RUSSIAN-UKRAINE WAR UPDATES
KEY POINTS
• Hundreds of Ukrainians killed and injured by invading forces
• Ukraine capital Kyiv under attack
• Military claims 3500 Russians killed
• Russian troops claim to have taken their first significant city
• Ukrainian President refuses to leave despite US urging him to evacuate
• Kiwi in Kyiv describes "the craziest day in my life, or that of anyone else here"
• NZ PM describes Vladimir Putin's actions as a "blatant use of military might"
• Nato says it will deploy more troops to eastern Europe
Russian troops are bearing down on Ukraine's capital, having captured the first "significant" city in Ukraine.
The Kyiv mayor said the situation is "threatening" with Russian troops close to the capital.
"This night, in the morning, will be very difficult," he said.
10pm: Health ministry reports 198 deaths
At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Health Ministry was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying on Saturday.
He said 1,115 people were wounded, including 33 children, Reuters reported.
It was unclear whether he was referring only to civilian casualties.
9pm: Reports Russia has captured Melitopol
Russia's defence ministry has claimed the city of Melitopol, which has an estimated population of 150,000, has been captured.
But British armed forces minister James Heappey said Russian forces have not captured the southeastern Ukrainian city, Reuters reported.
Heappey said it was the British assessment that Russia had so far failed to capture any of its day one targets for its invasion of Ukraine, which began on Thursday.
Russia also claimed to have carried out overnight strikes on military targets in Ukraine using air and ship-based missiles.
Ukrainian officials were not immediately available for comment on the fate of Melitopol, Reuters reported.
8.05pm: Missiles launched from the Black Sea
Ukraine officials said that Russian Kalibr cruise missiles are being launched at Ukraine from the Black Sea, Reuters reports.
They also said that areas near Sumy, Poltava and Mariupol have been hit by airstrikes.
Footage and images posted on social media purport to show damaged apartment buildings in Kyiv after Russian airstrikes.
7.55pm: Military claims 3500 Russians have died
The Ukrainian military has claimed on Facebook more than 3500 Russian soldiers involved in the invasion have been killed and almost 200 taken prisoner.
The post, added that Russia has also lost 14 aircraft, eight helicopters, and 102 tanks so far. These claims have not been officially verified.
Russia has yet to acknowledge any casualties.
7.40pm: Ukrainian women take up the fight
Ukrainian women have been learning how to use guns as part of the battle against Russian troops, it has been revealed.
The leader of a Ukrainian political party, Kira Rudik, 36, said it was a "surreal" situation preparing to bear arms but she had learned how to use an automatic rifle in a matter of days.
"Our women will protect our soil the same way as our men," she tweeted.
Fighting has broken out on the streets of Kyiv, according to government officials, with residents warned to remain in shelters and avoid going near windows or on balconies.
On Friday, Rudik told CNN she was in Kyiv.
"It is my duty to be here. I am armed and my crew is armed," she said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Ukrainians, mainly women and children, crossed into Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Friday, but Ukraine banned all men aged 18 to 60 from leaving, according to the State Border Guard Service.
7pm: US asks President to leave - he refuses
The US Government asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to evacuate the country but he refused, AP reported.
"The fight is here, I need ammunition not a ride," said Zelenskyy, according to a senior American intelligence official.
A former television comedian who speaks Russian, Zelenskyy was elected to lead the country three years ago and promised to bring peace to the area.
3:46pm: Zelenskyy still in country
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Zelenskyy released a video showing he is still in Kyiv, putting an end to rumours that he had already fled the country.
He warned that Russian forces could attempt to storm the city.
"Tonight, they will launch an assault. All of us must understand what awaits us. We must withstand this night," Zelenskyy said. "The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now."
Zelenskyy added: "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."
3:02pm: Explosions and gun fire near Kyiv zoo
The troops appear to be inching closer to Kyiv's centre, with multiple explosions and gunfire reported within Kyiv.
One person told Reuters they could hear artillery blasts coming from somewhere near the city centre.
2:53pm: Kazakhstan denies Russia's request for troops
Kazakhstan has reportedly denied Russia's request for troops to join the offensive in Ukraine.
The NBC reports that the country, one of Russia's closest allies, made the significant move of denying Putin's request, as well as refusing to join Putin's recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.
