Massive explosions lit up the night sky near the Ukranian capital Kyiv early Sunday as Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attempts to gain control of the historic city, despite overwhelming odds.
The White House, along with several EU nations, also announced they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.
Our live coverage has moved. Head here for the latest updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Military aid from Lithuania arrives in Ukraine
(Lithuania Ministry of Defense)
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said in a tweet early Sunday that military aid from the Baltic country has arrived in Ukraine.
“Shipment of Lithuanian military aid has reached Ukraine. Lithuania will continue rendering support to our dear friend Ukraine!” the tweet read.
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South Korea says missile launch by North is "undesirable" while world is trying to resolve the war in Ukraine
From CNN's Gawon Bae in Seoul
South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) said North Korea’s missile launch on Sunday is “undesirable” while the world is trying to resolve Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Blue House.
Following North Korea’s firing of a ballistic missile on Sunday morning local time, the NSC held an emergency meeting where they expressed “deep concern and severe regret” over the launch, which is North Korea’s eighth missile test in 2022.
The members said North Korea should respond to offers from the international community for a dialogue and urged the North to “immediately stop actions contrary to peaceful resolution through diplomacy.”
Some context: Analysts suggest the increased testing this year shows leader Kim Jong Un is both striving to meet domestic goals and show an increasingly turbulent world that Pyongyang remains a player in the struggle for power and influence.
“North Korea is not going to do anyone the favor of staying quiet while the world deals with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul, said following Sunday’s test.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin calls for “decisive action" in support of Ukraine
From CNN’s Liam Reilly
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin called for “decisive action” aimed to support Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
Youngkin announced an immediate review of the state’s procurement of all goods and services involving Russian companies and called for an end to statewide sister-city partnerships with Russia, according to a statement released by his office on Saturday.
The governor directed the state’s General Services Department to review all contracts to ascertain whether state tax dollars are being spent on goods and services from primarily Russian companies.
The governor also called on the mayors of Norfolk and Roanoke to end their sister-city partnerships with Kaliningrad and Pskov, respectively, and urged the Virginia Retirement System and university endowments to immediately divest Russian holdings.
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Interactive: Inside the battle for Kyiv
From CNN's Kaeti Hinck, Sean O'Key, Sandra Stevenson and Brook Joyner
Russia has launched a brutal and unprovoked military attack on Ukraine. Now, Ukraine’s outgunned forces are fighting to hold onto the capital city Kyiv and the country’s independence.
CNN follows how the invasion unfolded, from the first explosions near the capital in the early hours before dawn on Thursday, to residents facing a gut-wrenching decision of whether to flee their homes, and Ukrainians surveying the damage of alleged Russian airstrikes as they braced for intensifying conflict.
Read CNN’s interactive:
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One civilian killed in Kharkiv as apartment building hit by artillery fire
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a nine-story residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by “enemy artillery” on Saturday night, killing one woman.
The emergency service said the building was extensively damaged and about 80 people were rescued. Most had been sheltering in the basement.
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"The whole world right now needs to unite.” Ukraine supporters rally across US
From CNN's Dakin Andone, Sara Smart, Polo Sandoval and Sarah Jorgensen
People in New York's Times Square embrace during a rally in support of Ukraine on Saturday.
In the US, crowds gathered on Saturday in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York.
New York: Olga Ladygima, who is from Kyiv, told CNN at a rally in Times Square she hasn’t slept for the last three nights, worrying about her loved ones who remain in Ukraine.
Some Ukrainian supporters, like Merrick Brown, whose great-grandparents came to the US from Ukraine, think the international community should do more.
Atlanta: Dozens of people gathered downtown for a “Stand with Ukraine” rally. Some attendees wore blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, while others carried signs that read, “Pray for Ukraine.”
Ukrainian Anton Kilpa, whose parents live in Kyiv, told CNN affiliate WGCL, learned the invasion had begun when a Canadian-Ukrainian friend called him earlier this week, just before bed, and told him to phone his parents immediately.
