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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Samantha Lock (now); Adam Gabbatt, Helen Davidson, Harry Taylor, Jem Bartholomew and Miranda Bryant (earlier)

Liz Truss says ‘nowhere left to hide’ for Putin allies – as it happened

This liveblog is closing now but you can continue to follow our coverage on our new liveblog here. Thank you for reading.

Summary

As dawn breaks in Kyiv and multiple towns and cities across Ukraine wake to find scenes of destruction, here is where the situation currently stands:

  • Western allies have agreed to block Russia’s access to the Swift international banking payment system. The US, Canada and key European countries, including Germany, have agreed to remove “selected Russian banks” from the Swift payment system, the countries announced on Saturday.
  • There are reports that a gas pipeline is on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack, while an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, south-west of the capital, Kyiv, has also been targeted. The government has warned that smoke from the explosion in Kharkiv could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised people to cover their windows.
  • The 13 Ukrainian soldiers who were reportedly killed while defending an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment – reportedly telling a Russian navy warship to “go fuck yourself” when asked to surrender – may still be alive, according to Ukrainian officials.
  • Britain is preparing a “hit list” of Russian oligarchs to be targeted by sanctions in the coming months, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said.
  • Truss said there would be “nowhere left to hide” for the super-rich allies of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. She told the Sunday Times that new names would be added to the list every few weeks as ministers seek to ratchet up the pressure on Putin.
  • Liquor stores and bars in the US and Canada are targeting Russia’s national drink in a show of unity with the people of Ukraine. Shelves in both countries are being stripped of Russian vodka, with the Republican governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, announcing on Saturday the removal of “Russian-made and Russian-branded spirits from our liquor and wine outlets until further notice”.
  • Japanese billionaire Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani has said he will donate $8.7m to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy”. The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten said in a letter addressed to Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the donation of 1bn yen ($8.7m) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence”, Agence France-Presse reported.
  • A Ukrainian company in charge of building and maintaining roads said it was removing all road signs that could be used by invading Russian forces to find their way around the country. The company, Ukravtodor, said in a Facebook post: “The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain. Let us help them get straight to hell.”

Updated

Australia has said it will fund the supply of weapons to Ukraine to help it fight Russian forces, days after the government said it would only provide “non-lethal” military equipment.

Prime minister Scott Morrison joined Ukrainian-Australians at a church service in Sydney on Sunday morning before announcing the decision.

The Australian government will continue to stand up for what is right when it comes to Ukraine.

We’ll be seeking to provide whatever support we can for lethal aid through our Nato partners, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.”

Morrison added that the rapid processing of visa applicants from Ukraine would be a “top priority” going forward.

A powerful video posted to social media shows a Ukrainian citizen attempting to stop a Russian tank with his body weight.

The man first climbs on to the tank before hopping down and attempting to push it back with his arms. When that fails, he kneels in front of the tank in a desperate bid to stop its advance.

The moment, captured in Bakhmach in northern Ukraine, is one of a string of defiant acts caught on video showing unarmed Ukrainians confronting Russian soldiers.

The decision to remove some Russian banks from the Swift international payments system is expected to have a significant impact in Russia, and further afield. Sergei Aleksashenko, a former deputy chairman of Russia’s central banks, said “there is going to be a catastrophe” on the Russian currency market on Monday. “I think they will stop trading and then the exchange rate will be fixed at an artificial level just like in Soviet times,” he added.

Michael Farr, chief executive of financial consulting firm Farr, Miller & Washington, said of the impact on global markets: “This could be a surprise that is not taken very well if it means a slowdown in international trade.”

The SWIFT international payments system said on Saturday it was preparing to implement Western nations’ new measures targeting certain Russian banks in coming days, Reuters reports.

In a statement, it said:

We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction.”

Prince Harry has acknowledged the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and called for global support for the country’s people during an appearance at the 53rd annual NAACP Image awards in Los Angeles, Press Association reports.

“Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine who urgently need our support as a global community,” Harry said as he and Meghan appeared at the ceremony to accept the President’s Award, which recognises special achievement and distinguished public service.

Updated

Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is reeling after a natural gas pipeline was blown up early Sunday morning.

The government has warned that smoke from the explosion could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised people to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze.

Meanwhile, a blaze at an oil terminal in the Ukrainian town of Vasylkiv, southwest of the capital, Kyiv, has prompted authorities to urge residents to close their windows to avoid breathing in smoke and harmful substances.

Updated

Missiles hit Vasylkiv oil terminal, Kharkiv gas pipeline blown up

We are receiving more confirmation of a blaze at an oil terminal in the Ukrainian town of Vasylkiv, southwest of the capital, Kyiv.

The town’s mayor, Natalia Balasinovich, said Russian missiles hit the oil storage area southwest of the air base’s main runway in a video posted online. The National News Agency of Ukraine later confirmed the reports.

Photographs and video posted online showed large flames rising under the night sky.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on Telegram.

The missile attack was carried out on the Vasilkovskaya oil depot of the KLO company. Rescuers have already left for the scene of the tragedy. Most likely, there were no casualties. It will burn for a long time. The environmental damage will be colossal.”

The mayor of Vasylkiv, Natalia Balasinovich, also confirmed that rockets hit the oil depot in Vasilkov, and a strong fire started.

A natural gas pipeline was also blown up in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after a Russian attack, the Ukrainian state service of special communications said.

A mushroom-shaped explosion was shown in a video it posted on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not immediately clear how important the pipeline was and whether the blast could disrupt gas shipments outside the city or the country.

A Ukrainian company in charge of building and maintaining roads said it was removing all road signs that could be used by invading Russian forces to find their way around the country.

The company, Ukravtodor, said in a Facebook update:

The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain.

Let us help them get straight to hell.”

It posted an edited photo of a standard road sign in which directions to nearby cities have been replaced with profanities that could be translated as “Go f*** yourself”, “Go f*** yourself again” and “Go f*** yourself back in Russia”.

Russian vodka removed from shelves in US and Canada

Vodka, one of Russia’s most known exports, is being boycotted from liquor stores and bars across the US and Canada in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In New Hampshire, Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, announced on Saturday the removal of “Russian-made and Russian-branded spirits from our liquor and wine outlets until further notice.”

In Ohio, where the state contracts with private businesses to sell liquor, Governor Mike DeWine, also a Republican, announced a halt to state purchases and sales of Russian Standard Vodka.

L. Louise Lucas, a top Democrat in the Virginia State Senate, is alsocalling for “the removal of all Russian vodka and any other Russian products” from Virginia’s nearly 400 state-run Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores.

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, wrote on Twitter: “Dump all the Russian vodka and, alongside ammo and missiles, send the empty bottles to Ukraine to use for Molotov cocktails.”

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, announced on Friday that it would remove “all products produced in Russia” from its more than 600 stores. Similar removals were underway in the provinces of Manitoba and Newfoundland, Reuters reported.

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani has said he will donate $8.7m to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy”.

The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the donation of 1 billion yen ($8.7m) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence”, Agence France-Presse reports.

Mikitani said he visited Kyiv in 2019 and met with Zelenskiy.

My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people. I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.

I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible.”

Women across Ukraine have been lending their support by making homemade molotov cocktails, videos circulating across Ukrainian media suggest.

The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford said crowds of women in Dnipro in central Ukraine spent Saturday making molotov cocktails.

“Teachers, lawyers, housewives, all crouched on the grass, filling bottles. They told me they try not to think about what they’re doing. They didn’t choose this. But they have to be ready to defend their city,” Rainsford said.

Amnesty International says Russia has made “indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas” with strikes on sites protected by international humanitarian law.

A shipment of military aid from Lithuania has reached Ukraine, according to Lithuania’s ministry of defence.

Former US President Donald Trump has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said he was praying for Ukrainians, marking a sharp shift of tone from earlier this week when he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump delivered his remarks at the CPAC conservative gathering in Florida, Reuters reports.

Addressing a crowd at CPAC, Trump expressed empathy for Ukrainians and praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, calling him “brave” as he stays in Kyiv, the capital.

The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all.

As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president.

I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country.”

Earlier this week, Trump described Putin’s actions in Ukraine, where cities have been pounded by Russian artillery and cruise missiles, as “genius” and “pretty savvy.”

Snake Island defenders may still be alive, Ukraine's State Border Guard says

The Ukrainian soldiers who defended an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment - reportedly telling an officer on board a Russian navy warship to “go f*** yourself” when asked to surrender, are believed to still be alive according to Ukrainian officials.

There were 13 border guards stationed on Snake Island, a roughly 16-hectare (40-acre) rocky island owned by Ukraine that sits about 186 miles (300km) west of Crimea, when Russian troops bombed the island on Thursday.

All 13 soldiers were believed to have died after refusing to surrender, Ukrainian officials announced.

However, in a recent statement, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said:

We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive.

After receiving information about their possible location, the DPSU together with the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting work on identifying our soldiers.”

If you missed our earlier report, you can read it below.

The Ukrainian soldiers who defended an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment - reportedly telling an officer on board a Russian navy warship to “go f*** yourself” when asked to surrender, are believed to still be alive according to Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian soldiers who defended an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment - reportedly telling an officer on board a Russian navy warship to “go f*** yourself” when asked to surrender, are believed to still be alive according to Ukrainian officials. Photograph: imageBROKER/Alamy

Updated

Gas pipeline and oil terminal on fire after attack: reports

Reports are filtering in that a gas pipeline is on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack.

In Vasylkiv, central Ukraine, an oil terminal has also reportedly been targeted, according to the National News Agency of Ukraine and later verified by CNN.