2:41pm: Fighting around Kyiv intensifies
The capital is under curfew and fighting is intensifying, as Russian troops attempt to gain control of the city.
Loud explosions are being reported to the west and south of Kyiv.
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According to CNN, Russian forces are advancing towards the city from the north and the east.
There are also reports of fighting in Troieschyna, where Russian troops are attempting to gain control of a heat and power plant, and in Vasylkiv, a town south of Kyiv where Russian troops are trying to land.
Loud explosions can be heard in the centre of Kyiv and reports state they appear to be getting closer.
2:22pm: Heavy fighting in Vasylkiv
The Kyiv Independent is reporting "heavy fighting reported in Vasylkiv near Kyiv" between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
The town is approximately 40km south of Kyiv.
1:57pm: Shelling near power plant
More shelling is being reported near the power plant in northern Kyiv.
It is the second time that Russians try to attack a thermal power station in Troieshchyna, Kyiv's northern left-bank area, according to local media.
The Ukrainian military is repelling the attacks.
1:50pm: Ukraine asks Apple to block Russia from App Store
Mykhailo Federov, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Digital Transformation, has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking him to block Russia's access to the App Store and Apple products, bolstering the impact of government-level sanctions.
In his letter, he tells Cook that "in 2022, modern technology is perhaps the best answer to the tanks, multiple rocket launchers and missiles".
We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stope the disgraceful military aggression," he said.
1:47pm: Aotearoa New Zealand disappointed by Russia's veto
The Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations in New York has expressed disappointment over Russia's use of the veto to prevent the UN from taking action on the invasion of Ukraine.
12:22pm: Ukraine shoots down large Russian military plane
Ukraine's military says it shot down a large Russian plane with paratroopers south of Kyiv.
The plan was an II-76 and it was reportedly shot down about 20km from the capital.
11:59am: Russia vetoes UN resolution to end Ukraine invasion
Russia on Friday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution telling Moscow to stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw all troops immediately.
The veto was expected, but the United States and its supporters argued that the effort would highlight Moscow's international isolation.
The 11-1 vote — with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining — showed significant but not total opposition to Russia's invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbor.
The resolution's failure paves the way for backers to call for a swift vote on a similar measure in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where there are no vetoes. There was no immediate timetable for a potential Assembly vote.
11:31am: 'The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now' - Zelenskyy warns Russia will storm Kyiv today
The Ukraine Prime Minister has warned Russia is about to launch an all-out assault.
"Tonight, on all fronts, the enemy will use all available forces to break our resistance. Despicably, cruelly, and inhumanly. Tonight they will start the assault. We need to understand what is awaiting us. And we must prevail. The fate of Ukraine is being decided now," he said.
He went on to say: "The night will be harder than the day. At night they will storm, you can not give up the capital. We must survive this night."
11:12am: Canada joins US, EU and UK on direct sanctions
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced sanctions against Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the invasion of Ukraine.
In a news conference, Trudeau also expressed support for barring Russia from SWIFT.
"We will be imposing sanctions on President Putin and his fellow architects of this barbaric war, his chief of staff and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," Trudeau said.
"These men bear the greatest responsibility for the death and destruction occurring in Ukraine."
10:16am: Reports of air raid warning happening in Kyiv
Buzzfeed News report Christopher Miller, on the ground in Kyiv, says missiles are being fired on the capital.
"Air raid warning in Kyiv. And missiles being fired on the capital. I've counted three large strikes in past five minutes. Watching from my window and seeing the sky light up; roar of explosions reverberating across the city," he wrote on Twitter.
10:05am: US announces sanctions to Vladimir Putin, Russia responds
The US has announced it will place direct sanctions on Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, his foreign minister, the White House has announced.
The move follows similar announcements made by the UK and EU earlier today.
"We are hoping what this shows is the unity the US and Biden in working with European allies," said Jen Psaki, White House spokesperson.
According to the RIA news agency, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman has commented on the sanctions, saying they reflect the West's "absolute impotence" in matters of foreign policy.
9:41am: 'Thousands of Russians will die' - Ukraine's Defence Minister
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is calling on all Russian people to take to the streets and demand that Vladimir Putin put an end to the war.
He said that thousands of Russian soldiers will die, saying as many as those who died in two Chechen wars would perish, warning the people of Russia to take a stand against their government.
