A CNN reporter in Kyiv paused during his live report to put on a flak jacket after hearing explosions near the Ukrainian capital

• A CNN reporter paused his live reporting from Kyiv to put on a flak jacket on air.
• He heard explosions in the Ukrainian capital while live. He said he "heard four or five."

CNN reporter Matthew Chance abruptly paused his live reporting from Kyiv to put on a flak jacket on-air after hearing explosions in the Ukrainian capital, blasts that came as Russia launched a major attack against Ukraine.

Chance heard explosions in Kyiv from the top of a hotel in the city during CNN's "Don Lemon Tonight."

"I just heard a big bang right here behind me," he said, adding that "there are big explosions taking place in Kyiv right now."

While he said he couldn't see the blasts from his vantage point in central Kyiv, he said he "heard four or five explosions just moments ago."

He said that before tonight, the city has been "absolutely silent." As the explosions went off, Chance grabbed a flak jacket and put it on live on-air.

Russian military forces attacked Ukraine early Thursday morning following an announcement from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country was launching a "special military operation" into Ukraine.

Blasts were heard from Kyiv, the capital, to the eastern city of Kharkiv. There have been reports of outgoing artillery fire from Russian forces across the border, and the Ukrainian interior ministry told CNN there had also been missile strikes in places.