A Ukrainian soldier blew himself up in order to destroy a bridge and prevent Russian forces from storming in from Crimea, it has been reported.
Vitaliy Skakun Volodymyrovych died while attempting to fend off a row of Russian tanks at the Henichesk bridge, in the Kherson region.
Ukraine ’s armed forces confirmed the death of the trooper near the bridge - which connects Russian-occupied Crimea with mainland Ukraine - after he had carried out the dangerous task of mining it with explosives.
An Armed Forces official said Mr Volodymyrovych had decided to blow up the bridge after volunteering to place the explosives on it.
"The bridge was mined, but he didn’t manage to get away from there," they explained.
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"According to his brothers in arms, Vitaliy got in touch [with them] and said he was going to blow up the bridge. Immediately after an explosion rang out."
Mr Volodymyrovych, a military engineer, was now being hailed by his fellow soldiers for "significantly slowing down the advancement of the enemy".
His move had allowed Ukrainian military units to regroup and redeploy its defences.
And commanders were now working to award him with posthumous honours for his actions.
News of the soldier’s death comes as a story of defiance in the face of terror, as the Kremlin's forces move in on Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian citizens are reportedly handed guns and told to make Molotov cocktails in an attempt to push back against Putin’s army.
Moscow troops have captured the strategic Hostomel airport, near the capital, but have yet to take control of Kyiv - despite air strikes over the city in the early hours of this morning.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in hiding and says he fears for his life, with two sources claiming he told EU leaders in a video call last night: "This might be the last time you see me alive".
At least 137 Ukrainians are believed to have been killed across the country at the hands of Putin's forces after the assault began in the early hours of Thursday.
And Russian forces have lost about 2,800 servicemen and 80 tanks during their assault on Ukraine, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said this afternoon.
The Ministry of Defence has said that Russia has so far made limited progress.
The MOD said that Ukraine retains control of key cities as Vladmir Putin's troops descend on the capital city Kyiv.
In an update this afternoon it said there was no sign that air raids had been carried out in Lviv, despite sirens sounding through the city.
People have been pictured fleeing for their lives as missiles continue to hit Ukraine.
A woman is seen with two children carrying bags as they walk down a winding street to leave Ukraine after crossing the Slovak-Ukrainian border in Ubla, eastern Slovakia.
Another image shows a man clutching a child as they wait to board an evacuation train from Kyiv to Lviv at Kyiv central train station.
