UN ambassadors have spoken in a new BBC documentary about the moment they learned of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It happened while the UN Security Council was in the middle of an emergency meeting to try to prevent such an escalation.
Russia's UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, says he was also surprised.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “The main reason for the United Nations is to maintain peace… When you have a permanent member of the Security Council invading another country… you see your mission collapsing.”
You can watch Putin vs. the West: At War on BBC iPlayer on BBC Two at 21:00 on Monday 29 January.