Washington, DC: Another crowd demonstrated in front of the White House. One demonstrator, JP Wheeler, said he was “just a concerned citizen” with no personal ties to Ukraine. “No family or friends, just a human connection and a desire to support the Ukrainians and (their) struggle,” Wheeler said.
A couple miles away, Eleanor Shiori Hughes, a graduate student at Georgetown University, left flowers on the steps of the Ukrainian embassy, where a sign read “Long Live Free Ukraine.”
Protests across the world show support for Ukraine
People protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday.
(Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to shock the world, people all over the planet are watching in horror and disbelief.
Rallies, vigils and prayer meetings are being held across the globe in support of Ukraine. Many of those attending have personal or family ties to the country. And they’re asking world leaders to stop Russia’s attack.
From Berlin to Buenos Aires, Moscow to Minneapolis, people are showing their anger at the Russian invasion and solidarity for the Ukrainian people.
Six-year-old boy killed in Kyiv clashes, several more Ukrainian civilians wounded
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Heavy gunfire in a western district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday evening killed a six-year-old boy and injured several other people, according to a local hospital.
Serhii Chernysuk, a doctor at Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital, said the injured included two teenagers and three adults.
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Ukraine and Russia's militaries are David and Goliath. Here's how they compare
Ukrainian service members sit atop armored personnel carriers Thursday as they drive on a road in the Donetsk region.
(Vadim Ghirda/AP)
Here’s how the two country’s military capabilities stack up:
Defense spending: Ukraine spent $4.7 billion in 2021, just over a tenth of nuclear-armed Russia’s $45.8 billion, according to a recent “The Military Balance” report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Manpower: Russia has 900,000 active personnel in its armed forces, and 2 million in reserve. Ukraine has 196,000 and 900,000 reservists. In land forces, Russia has a twofold advantage, with 280,000 troops to Ukraine’s 125,600. And its air force is nearly five times as strong, with 165,00 to Ukraine’s 35,000. Russia had an estimated 200,000 personnel in and around Ukraine.
Weaponry and vehicles: Russia has more than 15,857 armored fighting vehicles, for example, to Ukraine’s 3,309. It has more than 10 times the aircraft – 1,391 to Ukraine’s 128, and 821 helicopters to Ukraine’s 55, if you include Navy aircraft. Where Russia has 49 submarines, Ukraine has none, according to IISS.
Combat will: Ukrainian forces have, however, launched some successful counterattacks. Experts have noted that the sheer combat will among Ukrainian troops to defend their homes and families against Russian acts of violence has been the armed forces’ greatest strength.
Germany has ordered the ban of Russian aircraft from entering the country’s airspace, according to German Minister of Transport Volker Wissing.
The restriction is being prepared at the moment, a ministry spokeswoman told CNN.
German airline Lufthansa will also avoid Russian airspace immediately due to the war in Ukraine, a Lufthansa spokeswoman said Saturday. The airline said it will no longer operate services to Russian destinations.
All flights to and from Russia have been suspended from Saturday for the next seven days. Flights that are in Russian airspace will leave it within a short time.
“The safety of our passengers and crew has utmost priority for us at any time,” Lufthansa said in a news statement sent to CNN.
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UK defense ministry: Russia's force "suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance"
From CNN's Josh Campbell and Jonny Hallam
Russian forces are facing stiff resistance in Ukraine and making slower progress than they planned, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defense in a statement late on Saturday.
“Russian forces are not making the progress they had planned. They are suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance,” the United Kingdom MOD intelligence update said.
The MOD said Russian forces are “sustaining casualties and a number of Russian troops have been taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces.”
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It's 3:30 a.m. in Kyiv. If you're just joining us on Sunday, here's what you need to know
An explosion lights up the sky to the south of Kyiv, Ukraine, early on Sunday.