Video of the fire at the oil storage area southwest of the air base’s main runway has circulated across social media this morning.

Vasylkiv is about 30km, or 18 miles, south of Kyiv. It hosts a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks.

Illia Ponomarenko, a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, says the population in the area has been advised to keep their windows shut against hazardous chemical fumes.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on Telegram.

The missile attack was carried out on the Vasilkovskaya oil depot of the KLO company. Rescuers have already left for the scene of the tragedy. Most likely, there were no casualties. It will burn for a long time. The environmental damage will be colossal.”

The mayor of Vasylkiv, Natalia Balasinovich, also confirmed that rockets hit the oil depot in Vasilkov, and a strong fire started.

Updated

A quick tweet from US president Joe Biden confirming western allies will cut some Russian banks out of the Swift payments system.

As a result of Putin’s war on Ukraine, we join with leaders of EU, France, Germany, Italy, UK and Canada to ensure key sanctioned Russian banks are disconnected from SWIFT, impose restrictions on Russian Central Bank, and further identify and freeze assets of sanctioned Russians.”

The United States and its allies are “disarming Fortress Russia” with new sanctions that cut off key banks from the SWIFT financial transactions network and target Russia’s central bank, a senior Biden administration offical said on Saturday.

The actions are aimed at preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using $630 billion in central bank foreign currency reserves in the invasion of Ukraine and to defend a plunging rouble.

“Putin’s government is getting kicked off the international financial system,” the official said.

Updated

Meanwhile, protests are continuing across the world in support of Ukraine.

People hold signs and wave flags as thousands gather for a rally in support of the people of Ukraine, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
People hold signs and wave flags as thousands gather for a rally in support of the people of Ukraine, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Photograph: Darryl Dyck/AP
A woman holds a sign at a rally in Times Square to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine in New York.
A woman holds a sign at a rally in Times Square to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine in New York. Photograph: Brittainy Newman/AP
Thousands of people gathered in London, England, United Kingdom in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands of people gathered in London, England, United Kingdom in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starlink satellites active over Ukraine

Elon Musk has said SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are now active over Ukraine after a request from Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.

Fedorov tweeted Musk:

While you try to colonise Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand.”

Musk responded:

Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.”

Musk said on Saturday that the company’s Starlink satellite broadband service is available in Ukraine and SpaceX is sending more terminals to the country, whose internet has been disrupted due to the Russian invasion.
Internet connectivity in Ukraine has been affected by the Russian invasion, particularly in the southern and eastern parts of the country where fighting has been heaviest, internet monitors said on Saturday.

While extremely costly to deploy, satellite technology can provide internet for people who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fibre optic cables and cell towers do not reach. The technology can also be a critical backstop when hurricanes or other natural disasters disrupt communication.

Musk said on 15 January that SpaceX had 1,469 Starlink satellites active and 272 moving to operational orbits soon.

Updated

The international activist and hacktivist collective, Anonymous, has said Russian state TV channels have been hacked and are broadcasting “the reality of what is happening in Ukraine”.

The group earlier said they launched a cyberattack against Russia in order to support Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted on Saturday that Kyiv was “creating an IT army” to “continue to fight on the cyber front” as Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine.

Hello it’s Samantha Lock with you on the live blog as my colleague Adam Gabbatt signs off.

It is 2am in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and credible reports from journalists on the ground suggest an air raid is expected imminently.

Please feel free to contact me through Twitter for any tips or updates as we continue to cover the crisis unfolding in Ukraine.

Summary

•Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities were being subjected to further attacks overnight, as the Russian assault continued. In Kyiv numerous journalists reported two large explosions, while unconfirmed reports said an airbase south-west of the city may have been targeted.

•The US, Canada and key European countries, including Germany, agreed to remove “selected Russian banks” from the Swift payment system. A senior US administration official told the Guardian that Russia has become a “global economic and financial pariah”.

•Germany said it would send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to Ukraine, in a departure from previous policy. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said the Russian invasion marked a “turning point”. Germany also permitted the Netherlands to send 400 rocket-propelled grenades to Ukraine.

•Nine countries have now banned Russian aircraft from their airspace, as the repercussions mount for Vladimir Putin. Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and the UK are among the countries to introduce bans, with Germany potentially ready to do the same.

Journalists in Kyiv are reporting numerous explosions around the city, as Russia is believed to be launching a further offensive against the Ukrainian capital.

CNN’s Tim Lister reported that two large explosions “lit up the night sky” southwest of Kyiv, with one of the detonations about 12 miles from the city center, the direction of one of Kyiv’s airports.

Ukrainian officials had warned residents of Kyiv, and other cities, to prepare for airstrikes, which appeared to have begun in the early hours local time. CNN showed video of what seemed to be a large fire near the center of Kyiv, and the Kyiv Post reported that the Vasilkov oil depot, about 10 miles south of Kyiv, was ablaze.

Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, acknowledged in an interview with CNN the reports that Vasilkov had been targeted.

Russia has become a “global economic and financial pariah”, a senior US administration official told the Guardian’s diplomatic editor Julian Borger.

Speaking after western allies announced new financial measures against Russia, including the removal of some Russian banks from the Swift global payments network, the official said the measures were designed to target the Kremlin and individuals tied to the Russian government.

“We’ll go after their yachts, their luxury apartments their money and their ability to send their kids to fancy colleges in the west. We will also engage other governments, so as to detect and disrupt the movement of ill-gotten gains, and deny these individuals their ability to hide their assets in jurisdictions across the world,” the official said.

They said that all 10 of Russia’s largest financial institutions had now been subjected to sanctions – “holding nearly 80% of the Russian banking sector’s total assets”.

As a result, the official said: “Russia’s government borrowing costs have more than doubled to almost 17%. The S&P credit rating agency has downgraded Russia to junk status. Within 24 hours of our actions the demand for cash in Russia spiked 58 fold, according to reports, and the Russian government scrambled to deplete its own resources to try and shore up its banks and its currency. In short, Russia has become a global economic and financial pariah.”

Russia has been reported to have $630bn in financial reserves stored abroad, in gold and cash, but the new sanctions would render that fund useless, the official said.

“You heard about fortress Russia, the war chest of $630bn of foreign reserves,” they said.

“It’s impressive, but it’s only impressive if Russia can use those reserves. And that means Russia has to be able to sell those reserves and buy rubles to support its currency. And so what we’re committing to do here is to disarm the central bank. And the way we can do that, for example, is by banning US, EU UK, persons from selling rubles to the Central Bank of Russia. That means very simply, the Russian Central Bank can’t support the ruble, full stop, and that means our sanctions will have much greater force.”

The US official said the list of Russia banks to be removed from Swift will ultimately be decided by the EU, but said the US would “work very closely” with European countries “to finalize that list”.

The news that western allies will ban Russian banks from the Swift global payments network is a break through for the countries that had initially pushed for the ban.

The UK and Spain were early supporters of the move to lock Russia out of Swift, the main secure messaging system that banks use to make rapid and secure cross-border payments, but Germany was a key holdout.

On Saturday, however, Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, said the country was working on a “targeted and functional restriction” on Swift. Hours later, the joint statement by western allies, including Germany, was released, with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announcing the measure.

It is a victory for Ukraine, which had pleaded since Thursday for countries to ban Russia – foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba going so far as to say that European and US politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they did not.

But it remains unclear how widespread the ban will be. The statement from the west referred to removing “selected Russian banks” from Swift, but gave no specifics.

The US, like Germany, had initially been sceptical about the Swift ban. The Observer’s economics editor, Phillip Inman, wrote that “one reason is that the impact on Russian businesses might not be so serious”:

The head of a large Russian bank, VTB, said recently he could use other channels for payments, such as phones, messaging apps or email. Russian banks could also route payments via countries that have not imposed sanctions, such as China, which has set up its own payments system to rival Swift.

Updated

Western allies agree to Swift ban for some Russian banks

The US, Canada and key European countries, including Germany, have agreed to remove “selected Russian banks” from the Swift payment system, the countries announced on Saturday.

“As Russian forces unleash their assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, we are resolved to continue imposing costs on Russia that will further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our economies. We will implement these measures within the coming days,” a statement from the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the US said.

Swift is the world’s main international payments network. Several countries have already expressed support for locking Russia out of the platform, and Germany, which had previously oppose the measure, leant its support earlier today.

The joint statement on Saturday made the move official, although few details were given as to when the Swift removal will take place, and which Russian banks will be targeted.

“We commit to ensuring that selected Russian banks are removed from the SWIFT messaging system. This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally,” the countries said.

“Second, we commit to imposing restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions.”

The countries also said they would take measures “to limit the sale of citizenship – so called golden passports – that let wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems”.

They also announced plans to launch a “transatlantic task force” which will ensure sanctions on Russians remain effective.

Updated

Denys Shmyhal, the prime minister of Ukraine, has accused Russia of war crimes and targeting civilian targets, and said Moscow will face a “military tribunal”, CNN reported:

During a Saturday news conference, Shmyhal said Russia shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and “buses with children.”

For these crimes, the Russian command will surely see military tribunal. The enemy will surely be punished for killing Ukrainian children. Ukraine will not forgive them for this,” Shmyhal said.

Updated

Germany could block Russian flights from its airspace, the German transport ministry said in a tweet.

“[Transport] minister [Volker Wissing] supports the blocking of German airspace for Russian aircraft and has ordered everything to be prepared for this,” the ministry said.

Nine countries, including Czech Republic, Poland and the UK, have so far introduced full or partial bans on Russian flights.

