pledged to defend Ukraine as of Thursday morning.