(CNN)
Ukraine’s highly-motivated, outgunned forces held their capital against the Russian onslaught for a third day Saturday, as battles continued across the country, while a defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to defend their country against the invading forces.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
Two large explosions near Kyiv and oil tanks on fire: Two large explosions lit up the night sky to the southwest of Kyiv early Sunday morning. They appear to have been around Vasylkiv, some 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, south of Kyiv — a town with a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks. Shortly after, CNN verified video of a fire raging at an oil storage area at the Vasylkiv Air Base, southwest of the air base’s main runway.
Russian banks expelled from SWIFT: The White House,European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, said they back the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, and pledged efforts to “collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”
Stiff resistance: Russia is encountering “stiffer than expected” resistance from the Ukrainian military as well as unexpected difficulties supplying its forces, two senior US officials with direct knowledge told CNN.Russia is suffering heavier losses in personnel and armor and aircraft than expected, and has yet to establish air supremacy over Ukraine, a senior defense official said.
Social media giants step in: Russian state media outlets will no longer be allowed to run advertising or otherwise monetize their content on any platform owned by Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, the company said Friday evening. Similarly, YouTube blocked Russian state media outlet RT from Ukraine and suspended its ability to monetize its content on the platform globally.
Presidential appeal: Zelensky also appealed to Ukrainians to resist the invasion, and called for those living abroad to return and defend the country. He also welcomed volunteers from abroad, saying, “we will give you weapons.”
Ukrainians flee: More than 120,000 Ukrainians have already left while 850,000 are internally displaced, according to the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees. She said up to 4 million Ukrainians could flee if the situation continued to deteriorate, and that there were queues at a number of border crossings.
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Russian invasion runs into stiff resistance, supply lines are a "definite vulnerability," US officials say
From CNN's Jim Sciutto, Oren Liebermann and Jeremy Herb
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is encountering “stiffer than expected” resistance from the Ukrainian military as well as unexpected difficulties supplying its forces, two senior US officials with direct knowledge tell CNN.
On the battlefield: Russia is suffering heavier losses in personnel and armor and aircraft than expected. This is due in part to the fact that Ukrainian air defenses have performed better than pre-invasion US intelligence assessments had anticipated.
In the air: In addition, Russia has yet to establish air supremacy over Ukraine, a senior defense official said, as the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense systems fight for control of the airspace.
Without uncontested control of the skies, it becomes more difficult for an army on the move to see and strike targets from the air.
Quick overthrow prevented: Together, these challenges have so far prevented the quick overthrow of major Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, which US officials were concerned could play out in a matter of days. The city of Kharkiv near Ukraine’s border with Russia also has not fallen to invading forces, which officials worried could happen on the first night of an invasion.
Officials caution that this picture of the battlefield is just a moment in time, and the situation on the ground could change very quickly as Russian forces keep up their assault.
A fire at an oil storage area was seen raging at the Vasylkiv Air Base, which is southwest of Kyiv.
CNN has verified a video of the fire at the oil storage area southwest of the air base’s main runway.
Earlier, the two vast explosions were seen around Vasylkiv, some 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, south of Kyiv.
Vasylkiv has multiple fuel tanks.
The area was the scene of heavy fighting Friday night, according to Ukrainian officials.
CNN’s Tim Lister contributed reporting to this post.
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Mayor of Ukrainian city Vasylkiv: "The enemy wants to destroy everything"
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
After the explosions in Vasylkiv, the town’s mayor, Natalia Balasynovych, recorded a Facebook message for residents:
“The night will be difficult here, as well as in Kyiv, but we will stand our ground and we will win, because God is with us,” Balasynovych said.
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Defenders of Ukrainian island may still be alive and now POWs, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla in Kyiv
The defenders of the small Ukrainian island of Zmiinyi in the Black Sea may still be alive, according to a statement released on Saturday by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU).
“We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive,” the statement said.
On Friday, Russian Major-General Igor Konashenkov said 82 Ukrainian servicemen “laid down their arms and voluntarily surrendered to a unit of the Russian Armed Forces.”