A terrible report from Kyiv, where it seems the Okhmadyt children’s cancer hospital has been struck by artillery fire. Last year the hospital won a grant which enabled it to receive “modern equipment and a powerful telemedicine centre for minimally invasive surgery”, Lviv Now reported.

Credible reports from journalists in Kyiv suggest an air raid is expected imminently. It’s close to midnight in Ukraine, and citizens have endured night time attacks over the last two nights.

CNN reporter Alexander Marquardt posted this video from the Ukrainian capital, showing sirens blaring.

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports:

The vote by the 15-member council is procedural so none of the five permanent council members - Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States - can wield their vetoes. The move needs nine votes in favor and is likely to pass, diplomats said. The special session would be held on Monday, diplomats said.

Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the 193-member General Assembly have been convened since 1950.

The request for a session on Ukraine comes after Russia vetoed on Friday a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow’s invasion. China, India and UAE abstained, while the remaining 11 members voted in favor.

The General Assembly is expected to vote on a similar resolution following several days of statements by countries in the emergency special session, diplomats said. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding but carry political weight.

A tweet from Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, who says he spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskiy today:

Swift is the world’s main international payments network. Several countries are in favor of locking Russia out of the platform, and Germany, which had previously oppose the measure, leant its support earlier today.

Updated

Matt Bradley, a foreign correspondent for MSNBC and NBC News, posted this Ukraine defense ministry graphic, which the ministry says illustrates Russia’s military losses in the conflict as of 6am on Saturday:

The Pentagon has strongly denied Russian claims that it assisted Ukraine in a navy operation near Zmiinyi Island.

John Kirby, press secretary for the Pentagon, said the US did not provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance or other support. Russia had earlier claimed otherwise.

“Chalk this up to just one more lie by the Russian ministry of defense,” Kirby said in a tweet.

Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, was the site of a valiant last stand by Ukrainian soldiers on Thursday.

The soldiers died defending the Black Sea island from an air and sea bombardment, and reportedly told an officer on board a Russian navy warship to “go fuck yourself” when asked to surrender.

A heartwarming video from earlier today, as a Ukrainian mother embraces her child and then the person who brought him and his sister safely to her across the Hungarian border.

Nataliya Ableyeva was entrusted with the two children by their father who was forced to stay behind to fight for their country. The children’s mother, Anna Semyuk, had travelled from Italy to meet them and take them to safety.

Nine countries, including Czech Republic, Poland and the UK, have now introduced full or partial bans on Russian flights.

Poland banned Russian airlines from its airspace on Friday, as did the the UK. Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have each announced partial bans, as has Slovenia.

Russia retaliated by banning UK aircraft from its airspace. It has also restricted flights from Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

• This map was amended on 27 February 2022 to add Bulgaria as one of the countries that has banned Russian flights.

Updated

YouTube has suspended multiple Russian channels, including the state-funded media outlet RT, from generating revenue on the video service, Reuters reported.

YouTube said in a statement that it was “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions”. It said the move was prompted by “extraordinary circumstances”.

Videos from the affected channels also will come up less often in recommendations, Farshad Shadloo, a spokesman for YouTube, said. He added that RT and several other channels would no longer be accessible in Ukraine due to “a government request.”

One of the more surprising encounters I had in the outskirts of Kyiv today was with 50-year-old Alexander, who was manning a makeshift barricade at the entrance to one village with a group of other locals, brandishing whatever weapons they had.

Alexander was born and grew up in Russia, then moved to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, but left when Russian-backed forces took over in 2014. Now, he was ready to fight his own former countrymen.

If he were to capture any Russian soldiers, he said, he would have nothing to say to them, except to scream “Get out, occupier!” He said logic did not work on Russians because of the propaganda narrative dominant there.

He has stopped talking to his relatives in Russia, he said, as they simply don’t understand why he has become a Ukrainian patriot.

“I spoke to my own cousin two days ago and he doesn’t understand anything. That will be our last conversation. I asked him why are you so cowardly, your country is attacking us with ballistic missiles, your own father is from Ukraine, have you gone insane?”

He was, however, realistic about his makeshift team’s chances.

“Of course, if it’s a tank, in this terrain there’s nothing we can do and we need to run. But if it’s anything less than a tank, we will fight,” he said.

Russian troops are approaching Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and have aimed their rockets at the site, Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on Saturday.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest in Europe, is located in south-east Ukraine. Russia has already captured the defunct Chernobyl plant, some 100 km north of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Germany’s announcement that it will deliver weapons to support Ukraine’s military ends months of resistance from Berlin, despite the repeated calls from the administration of President Zelensky that it needed Germany’s military support.

“The Russian attack on the Ukraine marks a sea change,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. “It threatens our entire post-war order. In this situation it is our duty to support Ukraine in its attempts to defend itself against the invasion army of Vladimir Putin. Germany stands closely at the side of Ukraine.”

Germany is to deliver 1000 tank defence weapons as well as 500 surface to air stinger missiles, from stocks held by the German army, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. He said the weapons would be delivered to Ukraine as soon as possible.

The decision comes as a relief to many Germans who have watched with despair as the events in Ukraine have unfolded in recent days. Many have felt torn between the attempts by Germany to resist involvement in military conflict due to the extent to which the country is still haunted by its own Nazi era, and having to watch the lives of innocent people in a European democracy being ruined by an autocratic kleptocrat who has increasingly been compared to Adolf Hitler.

Updated

Roman Abramovich, the oligarch Russian owner of Chelsea football club, said he will hand over stewardship of the club.

In a statement on the Chelsea FC website, Abramovich said:

“During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.

“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.

“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the club, players, staff, and fans.”

Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea has come under scrutiny as sanctions have been applied to high profile Russian billionaires.

Greece has summoned Russia’s ambassador to its foreign ministry, after it said six Greek nationals had been killed and six others wounded by Russian bombing near Mariupol in Ukraine.

The Greek foreign ministry said the bombing took place on the outskirts of Sartana and Bugas villages, and one of those injured was a child, Reuters reported.

“The death of our nationals creates grief and anger for this unacceptable Russian attack against civilians,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, said in a statement.

Germany to send anti-tank weapons and missiles

Germany will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to Ukraine, the German chancellor said on Saturday.

Olaf Scholz said the Russian invasion marked a “turning point”, and added: “It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin.”

Germany earlier permitted the Netherlands to send 400 rocket-propelled grenades to Ukraine.

The Netherlands purchased the weapons from Germany, which has a long-standing policy of not exporting weapons to war zones. Reuters reported that countries “aiming to onpass German weapons” must apply for approval from Berlin first.

Updated

A total of 2,692 people have been detained in anti-war protests in Russia in the last three days, according to the protest monitoring site OVD-Info.

At least 1,370 of them were detained in protests in Moscow, CNN reported.

More than 1,800 people were arrested at rallies across the country on Thursday night, after Russians protested on the streets of Moscow, St Petersburg and more than 50 other Russian cities.

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Germany has suggested it could support banning Russia’s access to Swift, the world’s main international payments network, after previously opposing the measure.

Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, said on Saturday that it was working on a “targeted and functional restriction” on Swift. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, previously said cutting Russia off from the payments network should not be part of sanctions.

Other countries, including the UK, have proposed locking Russia out of Swift, arguing that the ban would hurt the Russian economy by forcing run-of-the-mill financial transactions to be conducted directly between banks, or routed through fledgling rival systems.

Here’s more on Swift:

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Summary

Here are Saturday’s top headlines on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine so far.

  • Fighting continued across Ukraine but the capital, Kyiv, remained in Ukrainian hands when night fell. The death toll as of Saturday morning was at least 198, according to the Ukrainian health ministry.
  • Poland said 115,000 refugees have crossed from Ukraine since the invasion began.
  • More EU countries – including France, Italy and Greece – have said they would back a ban on Russia using the Swift global payments network in an attempt to pile further pressure on the country after its invasion of Ukraine.
  • It comes after countries including Poland called for stronger sanctions on Russia, and expressed anger at Germany for not backing a Swift ban. But there are signs Germany may buckle to pressure and support a full ban.
  • People across the world – including in Manchester, London and Edinburgh in the UK – took to the streets to condemn Russia’s invasion on Saturday.
  • Ukraine is increasing pressure on Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships, which would block some ships advancing towards Ukraine. Turkey has yet to decide.
  • Germany approved the delivery of 400 RPGs to Ukraine by the Netherlands, marking a shift in policy from its previous position of not shipping weapons.
  • Kyiv is under curfew until Monday. The mayor said: “All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
  • Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said it will support all EU sanctions against Russia and will not block any.
  • Twitter said it was aware users in Russia were experiencing restricted access, following Facebook’s similar announcement on Friday.
  • Countries including Lithuania, Estonia and Romania blocked airspace for Russian aircraft, with Russia responding by banning Romanian airliners from Russian airspace.
  • Russian troops have destroyed a concrete dam in Ukraine that stops water flowing into Crimea, Reuters reports.
  • India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said he would help peace efforts.

That’s all from me, Jem Bartholomew in London, for today. I’ll be back tomorrow at 8am GMT, do get in touch via email or Twitter with tips for then. Now over to my colleague Adam Gabbatt in New York. Bye for now.

Updated

Russia will close its airspace to Romanian airliners “due to unfriendly decisions by Romanian aviation authorities”, Russian federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya said on Saturday. Romania earlier banned Russian airlines from its airspace.

Meanwhile, Lithuania will also close its airspace to Russian airlines at 10pm GMT on Saturday due to the invasion, the government said, blocking access from Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave to Ukraine.

When Yuliia Petrenko, a 31-year-old lawyer originally from Donetsk, arrived outside Downing Street for the Stand With Ukraine demonstration on Saturday, she started crying.