"Hide your loved ones if they are dear to you. Don't send them to certain death! They will be killed from every window in every Ukrainian city," he said.
9:27am: People worldwide show support for Ukraine
Vigils and protests are being held around the globe against the war in Ukraine. Incredible images show the size of the protest in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, where thousands of people gathered to condemn Russia's actions.
In Russia, thousands of protesters have been arrested as people show their opposition to Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.
Aroundt the world, numerous landmarks and buildings have been lit up in blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukraine flag, as a symbol of support.
9:17am: Ukrainian journalists swap TV studios for bomb shelters
Ukrainian journalists have had to swap tv studios for bomb shelters but are continue their live reporting of the war unfolding in the country.
Footage shared online shows Ukrainian TV anchors reporting live from bomb shelters.
9:12am: Satellite images show huge deployment underway in Belarus
Satellite images taken verified by Reuters show several large deployments of troops and about 150 transport helicopters in the south of Belarus.
Earlier updates continue below:
The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitchko, says five blasts have been reported near a power plant north of the city. The blasts were three to five minutes apart.
"The emergency services are underway. We're finding out the details," he said.
There are reports of hundreds of casualties from the warfare — including shelling that sliced through a Kyiv apartment building and pummeled bridges and schools.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a strongly worded statement urging the Ukrainian military to overthrow its government, saying: "We would find it easier to agree with you than with that gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have holed up in Kyiv and have taken the entire Ukrainian people hostage."
The invasion has fuelled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop.
In the fog of war, it was unclear how much of Ukraine remains under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized.
The Kremlin accepted Kyiv's offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of Ukraine's embattled president instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.
Nato to send troops to eastern Europe
In response to the Ukraine attack, Nato member countries say they will deploy more troops to eastern Europe.
In a joint statement after meeting overnight (NZ time) they said: "No one should be fooled by the Russian government's barrage of lies. We are now making significant additional defensive deployments of forces to the eastern part of the alliance."
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the invasion was a "terrible strategic mistake" and Russia would pay a "severe price for years to come".
"We are facing a new normal in European security."
He said the people of Ukraine "are fighting for their freedom in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion. We deplore the tragic loss of life, enormous human suffering and destruction."
Stoltenberg said that US President Joe Biden and his counterparts have agreed to send parts of the organisation's response force to help protect allies in the east over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking after chairing a Nato meeting, Stoltenberg said the leaders decided to send parts of the Nato Response Force and elements of a quickly deployed spearhead unit. He did not say how many troops would be deployed, but confirmed the move would involve land, sea and air power.
The NRF can number up to 40,000 troops, but Stoltenberg said that Nato would not deploy the entire force. Parts of a force known in Nato jargon as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is currently led by France, will also be sent.
Ukraine President confirms he is still in Kyiv
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy has posted a video of himself outside one of the government buildings in Kyiv, in response to rumours that he had fled the capital.
"We're all here. Our military is here. Citizens in society are here. We're all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way," he says in the video posted to social media.
Zelenskiyy says he has also been in talks with Joe Biden to get "concrete defense assistance" and set up "an anti war coalition".
The US and other global powers have slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world's economy and energy supplies, threatening to further hit ordinary households.
UN officials said millions could flee Ukraine. Sports leagues moved to punish Russia on global playing fields. And US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders held an urgent meeting to discuss how far they can challenge Putin without engaging Russian forces in direct war.
Day two of Russia's invasion focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn and gunfire was reported in several areas.
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Russia's military said it had seized a strategic airport outside Kyiv, allowing it to quickly build up forces to take the capital.
It claimed to have already cut the city off from the west — the direction taken by many of those escaping the invasion, leading to lines of cars snaking toward the Polish border.
Intense gunfire broke out on a bridge across the Dneiper River dividing eastern and western Kyiv, with about 200 Ukrainian forces taking defensive positions and sheltering behind their armoured vehicles and under the bridge.
Another key bridge leading to the capital was blown away, with smoke rising from it.
Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures, and it was not possible to verify the tolls.
UN officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes, estimating up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.
"When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans."
A US defence official said a Russian amphibious assault was underway, and thousands of Russian naval infantry were moving ashore from the Sea of Azov, west of Mariupol.
The official said Ukrainian air defences have been degraded but are still operating, and that about a third of the combat power that Russia had massed around Ukraine is now in the country.