The SBGSU statement added, “Russian media reported that Ukrainian servicemen on the island had been sent to Sevastopol” in Crimea.
On Friday, audio emerged of an exchange between the Ukrainian fighters and an officer of the Russian navy. In the exchange, the Ukrainians were heard to say to “Russian warship – go f*** yourself.”
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Two vast explosions seen in Kyiv appear to be around Vasylkiv
From CNN's From Tim Lister in Kyiv
The two vast explosions that lit up the night sky appear to have been around Vasylkiv, some 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles, south of Kyiv.
Vasylkiv has a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks.
The area was the scene of heavy fighting Friday night, according to Ukrainian officials.
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Massive explosions reported near Kyiv
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Two large explosions lit up the night sky to the southwest of Kyiv early Sunday morning with one detonation that appeared to be approximately 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, from the city center.
The second explosion rocked western Kyiv just before 1 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET Saturday). The second blast also came from the south-western part of the city, in the direction of the city’s second major airport.
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Ukrainian official calls on "an IT army" to join the "fight on the cyber front"
From CNN's Sean Lyngaas
Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted Saturday that Kyiv was “creating an IT army” to “continue to fight on the cyber front” as Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine.
Fedorov tweeted a link to a channel on the messaging app Telegram that encouraged hackers to conduct cyberattacks on key Russian energy firms and financial firms. The proposed target list includes natural gas giant Gazprom and big Russian banks Sberbank and VTB. The Biden administration sanctioned the two banks on Thursday over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Telegram channel promoted by Fedorov was translated into English to appeal to “all IT specialists from other countries,” the English version said.
Cyberattacks have had a supporting role in the Russia-Ukraine war. A series of so-called distributed denial of service attacks flooded Ukrainian government websites with phony traffic prior to Russia’s invasion. The White House blamed one of those rounds of hacks on Russia’s GRU military agency (Moscow denied the allegation.).
On Friday, Ukrainian officials accused the Belarusian Ministry of Defense of trying to hack the private email accounts of Ukrainian military personnel. The ministry did not return CNN’s request for comment.
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White House, EU announce expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT
From CNN’s DJ Judd
The headquarters of Swift, Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication is seen in La Hulpe, Belgium, on February 25.
(James Arthur Gekiere/Belga Mag/AFP/Getty Images)
In an announcement late Saturday afternoon, the White House said, in concert with of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, the US is backing the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, and pledged efforts to “collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”
Earlier Saturday, CNN reported Biden was considering expelling Russia from SWIFT, but had yet to make a final decision. Fully expelling Russia from SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, has been presented as a financial “nuclear option,” with the president and aides highlighting how complicated the move would be. They also noted the US cannot move unilaterally to expel Russia.
“That’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take,” Biden told reporters Thursday.
In addition, the nations announced the launch, later this week, of a “transatlantic task force” to “ensure the effective implementation of our financial sanctions by identifying and freezing the assets of sanctioned individuals and companies that exist within our jurisdictions.”
As part of Saturday’s announcement, they also promised to step up efforts to combat misinformation.
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Russian invasion runs into stiff resistance, supply lines 'definite vulnerability,' US officials say
From Jim Sciutto and Oren Liebermann
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is encountering “stiffer than expected” resistance from the Ukrainian military as well as unexpected difficulties supplying its forces, two senior US officials with direct knowledge tell CNN.
On the battlefield, Russia is suffering heavier losses in personnel, armor and aircraft than expected. This is due, in part, to the fact Ukrainian air defenses have performed better than anticipated in pre-invasion US intelligence assessments. In addition, Russia has yet to establish air supremacy over Ukraine, a senior defense official said, as the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense systems fight for control of the airspace.
Without uncontested control of the skies, it becomes more difficult for an army on the move to see and strike targets from the air.
Officials caution this picture of the battlefield is just a moment in time, and the situation on the ground could change very quickly as Russian forces keep up their assault.