“The first thing I saw was somebody’s little boy with a sign that said ‘Putin is killing my gran’, and I just burst into tears,” Petrenko said.

Like many Ukrainians living in the UK, Petrenko has experienced a wave of emotions in recent days – fear, anger, frustration, powerlessness, guilt – as she talks to relatives at home experiencing the arrival of war.

“At the minute, my auntie, my cousin and their puppy are in a shelter,” she told the Guardian at the rally. They fled the Donetsk region for Kyiv after Russia’s 2014 invasion. Now, war has followed them. “It just feels like you’re waiting to wake up from a nightmare,” Petrenko said. “They can’t believe what’s happening, they feel like sitting ducks.”

Yuliia Petrenko, 31, said her relatives in Kyiv were in a bomb shelter while she demonstrated outside Downing Street. her sign reads:
Yuliia Petrenko, 31, said her relatives in Kyiv were in a bomb shelter while she demonstrated outside Downing Street. Photograph: Jem Bartholomew/The Guardian

Petrenko joined hundreds of people in London on Saturday demonstrating their support for Ukraine and revulsion at Russia’s invasion, as diverse crowds expressed their solidarity with Ukrainians and called on western leaders to take stronger action.

“Stop Putin, stop the war!” crowds shouted outside the prime minister’s residence. In a separate demonstration eggs were thrown at the Russian embassy in Kensington in outrage at the military incursion that has already killed hundreds and turned a sovereign nation into a battleground.

Read The Guardian’s full dispatch from the London demonstration below.

Updated

Germany approves export of 400 RPGs by the Netherlands to Ukraine

Germany has approved the delivery of 400 RPGs to Ukraine by the Netherlands, Reuters reports.

Germany has faced criticism for refusing to send weapons to Ukraine unlike other western allies. The approval marks a shift in policy.

Reuters has the details from Berlin:

“The approval has been confirmed by the chancellery,” a spokesman for the defence ministry said on Saturday. The RPGs come from stocks of the German military.

Germany has a long-standing policy of not exporting weapons to war zones, rooted partly in its bloody 20th-century history and resulting pacifism. Countries aiming to onpass German weapons exports need to apply for approval in Berlin first.

Meanwhile, the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stressed China’s “special responsibility” over the Ukraine conflict in a phone call spoke with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.

File photo of German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
File photo of German chancellor Olaf Scholz. Photograph: John Thys/AP

An enormous column of tanks are seen moving toward the border near Kharkiv, Ukraine in this CNN report.

Night has fallen in Russia and Ukraine as Ukrainian forces continue to hold the centre of capital Kyiv. Western officials are warning of a “long fight” ahead. Kyiv’s curfew has been extended until Monday.

“We held firm ... we have withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

Twitter said it is aware its platform is being restricted for some people in Russia and is working to retain safe access.

It comes after Russia restricted access to Facebook on Friday after the company’s limiting of accounts tied to several Kremlin-backed media organisations.

“Ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organise for actions,” vice-president of Facebook parent company Meta, Nick Clegg, said. “We want them to continue to make their voices heard.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter that the largest demonstration in Estonian history took place today, and thanked president Alar Karis and Estonians for “their solidarity in these difficult times”.

It follows demonstrations from across the world – including the UK on Saturday – expressing support for Ukraine and revulsion at Russia’s invasion.

Russian troops have destroyed a concrete dam in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Forces destroyed a dam built in Ukraine’s Kherson Region in 2014 to cut off water to Crimea, the RIA news agency quoted the governor of Russian-annexed Crimea Sergei Aksyonov as saying on Saturday.

Reuters reports the details from Moscow:

Ukraine cut off the fresh water supply to Crimea by damming a canal that had supplied 85% of the peninsula’s needs before Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

The Soviet-era canal was built to channel water from the River Dnieper to arid areas of Ukraine’s Kherson region and Crimea.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday he would help peace efforts over the Ukraine invasion, Reuters reports, on a phone call with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Modi said India was willing “to contribute in any way towards peace efforts” while Zelenskiy briefed him about the conflict, a government statement said.

It comes after India – alongside China and the United Arab Emirates – abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution to deplore Russia’s invasion. Russia vetoed the resolution.

Modi also expressed his “deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict”. He also raised the issue of the safety of Indian citizens asked for help to evacuate students.

File photo of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
File photo of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photograph: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Here’s a video of an elderly civilian confronting Russian troops in Melitopol, Ukraine.

“What are you doing here?” he demands.

Russia has made claims to have taken the coastal city, where an airbase and a hospital were hit on Saturday morning.

This is Jem Bartholomew in London taking over the blog for the next two hours. Do get in touch via email or Twitter with tips.

Updated

115,000 people cross from Ukraine to Poland since invasion

Poland’s deputy interior minister, Paweł Szefernaker, has said 115,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine since the invasion began.

Just four hours earlier he had put the figure at 100,000, according to Agency Frence-Presse. On Friday alone 50,000 were thought to have sought refuge.

“At this moment there are 115,000 people who have crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border since the war erupted” on Thursday, Szefernaker said in the border village of Dorohusk, eastern Poland.

The UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi tweeted on Saturday: “More than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have now crossed into neighbouring countries, half of them to Poland, and many to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and beyond.”

Updated

Manchester United and Watford players line up with banner saying ‘peace’ in six languages before their English Premier League match
Manchester United and Watford players line up with banner saying ‘peace’ in six languages before their English Premier League match today. Photograph: Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Updated

Germany has dropped a block on lethal weapons connected to it being transferred, to allow 400 rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers to be sent from the Netherlands to Ukraine.

According to Politico’s David Herszenhorn, it could represent a major shift in European military assistance.

Until now, Germany had a longstanding practice of not allowing lethal weapons it controlled or originally sold to be sent to war zones. Estonia had wanted to send weapons to Ukraine, but because Germany had sold them to Finland, who Estonia had bought them from, Germany had a veto.

Updated

Overnight clashes in Kyiv may have been started by “pre-positioned saboteurs”, according to the UK.

An update from the Ministry of Defence, its second today, said it believed the initial skirmishes in the Ukrainian capital overnight “are likely to have involved limited numbers of pre-positioned sabotage groups”.

It said the Russian advance had slowed, with problems probably caused by logistical issues.

Updated

France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary say they would back Swift Russia ban

More EU countries – including France, Italy and Greece – have said they would back a ban on Russia using the Swift global payments network in an attempt to pile further pressure on the country after its invasion of Ukraine.

Cyprus and Hungary also said they would support such a measure.

The move, which it is hoped would hit Russian trade by making it harder for companies in the country to do business, is being considered to escalate sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said on Thursday that European and US politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they did not support a ban. The following day, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said a ban did not get the “necessary unanimity” but that it would remain a possibility for future consideration.

Updated

An update on Priti Patel’s cancellation of visas issued to Belarus’s men’s basketball team (see also 2.01pm).

The match was in fact scheduled for Monday, not Sunday as she stated in her tweet.

Updated

Russia has reportedly sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a senior US defence official.

Other developments from Pentagon reporters in Washington:

Updated

Ukraine increasing pressure on Turkey to close straits to Russian warships

Ukraine is increasing pressure on Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships, after a tweet from President Volodymyr Zelensky was widely interpreted to mean that Turkey had agreed to the closure, reports Ruth Michaelson from Istanbul.

Turkey has so far made no public statements confirming that it has decided to close the straits to Russian warships, although President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Zelenskiy by phone earlier today, stating that Ankara was attempting to push for an immediate ceasefire.

The Russian news agency Interfax said Russia had received no official notification from the Turkish side about the closure of the straits to Russian warships.

If Turkey chooses to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to Russian warships, preventing them from accessing the Black Sea, it would be a significant move in terms of both cutting off long-term Russian support to their troops in Ukraine as well as a significant show of support to Ukraine.

A ban would prevent Russian warships normally permanently stationed around the world from sailing into the Black Sea to assist troops in Ukraine. However, Turkey is unable to prevent ships permanently stationed in the Black Sea from returning to their bases.

The shipping industry experts Lloyds List pointed out yesterday that commercial traffic through the Bosphorus had already slowed significantly in the past two days.

Turkey’s foreign ministry described the Russian invasion as “unacceptable” but described it as a “military operation” rather than a war, as doing so has implications for the Montreux convention, which lays out Turkish control of the straits. The convention defines Turkish control as well as sets limits on the size, tonnage and duration of warships that can cross the straits, although warships belonging to countries bordering the Black Sea are normally able to pass unrestricted.

The foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, laid out Turkey’s position regarding the closure of the straits to Hürriyet yesterday, stating that officials were discussing whether the conflict met the definition of a war under the Montreux convention. If officials decide that the definition has been met, this allows them to block warships from Ukraine and Russia from transiting the straits, although the move is likely to be far more significant for the Russian side.

“Turkey can stop the passage of warships through the straits,” he said, adding that the Montreux convention stipulates that “if there is a demand for ships from the warring countries to return to their bases, then it must be allowed.”

“If we accept the state of war legally, this process will begin,” he added “Secondly, if we accept the state of war we will prohibit the passage of warships … but even if we ban them, the Russians have such a right.”

Turkey maintains alliances with both Russia and Ukraine, and has so far emphasised its neutrality in the conflict, despite selling its Bayraktar TB2 drones to Ukraine and condemning Russia’s actions. Turkey’s own Nato membership was put under pressure by its decision to buy Russia’s S400 missile defence system in 2017, although Erdoğan has recently sought to show how much Turkey values membership of the organisation, telling journalists that “Nato should have taken a more decisive step”, earlier this week.

