European markets opened sharply lower on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine, APA reports citing CNN.
In the opening minutes of trade the FTSE 100 fell 2.5%, the French CAC 40 dropped 4% and Germany's Dax was 4% lower.
Earlier, Asian markets and US stock futures plunged on Thursday as news of the military action emerged. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 3%. Korea's Kospi dropped 2.6%. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost nearly 2% after coming back from a holiday. China's Shanghai Composite moved 1.7% lower.