Taiwan said on Thursday that at least nine Chinese Air Force jets violated the island’s air space reports Anadolu Agency. 

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense released a statement saying that their air force scrambled away from the Chinese air fleet.

“The Air Force aircraft issued radio warnings and air defense missile systems (were) deployed to monitor the activities,” the ministry said.

It added the Chinese fighter jets crossed over into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), which boasts more than 24 million people in the southwestern region.

The aerial incursion entering the ADIZ came on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

Ukraine vs. Russia

Following the decision to invade, the Kremlin evacuated its Kyiv embassy. US president Joe Biden approved sanctions to move forward against the company that built the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and against the company’s CEO.

On Thursday, Russia waged an assault on Ukraine, as Putin called on Ukrainian “comrades” to lay down their weapons.

Russian security officials announced that they had successfully attacked Ukraine’s air defense systems following that announcement. Neutralizing the infrastructure of Ukrainian Air Force bases as smoke can be seen billowing from a Ukrainian military airport in Chuguev. Ukraine also reported that enemy Russian forces have completed seized control of two villages in the country’s east as underground subways have been converted into bomb shelters.

Russian helicopter shot down by Ukrainians at Gostomel airfield.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government announced early Thursday morning local time that it had successfully shot five Russian fighter jets and one Russian helicopter.