The conflict in Ukraine and a rebuke from Russia should Turkey choose to close the straits will probably heavily affect Turkey’s economy, already hobbled from a year where the lira lost half of its value and as rising energy costs spark protests and discontent. Turkey imports roughly a third of its natural gas supply from Russia, and much of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.

Updated

The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, says he has spoken to the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, this afternoon.

He said he thanked him for his “strong cooperation” on Ukraine and that they discussed the need for “urgent action” on excluding Russia from Swift.

Kyiv is under curfew

A curfew has come into force in Kyiv until Monday morning.

It was initially thought the restrictions to clear the public from the streets would last from 5pm to 8am every day, before the change was announced that it would instead run until 8am on Monday morning without breaks.

The mayor’s office said: “For more effective defence of the capital and security of its residents the curfew will run from 1700 today, February 26, 2022, until the morning February 28.”

Earlier on Saturday, Kyiv’s mayor, the former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, said: “All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”

Updated

Sweden has become the latest country to refuse to play Russia in men’s football World Cup playoff games later this year.

The Swedish FA said it should cancel the playoff games, which are scheduled for March.

The Czech Republic are the other team due to be involved in the “path B” fixtures to decide which nation will be able to play in the Qatar World Cup later this year.

Updated

Women in Dnipro have been making molotov cocktails from polystyrene and beer bottles, which they can use against Russian forces.

Women making molotov cocktails in Dnipro
Women making molotov cocktails in Dnipro. Photograph: @sarahrainsford Twitter Account

Updated

Turkey 'yet to decide' on Russian Black Sea access – report

Turkey has said it is yet to make a decision on closing its straits between the Mediterannean and the Black Sea to the Russian navy– despite an earlier claim by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

It is the first official clarification since Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Turkey had agreed to close the waterways to warships – which would have been a big defensive boon for Ukraine.

According to Reuters, a Turkish official said it “has not made a decision to close the straits to Russian ships”.

If it did happen, a closure would break a convention for Black Sea states that warships are allowed to return to port during wartime.

The Russian navy has already been responsible for casualties on the coast of Ukraine and on islands in the Black Sea.

Updated

The US has announced another $350m of “immediate support” for Ukraine, bringing the total amount of military aid in the last year to more than $1bn.

The secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, said it would help fund defences for Ukraine, including against air and armoured units.

He said: “Today, as Ukraine fights with courage and pride against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked assault, I have authorized, pursuant to a delegation by the president, an unprecedented third presidential drawdown of up to $350m for immediate support to Ukraine’s defense. This brings the total security assistance the United States has committed to Ukraine over the past year to more than $1bn.

“This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing. It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation.”

Updated

Russia disputes claim over Black Sea access

There’s some confusion about the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s claim earlier that Turkey had pledged to close the straits to access the Black Sea.

Russia, via the Interfax news agency, has said it has had no official notification of the closure. There is speculation that Zelenskiy’s tweet may have been a request for Turkey to take action, rather than a confirmation that it would be in place.

The Montreux convention, which governs the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, says ships from Black Sea states will be allowed to return to port during wartime. If Turkey did go ahead and ban warships from the strait, it would break the convention.

Updated

Ukraine has denied that it refused negotiations with Russia, as claimed by the Kremlin on Saturday.

The head of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, Mikhail Podolyak, said it was untrue and that Russia had set out “unacceptable conditions [and] ultimatum demands”.

On Saturday Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a halt to the Russian advance for negotiations, but Ukraine refused them.

“Ukraine, of course, did not refuse negotiations. But precisely from negotiations, which, by the way, have not happened yet. Ukraine and President Zelensky categorically renounces any unacceptable conditions or ultimatum demands from the Russian side,” Podolyak said.

Updated

The UK home secretary, Priti Patel, has cancelled the visas of a Belarusian basketball team that was due to play in Newcastle on Sunday night.

Belarus has been an ally of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and was used as a base to launch attacks from Ukraine’s north. The US and UK are among countries that have issued sanctions against the country.

Updated

Protests have been taking place across Europe against the war, including outside Downing Street in London.

Yulia Tereshchenko, holding her daughter Mia in central London, cries as she tells the world’s press of her mother who is trapped in Kiyiv.
Yulia Tereshchenko, holding her daughter Mia, cries as she tells the world’s press of her mother who is trapped in Kyiv. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Observer
Protest in support of Ukraine in Munich, Germany.
Groups gather in support of Ukraine in Munich, Germany. Photograph: Lukas Barth/Reuters
Ukrainian citizens living in Turkey attend a demonstration in Istanbul
Ukrainian citizens living in Turkey attend a demonstration in Istanbul. Photograph: Erhan Demirtas/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

Zelenskiy claims Turkey will ban Russian warships from Black Sea

Turkey will stop Russian warships from passing through the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

In a tweet, Zelenskiy said the country had pledged military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.

Turkey will stop warships passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, Zelenskiy suggested.

On Thursday 13 Ukrainian soldiers were killed on the small, rocky Snake Island in the Black Sea when it was bombarded by ship and by air.

Update: Russia has disputed the claim and Turkey is yet to confirm it.

Updated

The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for an end to hostilities and urged those in the conflict to follow international law.

Florence Gillette, the head of the ICRC delegation in Kyiv, said: “We are calling urgently on parties to the conflict not to forget their obligations under international humanitarian law. They must ensure the protection of the civilian population and those no longer taking part in the fighting, such as detainees or the wounded and sick.

“International humanitarian law is clear: all parties to the conflict have a legal obligation to ensure that military operations are planned and conducted in a way as to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian objects.They must take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injuries and loss of life.

“Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited, and ICRC therefore strongly urges the parties to avoid the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area in populated areas and to avoid locating military objectives within or near such areas.”

Updated

A journalist in Kyiv has said Ukraine has blown up a bridge to the west of the city in an attempt to halt or slow any Russian advance.

Updated

Orbán said Hungary will support all EU sanctions on Russia

Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said it will support all EU sanctions against Russia and will not block any.

Speaking on the Ukraine-Hungary border, he said he supported peace efforts.

“Hungary made clear that we support all the sanctions, so we will block nothing, so what the prime ministers of the European Union are able to agree, we accept it and we support it,” he told reporters in English, according to Reuters.

Earlier on Saturday he said he agreed with Russia being blocked from the cross-border Swift payments system. Orbán has previously been considered Vladimir Putin’s closest ally among EU member states’ leaders.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said all sanctions should be up for discussion, ahead of a meeting with the German chancellor, Olaf Sholz.

“I came to Berlin to shake the conscience of Germany so that they would finally decide on truly harsh sanctions that will influence the Kremlin’s decisions,” Morawiecki said, as fighting took place on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

“We need to shut down Nord Stream 1 and 2, we need to cut reliance on raw materials, cut off Russian financial institutions from capital markets, confiscate assets of oligarchs, close off Swift for Russia … all options should be on the table.”

Updated

Prince William and Kate have said they “stand with” the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

It’s a rare public comment on politics for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, after they met Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena, in 2020.

Updated

Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, has called on Russia to stop the military operation in Ukraine.

The Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday that Çavuşoğlu had repeated his offer for Ankara to be a location for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Relations have been warm between Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Vladimir Putin, but the country occupies an awkward position.

In recent years, Turkey signed a deal with Russia for an air defence system, but it has sold military drones to Ukraine and is a key part of Nato.

Updated

The Kremlin has claimed that Vladimir Putin ordered a halt to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine on Friday, expecting negotiations with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but told them to continue when that did not happen.

A government spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the operation was resumed on Saturday afternoon after the Ukrainian leadership refused to negotiate, according to Reuters.

Updated

British forces have arrived in eastern Europe to bolster Nato’s eastern flank.

Royal Navy ships, British Army troops and Royal Air Force fighters have been deployed.

HMS Trent is in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Ministry of Defence, with helicopters and patrol aircraft. HMS Diamond, a destroyer, will join from Portsmouth.

Tanks and armoured units from the Royal Welsh have arrived in Estonia from Germany, and 1,000 troops are arriving in the next few days. This means the British presence will double.

Updated

Lithuania has joined its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia in closing its airspace to Russian aircraft.

Earlier on Saturday Estonia announced it would stop flights passing over or landing in the country, joining Latvia which already had restrictions in place.

Russia responded in kind, introducing similar bans on flights from the countries.

Poland, the UK, Czech Republic and Bulgaria also have closed their airspace.

Updated

Hungary latest country to back Russia being stopped from using Swift

Hungary has said it supports Russia being shut off from the Swift cross-border financial payments system, according to Poland’s prime minister.

Mateusz Morawiecki said that he had spoken to Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday, where he had confirmed his support.

Earlier on Saturday (see 9:28), Cyprus joined the list of countries who support the move. It was thought that getting Orbán’s support may have proved a roadblock to the proposal, which aims to affect Russian business and the economy, as he is often seen as Vladimir Putin’s closest EU ally – visiting him in early February.

Russia has banned airlines from Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic in retaliation for similar rules from those countries.

The Russian civil aviation authority said the airlines would be stopped from flying to and over its territory, according to Reuters.

Earlier this week Russia banned all British airlines from its airspace in retaliation for London’s ban on flights to Britain by the flag carrier Aeroflot.

Updated

The UK’s main opposition party has urged the prime minister to expel the Russian ambassador.

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, said Andrei Kelin should be expelled.

The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, had a “fiery” meeting with Kelin on Thursday after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lammy told the Independent: “The Russian ambassador is parroting the lies of Putin’s rogue regime, which is waging an illegal war against Ukraine.”

