Ford calls Putin a 'thug' as Ontario leaders denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine

With violence rocking Ukraine after a Russian invasion by land, sea and air, Ontario politicians condemnedVladimir Putin's attack during a session inthe legislature Thursday.

Premier Doug Ford said certain dates will be "forever etched" in our memories,and this is one of them. He called the Russian presidenta "thug"carrying out a violent attack on a sovereign nation.

He also said the bonds between Canada and Ukraine run deep, and praised Ukrainians for their resilience.

"The blue and yellow must be the last colours the invaders see," Ford said,referring to the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath similarly denounced Russia's attack, and said Ukrainian-Canadians played a vital role in building this country.

"We will always reject the path of aggression ... the path threatening world peace," Horwath said.

Ontario also announced Thursday that it is providing $300,000 in humanitarian aid to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which provincial officials say will be used to support humanitarian purposes, like medical aid, emergency shelter and food security in Ukraine.

Explosions could be heard before dawn in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire rattled, sirens blared across the city and the highway out became choked with traffic as residents tried to flee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin's aim was to destroy his state.

"Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won't give up its freedom, no matter what Moscow thinks," Zelensky said on Twitter.

Calling on Ukrainians to defend their country, he said arms would be given to anyone prepared to fight. He also urged Russians to take to the streets to protest against their government's actions.

Residents fleeing capital

Mychailo Wynnyckyj, a sociology professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy originally from Kitchener, Ont., spoke with CBC Radio's Metro Morning Thursday as he and his family were packing up to leave their home in Kyiv.

The streets of the Ukrainian capital were teeming with people not long ago, he said, as people fled the city.

"In addition to having rocket attacks, this morning we've had our first view of paratroopers coming in the outskirts of Kyiv, and the tanks that are moving in from the north," Wynnyckyj said. "Although they are being pushed back by the Ukrainian army, there is a column that is moving towards Kyiv, and we're getting a little nervous about that."

Some people are rushing to get out of Kyiv and other cities,while others scramble for key supplies:

Ukraine also reported columns of troops moving across its borders Thursday into the eastern regions of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk, and landing by sea at the port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south.

The head of the UN refugee agency is warning of "devastating consequences" of Russia's military action and is calling on neighbouring countries to keep their borders open for people fleeing the fighting.

Almost all of the world but not China condemned the attack and threatened to hit Russia with sanctions.

Bob Rae, Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, said on Metro Morning Thursday that he thinks those sanctions will be strengthened day by day, and have an "extremely negative effect on Russia.

"We don't know whether that will be enough, but we have to do everything ... we can to support Ukraine in its current struggle," Rae said.

"This is a direct threat to the well-being of every person alive. It's a declaration of the classic bully, and you can't give in to bullies like this."

'People are preparing to resist'

Wynnyckyj, for his part, said he believes Ukraine also needs direct military support.

"Sanctions are a long-term weapon, and obviously I'm very for sanctions. But at the end of the day, sanctions should have been employed against Russia a month ago, two months ago, when the first aggressive moves started happening," he said.

WATCH |See some of the damage done in early attacks on Ukraine:

Raw video of attacks, aftermath in Ukraine

3 years ago

Duration 0:58

Video from Ukraine, where officials say Russian forces are striking from the north, east and south.

Former Etobicoke MP and Ukrainian-Canadian Borys Wrzesnewskyj was also at the United Nations this weekin his role as the chair of the Human Rights Commission of the Ukrainian World Congress.

People with ties to Ukraine have been feeling a tremendous sense of angst for weeks, or in some cases, months, he told CBC News.

"There's this constant knot in the pit of your stomach," Wrzesnewskyj said. "We have heard this story before from our parents, our grandparents. It's generational, our people have died. It's not just my personal family story, it's the family story of most members of the Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora. They feel it on that level."

Wrzesnewskyj said he has spoken with family and friends in Ukraine, who are preparing for what comes next.

"Those are difficult conversations because in some cases, you know these may be their last conversations. People are preparing to resist."