Zelenskyy pleaded with Western powers to act faster to cut off Russia's economy and provide Ukraine military help.
His whereabouts were kept secret, after he told European leaders in a call Thursday night that he was Russia's No. 1 target — and that they might not see him again alive.
He also offered to negotiate on one of Putin's key demands: that Ukraine declare itself neutral and abandon its ambition of joining NATO. The Kremlin responded Russia was ready to send a delegation to Belarus to discuss that.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Ukrainian officials were unwilling to travel to the Belarusian capital and would prefer Warsaw, then halted further communication.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested it was too late, saying Zelenskyy should have agreed to talks earlier on.
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After denying for weeks he planned to invade, Putin argued that the West left him no other choice by refusing to negotiate on Russia's security demands.
The autocratic leader hasn't disclosed his ultimate plans for Ukraine. Lavrov said Friday: "We want to allow the Ukrainian people to determine its own fate."
Playing on Russian nostalgia for World War II heroism, the Kremlin equates members of Ukrainian right-wing groups with neo-Nazis. Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, angrily dismisses those claims.
Peskov said Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as the president, but wouldn't say how long the Russian military operation could last.
Ukrainians, meanwhile, abruptly adjusted to life under fire, after Russian forces started moving in to their country from three sides in an invasion telegraphed for weeks, as they massed an estimated 150,000 troops nearby.
Residents of a Kyiv apartment building woke to screaming, smoke and flying dust. What the mayor identified as Russian shelling tore off part of the building and ignited a fire.
"What are you doing? What is this?" resident Yurii Zhyhanov asked — a question directed at Russian forces. Like countless other Ukrainians, he grabbed what belongings he could, took his mother, and fled, car alarms wailing behind him.
Elsewhere in Kyiv, the body of a dead soldier lay near an underpass.
Fragments of a downed aircraft smoked amid the brick homes of a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found beside them.
And people climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.
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"We're all scared and worried. We don't know what to do then, what's going to happen in a few days," said one of the workers, Lucy Vashaka, 20.
AP reporters saw signs of significant fighting near Ivankiv, about 60km northwest of Kyiv.
Russian troops also entered the city of Sumy, near the border with Russia that sits on a highway leading to Kyiv from the east. A Russian missile launcher was seen on the outskirts of Kharkiv in the east.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv "could well be under siege" in what US officials believe is a brazen attempt by Putin to install his own regime.
The assault, anticipated for weeks by the US and Western allies, amounts to the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.
Zelenskyy, whose grasp on power was increasingly tenuous, appealed to global leaders for even more severe sanctions than the ones imposed by Western allies and for defence assistance.
Zelenskyy cut diplomatic ties with Moscow, declared martial law and ordered a full military mobilisation that would last 90 days.
The invasion began early Thursday with missile strikes on cities and military bases, followed by a multipronged ground assault that rolled troops in from separatist-held areas in the east; from the southern region of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014; and from Belarus to the north.
After Ukrainian officials said they lost control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster, Russia said Friday it was working with the Ukrainians to secure the plant. There was no corroboration of such cooperation from the Ukrainian side.
US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions that will target Russian banks, oligarchs, state-controlled companies and high-tech sectors, saying Putin "chose this war".
He said the measures were designed not to disrupt global energy markets. Russian oil and natural gas exports are vital energy sources for Europe.
The European Union neared an agreement to slap asset freezes on Putin and Lavrov themselves, in addition to other sanctions.
Britain is freezing the assets of all large Russian banks and planning to bar Russian companies and the Kremlin from raising money on British markets.
"Now we see him for what he is — a bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of Putin.
The leader of the Belarus opposition in exile said the European Union should slap tougher sanctions on Belarus for its role.
Sviatlana Tiskhanouskaya said Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, had turned her country into "an aggressor" in Ukraine.
She told The Associated Press on Friday that Belarus has become "an aircraft carrier" for the Russian military, carrying troops to Ukraine, re-fueling its war machine and housing soldiers of the invading force.
The United States, the EU, Britain and Canada last year imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials, businesses and several sectors of the economy and the financial system following a brutal crackdown on Lukashenko's opponents. They were protesting his fraudulent re-election for a sixth term.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called the Belarus government "an accomplice" in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and said it will also be targeted with sanctions.
- Additional reporting by AP