Updated

It appears Russia’s clampdown on reporting on its invasion into Ukraine has continued, with access to Twitter being limited.

Netblocks, an account that monitors the internet across the world – and has reported on connectivity issues in Ukraine since the war began – found that on some providers there was no access.

Earlier the Russian media regulator warned local media about their reporting. Ten outlets were censured for referring to the conflict as an “attack, invasion or a declaration of war”.

Updated

A long queue of volunteers stretches out of the Media Space building in Dnipro, central Ukraine, as they wait to sign up to join the Ukrainian army.
A long queue of volunteers stretches out of the Media Space building in Dnipro, central Ukraine, as they hope to sign up to join the Ukrainian army or make donations. Photograph: Ukrinform/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

Estonia bans Russian airlines from airspace

Estonia has closed its airspace to Russian planes, joining its Baltic neighbour Latvia.

Its prime minister, Kaja Kallas, urged other EU countries to follow suit. Latvian carrier airBaltic has now cancelled all flights to Russia until 26 March.

Poland, the UK, Czech Republic and Bulgaria also have restrictions in place.

Updated

Here’s a map showing battles that have taken place or are under way outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Updated

A curfew will be in place in Kyiv from 5pm tonight.

The order to stay at home will last until 8am on Sunday, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said. Anyone outside will be arrested, according to reports.

Updated

A Polish border guard assists refugees from Ukraine as they arrive at the Korczowa border crossing on Saturday
A Polish border guard assists refugees from Ukraine as they arrive at the Korczowa border crossing on Saturday. Photograph: Czarek Sokołowski/AP
People including Ukrainians protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Ankara, Turkey
People including Ukrainians protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Ankara, Turkey, on Saturday. Photograph: Burhan Özbilici/AP

Updated

A TOS-1 multiple rocket launcher in Red Square, Moscow, on Russia’s Victory Day in May 2021
A TOS-1 multiple rocket launcher in Red Square, Moscow, on Russia’s Victory Day in May 2021. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

In a highly ominous development, CNN has posted footage from inside Russia of a TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system being deployed towards the Ukrainian border on a flatbed truck.

The TOS-1 is a missile system mounted on a T-72 tank chassis that fires thermobaric rockets and was first used during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and was also used more recently in Syria.

Updated

The president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, is the latest European leader to ask Russian people to stop the war, saying: “Even though much evil has been committed, it’s not too late to stop all of this.”

He said: “I appeal to you mothers of soldiers who are sent to die in Ukraine. I appeal to you soldiers who are fighting a war for who knows why.

“What is the meaning of this war? Only because someone is sitting at a table, drew a piece of land on the map, that he wants to take away? A piece of land that never belonged to him. Does not belong to him. And will never belong to him.

“It’s terrifying to see what is going on. It’s terrifying to see women and children die. Churches are being destroyed. What are you fighting for? You are destroying what is sacred to all the Slavs. The cradle of Orthodoxy. Kiev Rus.

“Stop. Think about what you’re doing. About what your leaders are doing. It’s not too late, even though much evil has been committed, it’s not too late to stop all of this.”

Updated

A Russian ship has been seized by French officials in the Channel.

Reuters said French authorities believed it could be linked to a company suspected of violating trade sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.

The BBC has reported French officials as saying: “A 127-metre-long Russia cargo ship called the Baltic Leader transporting cars has been intercepted overnight by the French navy in the Channel and escorted to the Port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.

“It has been taken to the French port after a request by the French government because it is suspected of belonging to a company targeted by EU sanctions against Moscow. French border forces are currently investigating the cargo ship. Crew aboard the Baltic Leader have been cooperating with French authorities.”

The ship was taken early on Saturday. The Russian embassy is seeking a formal explanation.

Updated

The UK has said the majority of Russian forces are about 18 miles (30km) from the centre of Kyiv.

In an intelligence update by the Ministry of Defence posted on Saturday morning, it said Russia had yet to gain control of airspace over Ukraine, reducing the effectiveness of the Russian air force.

It added: “Russian casualties are likely to be heavy and greater than anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin.”

Updated

Zelenskiy: 'We will win'

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been giving a press briefing this morning and said his country will triumph over Russian forces.

He said government forces still controlled Kyiv and “key points around the city”. He said Ukrainian forces would win, and criticised disinformation.

In the final section of his speech, he said: “Please stop those who are lying, or trying to lie to you, or lying to us. We need to stop this war. We can live in peace together, globally, as humans.

“Our military, our national guard, our national police, our territory defence, special service, nationals of Ukraine, please carry on. We will win. Glory to Ukraine.”

Zelenskiy said: “We are successfully holding back the enemies attacks. We know we are defending our land and the future of our children. Kyiv and the key areas are controlled by our army.

“The occupiers wanted to set up their puppet in our capital. They didn’t succeed. On our streets, there was a proper fight going on.

The enemy was using all its weapons, artillery, paratroops, all its weapons. They are hitting residential areas, they are trying to destroy energy infrastructure, and everyone should help us to stop this occupation.”

He said that after discussions with EU leaders in recent days, including over shutting Russia out of the Swift payments system (see 9.28am), he believed Ukraine should become part of the EU and its citizens should have the same rights.

“Ukrainian people deserve to become members of the EU. And this would be a signal of your support to Ukraine. This discussion should be closed.

“We discussed this today with the European leaders. All the equipment and defence military help is coming to Ukraine and work is going on to disconnecting Russia from Swift. I hope that Hungary will be forced to support this decision.”

He asked for people who could come back to Ukraine to fight to do so: “In every hour and place, city, and town and person … everywhere where the enemy is killing our people, our armed forces are doing everything they can to destroy the enemy.

“Those cities and town that are being attacked from the air are holding up, well done. If you can destroy the occupiers, please do. Everyone who can come back to Ukraine, please do, please come back.

“We will have a lot of work to do to rebuild our Ukraine. Everyone who can defend it abroad, do it directly in a united way. Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country please come over, we will give you weapons. It will be announced very shortly, how this can be done. Everyone who is defending Ukraine is a hero.”

He issued another plea to Russian people to help stop the war by putting pressure on Vladimir Putin and his government. Anti-war protesters have been arrested in recent days in Moscow and St Petersburg.

“I want everyone in Russia to hear me. Everybody. Hundreds of captured soldiers who are here in Ukraine don’t know why they were sent here to kill people or be killed. People need to tell the government why the war has to be stopped, more people from your country will stay alive.

“Your nationals are voicing their opposition to this war. We know many people in Russia are shocked now by the brutality of the Russian government, this is the right reaction, I am grateful to this reaction.”

Updated

Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev has said Russia could cut diplomatic ties with the west.

In posts on social media, he said it was time to “padlock the embassies” and that Moscow would continue its campaign in Ukraine.

He said the suspension of Russia’s Council of Europe membership could mean Russia may bring back the death penalty.

Updated

Five Ukrainians from across the country have spoken about life since the Russian invasion.

The compelling accounts include one from Evgenija, from Bucha in Kyiv Oblast, who said: “The first shock has gone. We’ve already got used to the sounds of shelling and explosions so we are not scared any more to go outside to message people.

“Though we have already had the war for eight years, it is still impossible to believe that there are bombs and missiles in the centre of Europe. And we don’t understand what the world is waiting for with sanctions.”

Updated

Internet coverage in Ukraine has been affected by the Russian invasion, with connectivity problems reported in the south and east of the country.

Reuters reports there are fears that outages could hamper civilian defence groups set up to defend their cities. Problems with signal have been reported in Kyiv.

An alleged Belarusian cyberespionage attack targeted personal email accounts belonging to Kyiv forces.

Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team said hackers were targeting not just Ukrainians but also Poles, Russians and Belarusians, as well as several Belarusian media organisations.

Updated

More from Peter Beaumont in Lviv on a reported attack by Russian paratroopers in Brody, near the city.

There is a lot of confusion around claims that three Russian helicopters tried to land troops near Brody, about 100km from Lviv in Ukraine’s west.

The major of Lviv, Andrey Sadovy, had this to say on his official page. “At 9 o’clock this morning Russian assault troops landed from three helicopters in vicinity of Brody 60 troops and enemy is withdrawing to the forest. Armed forces are defeating the occupants and the situation is under control.”

However, the security services of Ukraine for the Lviv region are disputing this, saying the information about Russian assault troops near Brody “is fake”, adding: “They were Ukrainian helicopters.”

Purported video footage of what occurred this morning shows a helicopter firing two missiles. If it was a Ukrainian aircraft, it still leaves open the question of what they were firing at.

Updated

Poland will not play a men’s World Cup qualifier against Russia next month because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said the president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza.

The move was backed by players including the star striker Robert Lewandowski. The midfielder Mateusz Klich posted a statement from players on Saturday:

Kulesza said the association was in talks with the Swedish and Czech football authorities regarding playoff matches scheduled for March to fill a slot for the World Cup.

“In light of the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, the Polish national team is not going to play a match against Russian Republic,” Kulesza tweeted.

Updated

The UK held a virtual donor conference last night to coordinate support for Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Donations include ammunition and anti-tank weapons. The UK has offered to oversee logistics operations to support the delivery of donations.

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and are pursuing every option to support them in their defence against President Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion.”

Updated

Ukrainian forces have reportedly repelled an attack by 60 Russian paratroopers near Lviv, Reuters reports.

Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, said the Russian soldiers were reported to have retreated after clashing with the army in Brody, western Ukraine, about 65 miles from the city.

Update: There is a lot of confusion around these claims. See updated post.

Updated

Russia being locked out of the Swift financial payments network has become more likely after Cyprus agreed with the proposal.

There have been calls for Russia to be shut out of the system, which facilitates cross-border payments. It is thought that doing so will increase pressure on Russia’s businesses and its economy.

The move was announced on Twitter by the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who has also spoken to Italy, Germany and Belgium – where Swift is based.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had a call on Saturday morning from the Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, to say the move had his backing.

While a smaller European nation, Cyprus’s backing is significant because it is a major destination for Russian investment.

Updated

Local media in Russia have been warned over their coverage of the invasion, with threats to block access to their websites.

The communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused 10 outlets on Saturday of falsely depicting what Russia calls a special military operation in Ukraine, and publishing false information.

It censured them for referring to it as an “attack, invasion, or a declaration of war”, and said the government would stop access if this continues. Fines of up to 5m roubles are also possible.

Updated

The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont in Lviv has this on a confrontation between an elderly resident in Melitopol and Russian soldiers.

The Russians claimed to have taken the coastal city today and – while still unconfirmed – this incident would suggest that even some Russian residents are not very pleased to see them.

Here is what he is saying to the soldiers: “Russians invading Ukraine is so fucked up! What are you doing here? We have our life and you have yours. I’m Russian too, but I live in this country.

“You have your own country and we have ours. Don’t you have any problems in your own country? Are you all rich there? Shame on you!”

Updated

At least 198 killed in Russian invasion – Ukrainian health ministry

The death toll so far in the Russian invasion of Ukraine is at least 198, according to the Ukrainian health ministry.

Three children are among those dead. Its head was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that 1,115 people had been injured, including 33 children.

Reuters said it was unclear whether he was referring only to civilian casualties

Fighting resumed in Sumy, in north-east Ukraine, and Kyiv on Saturday morning,

Territorial defence forces in Sumy are engaged with Russian military, according to Reuters. Loud explosions have been reported in the Ukrainian capital.

More donations have been pledged by other countries, with the Czech Republic approving the sending of $8.6m of weapons. The Netherlands has said it will supply 200 more air defence rockets.

Updated

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has had a call with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

In a tweet, he said they discussed EU assistance to Ukraine and he hoped it would get their backing.

“Ukraine is fighting the invader with weapons in hands, defending its freedom and European future. Discussed with @vonderleyen effective assistance to our country from [the EU] in this heroic struggle. I believe that the #EU also chooses Ukraine,” he said.

Updated

The UK’s armed forces minister said Russia had failed to achieve its initial objectives – and fighting outside Kyiv was limited to Russian special forces units.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, James Heappey said Russian aims to take key Ukrainian cities had not been successful. He said the UK did not believe Russian claims that it had taken the southeastern city of Melitopol.

“The Ukrainian resistance to the Russian advance appears extraordinary. All of Russia’s day one objectives of Kharkiv, Kherson , Mariupol, Sumy and even Melitopol, which the Russians are claiming to taken but we can’t see anything on that, are still all in Ukrainian hands.

“The fighting on the outskirts of Kyiv overnight, we understand to just be Russian spetsnaz special forces and pockets of paratroopers. The reality is the armoured columns coming down from Belarus and the north to encircle Kyiv are still way off, because they have been held off by this incredible Ukrainian resistance.”

Updated

The Ukrainian embassy in Moscow is evacuating to Latvia, according to Reuters.

The news was announced by a Latvian foreign ministry spokesperson this morning.

“It was their plea, we readily agreed. We are assisting them in the process and help with settling down,” Jānis Beķeris said.

The building had seen low-key anti-war protests in the last few days, with some Russians laying flowers outside.

Updated

Summary

  • There was heavy fighting in Kyiv overnight, as Russian troops attacked from multiple fronts in an apparent attempt to seize the city. Ukrainian armed forces said they repelled Russian advances on an army base and a key road.
  • Kyiv’s mayor says 35 people including two children were injured in the fighting.
  • A residential high-rise in Kyiv was hit by a missile, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.
  • Cruise missiles were reportedly launched at Ukraine from the Black Sea and, separately, areas near Sumy, Poltava and Mariupol were hit by airstrikes
  • Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has remained defiant, posting a video from outside his city office on Saturday morning rejecting fake reports he had ordered a surrender. “We are not putting our weapons down, we are going to protect our country,” he said.
  • Russia claims it has taken the southeastern city of Melitopol, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. This was denied by the UK armed forces minister, James Heappey, who said he did not recognise the reports and said the Russian invasion plan was running “nowhere near” to schedule.
  • The leaders of Poland, Lithuania and Germany will meet in Berlin on Saturday to discuss sanctions on Russia, Reuters reports.
  • Zelenskiy said he spoke to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, about weapons and equipment “on the way to Ukraine” from their partners.
  • Joe Biden has instructed the US state department to release $350m in military aid to Ukraine.
  • Russian state media has been banned from running ads or monetising on any platform anywhere in the world owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
  • A report from the Reuters news agency has suggested it is looking more likely that Russia could be excluded from the Swift global bank payments system – a step that some countries had been reluctant to take.
  • Vladimir Putin urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership, whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have has lodged itself in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people”.

Updated

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has called for the full isolation of Russia, including embargoes on Russian crude oil purchases.

“I demand the world: fully isolate Russia, expel ambassadors, oil embargo, ruin its economy,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Separately, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called for a decision on Ukraine’s membership to the European Union.

“It is a crucial moment to close the longstanding discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine’s membership in the #EU,” he said on Twitter a short time ago. “Discussed with @eucopresident further effective assistance and the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their free future.”

Updated

Two children among 35 injured in Kyiv, says mayor

35 people including two children have been injured in the heavy fighting overnight in Kyiv, according to the city’s mayor. No further details were available, but in a separate report from Reuters citing an interior ministry adviser, there were no deaths in the apartment block reportedly hit by a Russian missile.

This post was amended, to correct that the 35 people were injured, not killed

Updated

We have some more details on the Russian claim it has seized the city of Melitopol, from the Guardian’s Peter Beaumont, in Lviv.

Russian forces reportedly captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. Footage posted on social media on Saturday morning appeared to show Russian armoured vehicles in the streets of the city, although the city’s mayor issued a statement saying it remained under Ukrainian control.

The claimed capture of Melitopol follows claims by a senior US defence official that Russia had made an amphibious landing of naval infantry between the Melitopol and the key coastal city of Mariaupol.

It was also denied by the UK armed forces minister, James Heappey, who said he did not recognise reports that Ukrainian southern coastal city of Melitopol had fallen to Russian forces, adding that the Russian invasion plan was running “nowhere near” to schedule.

Ukrainian officials were not immediately available for comment on the fate of Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people. If confirmed, it would be the first significant population centre the Russians have seized since their invasion began on Thursday.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces fired cruise missiles from the Black Sea at Mariupol, as well as Sumy in the north-east and Poltava in the east.

Updated

The leaders of Poland, Lithuania and Germany will meet in Berlin on Saturday to discuss sanctions on Russia, the Polish government spokesperson Piotr Muller said on Twitter.

“At the initiative of Prime Minister [Mateusz] Morawiecki a meeting will be held in Berlin today. Morawiecki together with the president of Lithuania [Gitanas Nausėda] will hold talks with the German chancellor [Olaf Scholz],” Muller said early on Saturday.

“The European Union must immediately adopt a package of ruthlessly harsh sanctions against Russia.”

Muller did not give the time of the meeting.

Updated

In this diary of the week in Ukraine, Larisa Kalik documents the Russian invasion and being forced to leave the city she loves. Here’s an excerpt.

There seemed to be noise, speed, chaos and fuss everywhere, but inside the apartment it was very quiet. Then I heard a sound outside the window, moving at great speed. I thought it was a rocket. The sound seemed to cut through the air; it flew like a whistle and I lay down on the floor in horror. Trembling, I burst into tears. For a few seconds I waited for an explosion, but nothing happened. I still don’t know what it was.

I gathered myself and looked out of the window. People were wheeling suitcases along the street; a siren sounded; birds flew in flocks. I found a piece of paper and wrote my name, my best friend’s phone number and my blood type. It is still in the pocket of my jeans as I write.

Residential apartment hit by missile, says Ukraine

Ukraine’s state emergency service says a Russian shell has hit a residential building in Lobanovsky Avenue 6, in the centre of Kyiv, reports Luke Harding from Lviv.

Video shared by Volodymyr Zelensky’s press service shows the missile exploding in a private flat, sending smoke and debris into the living room. It also released images of the aftermath, with the building still burning on Saturday morning and vast damage visible. A large chunk had been torn out of the right-hand corner of the property, with multiple homes destroyed. The number of casualties was unknown. Firefighters helped injured survivors, carrying one woman out on to the street over a sea of debris.

In apparent response to the strike on the building, Ukraine’s foreign minister said:

Kyiv, our splendid, peaceful city, survived another night under attacks by Russian ground forces, missiles. One of them has hit a residential apartment in Kyiv. I demand the world: fully isolate Russia, expel ambassadors, oil embargo, ruin its economy. Stop Russian war criminals!

The residential building in Kyiv that Ukrainian officials say was struck by a Russian shell.
The residential building in Kyiv that Ukrainian officials say was struck by a Russian shell. Photograph: Press office of the Ukrainian president

Updated

Russia captures Melitopol – report

Russian troops have captured the city of Melitopol in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, Russia’s Interfax news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Saturday.

The ministry also said Russia had used air- and ship-based cruise missiles to carry out overnight strikes on military targets in Ukraine.

Updated

Weapons on the way from partners, says Zelenskiy

Zelenskiy is still posting to Twitter, with a follow-up message saying he spoke this morning with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, about weapons and equipment “on the way to Ukraine” from their partners.

“The anti-war coalition is working!” he said.

Here also is a more expansive translation of Zelenskiy’s video statement from about 30 minutes ago.

There’s a lot of fake info telling that I ordered the Ukrainian army to surrender. So, listen here: I’m here. We are not putting our weapons down, we are going to protect our country. Our weapons are our truth, it’s our country, our children and we will protect them.

Updated

There have been outpourings of solidarity for Ukraine around the world, with protests taking place in cities from Tokyo to New York.

People hold the Ukrainian flag as they gather at Tokyo’s Shibuya area to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
People hold the Ukrainian flag as they gather at Tokyo’s Shibuya area to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Ukraine supporters rally in Times Square holding flags, signs and chanting slogans
Ukraine supporters rally in Times Square holding flags, signs and chanting slogans. Photograph: John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Protesters carry placards and flags during a demonstration against Russia’s military invasion on Ukraine in Slovenia
Protesters carry placards and flags during a demonstration against Russia’s military invasion on Ukraine in Slovenia. Photograph: Luka Dakskobler/SOPA Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Ukrainians living in Argentina hold placards and Ukrainian flags in front of the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires.
Ukrainians living in Argentina hold placards and Ukrainian flags in front of the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Protesters hold placards and Ukrainian flags during a demonstration in London
Protesters hold placards and Ukrainian flags during a demonstration in London. Photograph: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

'We will defend our state' says Zelenskiy in new video

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has posted another video from central Kyiv this morning. The 40-second clip appears to be addressing false rumours. According to a partial translation by the Kyiv Independent, the leader says:

“There’s a lot of fake information online that I call on our army to lay down arms, and that there’s evacuation. I’m here. We won’t lay down our arms. We will defend our state.”

Updated

The Agence France-Presse news service has been interviewing ordinary Ukrainians who have been handed a rifle so they can help defend their country.

Yuriy Korchemniy, a historian, has never fired an assault rifle in his life. But he joined scores of others and picked up a Kalashnikov when boxes of them were dumped from trucks and handed out to Ukraine’s new volunteer defence units on day two of Russia’s invasion.

“They gave out the rifles, loaded them for us and here we are,” the 35-year-old said with a slightly sheepish grin.

“I only know how to shoot single rounds, so my plan is to click this here and switch off the automatic mode.”

The Kyiv bridge underpass he was guarding with a handful of other men - some in their 50s – leads to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administrative complex. The reverse side of the road runs through a working-class district of Soviet-style tower blocks that witnessed a deadly shootout with a small group of Russian forces only a few hours earlier.

An AFP team saw a middle-aged civilian who was killed in the clash carried away by ambulance workers. One witness said the civilian was cut down by bullets fired by the Russians from a speeding armoured vehicle.

Volunteers, one holding an AK-47 rifle, protect a main road leading into Kyiv
Volunteers, one holding an AK-47 rifle, protect a main road leading into Kyiv. Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

There are more reports coming in of attacks by the Russian forces across the country. Ukrainian officials say cruise missiles have been launched at Ukraine from the Black Sea and, separately, that areas near Sumy, Poltava and Mariupol have been hit by airstrikes, Reuters reports.

Biden releases $350m in military aid to Ukraine

Reuters reports that President Joe Biden has instructed the US state department to release $350m in military aid to Ukraine as it struggles to repulse a Russian invasion.

In a memorandum to the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, Biden directed that $350m allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine’s defence.

Updated

Kyiv under siege as Ukrainians try to hold off Russian forces

Here’s the latest wrap on the alarming events in the captial overnight:

Fierce fighting has broken out in Kyiv as Russian forces tried to push their way towards the city centre and were met with resistance from the Ukrainian military.

Throughout Friday night, explosions rocked the capital. Artillery fire could be heard in the streets and as dawn broke, a post on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Facebook page said “active combat” was taking place in the city.

The Ukrainian military claimed to have repelled one attack by Russian forces on an army base located on a main avenue in the Ukrainian capital. The Russians “attacked one of the military units on Victory Avenue in Kyiv. The attack was repulsed,” Ukraine’s army said on its verified Facebook page, without specifying where exactly the incident took place. There was no comment from the Russian military.

Read more here:

It’s dawn now in the capital but some images are dropping of a deserted Kyiv overnight:

Streets are empty in Kyiv
Streets are empty in Kyiv. Photograph: Marcus Yam/LA Times/Rex/Shutterstock
A view of empty streets after the curfew in Kyiv
A view of empty streets after the curfew in Kyiv. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Updated

Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called for a moment of silent prayer at an emergency meeting of the security council on Friday, in New York. During his address, Kyslytsya called for a moment of silence to pray for peace, and for the souls of those already killed after Russia invaded his country on Thursday.

Officials warn Kyiv residents of street fighting

Associated Press reports that Kyiv officials are warning residents that street fighting is under way against Russian forces, and they are urging people to seek shelter.

The warning issued on Saturday morning advised residents to remain in shelters, to avoid going near windows or on balconies, and to take precautions against being hit by debris or bullets.

Updated

Russian state media ads banned by Facebook

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, is barring Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platform anywhere in the world.

“We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media,” its security policy head, Nathaniel Gleicher, said on Friday.

“These changes have already begun rolling out and will continue into the weekend.”

The day is dawning on Kyiv, after a dramatic and violent night as Russian troops stormed towards the capital. Widespread reports of artillery fire and explosions have come from the east, west and south of the city, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces have claimed to have repelled attacks by Russian troops at an Army base near Vasylkiv and a key city road - Victory Avenue. There are reports of casualties but the Guardian has not received confirmed figures.

Residents have been told to stay inside shelters, including underground metro stations and hotel basements.

The Kyiv Independent reports air raid sirens in multiple Ukrainian cities this morning, including Lviv, Lutsk, Uman, Vinnytsia, and Rivne.

Ukraine’s former ambassador to Austria, Olexander Scherba, has shared this video purportedly from Odessa. The Guardian has not independently verified this footage, which was also shared by a Ukrainian news outlet.

The US has been offering to help evacuate Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, from Kyiv to escape threats to his life, but he has so far refused to leave, the Washington Post reports.

Zelenskiy has pledged to remain, despite awareness that he is Russia’s “Enemy No. 1” and his family number 2.

Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the Post reported US intelligence agencies, including the CIA director during a visit to Ukraine in January, had warned Zelenskiy of the threat to his safety for several weeks. It cited officials saying intelligence at the time suggested Russian hit teams may have already been in Kyiv.

“We have been making him aware not only of the threat of Russian invasion, now a reality, but also the threat to him personally,” Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said. “We stand ready to assist him in any way.”

Fighting is in the east, west and south of Kyiv, according to multiple reports.

“All of this is now happening within the city limits,” reports CNN’s Clarissa Ward, but it doesn’t appear to have reached the centre.

There are no signs of residential areas being targeted yet, she says, “but we’re hearing a lot of explosions from many different directions.”

Interfax Ukraine news agency reports Russian forces have tried to attack an electricity-generating station, while the Ukrainian military says it has repelled an attack on a Kyiv army base, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian government also says it stopped a Russian advancement down Peremohy Avenue - which runs past the Beresteiska metro station, where heavy fighting has also been reported. The Guardian has not independently verified the reports.

The assault appears to line up with Zelenskiy’s warning that tonight could see Russia’s attempt to storm the city. Three million people call Kyiv home.

In an address to the nation on Friday Zelenskiy said: “Tonight, they will launch an assault. All of us must understand what awaits us. We must withstand this night,” he said. “The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”

Updated

Welcome to our live coverage of the invasion of Ukraine

Hello, this is Helen Davidson with our continuing coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are some of the most recent developments:

  • Explosions and fighting have rocked the east, west and south of Kyiv, where the Russian assault has continued overnight in a siege apparently aimed at seizing the city. Residents have been taking cover in shelters and underground stations. A woman has reportedly given birth in one station where she had been sheltering with other residents.
  • “More than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in less than 48 hours – a majority to Poland and Moldova,” said the UN refugee agency head Filippo Grandi, adding that “many more are moving towards its borders”.
  • The Russian defence ministry claimed its forces had taken control of the strategic Hostomel airfield to the north-west, while Russian tanks were filmed by locals in the Obolonskyi district about six miles north of the city centre in the morning.

  • Ukrainian armed forces say they have repelled Russian attacks on an army base and on a major thoroughfare in Kyiv.
  • Vladimir Putin urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership, whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have has lodged itself in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.”
  • The US department of defense said a Russian “amphibious assault” was launched on Mariupol, a coastal city in south-east Ukraine.
  • A report from the Reuters news agency has suggested it is looking more likely that Russia could be excluded from the Swift global bank payments system – a step that some countries had been reluctant to take. Among other sanctions, The EU and the UK have moved to freeze foreign-held assets of Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov – largely symbolic, but it follows appeals for action from Volodymyr Zelenskiy who said: “When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine. When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans.”
  • Nato will deploy significant extra troops to countries in eastern Europe who are part of the alliance, its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said. UK ministers warned there would be no forces going to Ukraine itself to avoid an “existential” war between Russia and the west.
  • The UN security council has voted on a resolution deploring Russian invasion of Ukraine. Eleven member states voted for the resolution, three abstained (China, India, and UAE) and one voted against (Russia). As Russia holds a veto the resolution was not upheld.
  • The Council of Europe suspended Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The 47-nation council announced that Russia was suspended with “immediate effect” from the organisation’s committee of ministers and parliamentary assembly on Friday “as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine”.
  • Russia will no longer be allowed to compete in this year’s Eurovision song contest, with organisers saying its inclusion could “bring the competition into disrepute”.

Updated

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