The Ukrainian military has a number of different anti-aircraft weapons, including radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles, as well as anti-aircraft guns, according to IHS Janes. The US has also provided Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in recent weeks, as have other NATO allies.
As of Saturday evening, the US had not seen any indication the Russian military has taken control over any Ukrainian cities, the official said, even as Russian forces have moved to surround some population centers, including the capital of Kyiv.
Keeping Russia’s large invasion force supplied with fuel and ammunition has also proven difficult. As one senior US official explained, Russia anticipated a fast victory and may have neglected to plan for sufficient resupply. Supply lines, this official explained, are a “definite vulnerability.”
Together, these challenges have thus far prevented the quick overthrow of major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, which US officials were concerned could play out in a matter of days. The city of Kharkiv near Ukraine’s border with Russia also has not fallen to invading forces, which officials worried could happen on the invasion’s first night.
These officials caution, however, Russian forces still greatly outnumber Ukrainian forces and Russia continues to maneuver these forces into position around major urban centers. It’s also unclear how much of the slower movement can be attributed to the logistical challenge of moving such a large force.
Russia has spun its slow advance in Ukraine as a stop to allow time for negotiations, not a military setback.
On Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said its troops have been ordered to resume their offensive “in all directions,” after a suspension was ordered for negotiations with the Ukrainian government. The ministry said the offensive was ordered to continue after Ukraine abandoned the consultations.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
“They are having problems,” a NATO official explained, pointing to the alliance’s latest intelligence. “They lack diesel, they are proceeding way too slow and morale is obviously an issue.”
Asked whether Russians are likely to intensify their efforts, the official said they have no choice.
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Ukraine vows to punish Russia for war crimes in military tribunal after targeting of civilians
From CNN's Mia Alberti and Olena Mankovska.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has accused Russia of war crimes after targeting civilian targets and said Moscow will have to face a “military tribunal.”
During a Saturday news conference, Shmyhal said Russia shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and “buses with children.”
The prime minister said Russia was deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure because it is “failing” in its offensive.
“The Russian government doesn’t understand they are not fighting only with the government. In fact, they are fighting against the entire Ukrainian people,” he said.
Russia said its forces are only targeting military installations and are not striking residential areas.
After a Saturday government meeting, Shmyhal announced Ukraine is temporarily closing its borders with Belarus and Russia except for Ukrainian citizens abroad, whom he urged to join the fight.
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Ukraine closes borders to Russia and Belarus
From CNN’s Sebastian Shukla in Kyiv
Ukraine is closing its borders to Russia and Belarus, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced Saturday evening.
In a video statement posted on Telegram, Shmyhal said beginning Monday, February 28, only Ukrainian citizens will be allowed to cross from Russia and Belarus into Ukraine.
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Ukraine prompts UN Secretary-General to cancel his Geneva trip
From CNN's Roth Richards
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks on February 23 in New York City.
(David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, released a statement Saturday, saying the situation in Ukraine has prompted Guterres to cancel a trip to Geneva for a Monday meeting of the UN’s Human Rights Council.
Full statement below:
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Meta bars Russian state media from monetizing on its platforms
From CNN’s Brian Fung
Meta's logo is seen on a sign at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on October 28, 2021.
(Tony Avelar/AP/File)
Russian state media outlets will no longer be allowed to run advertising or otherwise monetize their content on any platform owned by Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, the company said Friday evening.
On Saturday, Meta published a blog post outlining the steps it has taken to keep Ukrainians safe. The company said it has enabled the ability for Ukrainian users to “lock” their Facebook profiles, preventing strangers from being able to download a person’s profile photo or see the person’s posts. The company also said it is restricting the ability to search through a user’s friends list.
On Instagram, Ukrainian users are being shown notifications reminding them they can make their profiles private, and some users are being reminded about the ability to enable two-factor authentication and other security measures.
Meta added that it has expanded its regional independent fact-checking efforts and is “working to provide additional financial support to Ukrainian fact-checking partners.”
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Pope expresses "his deepest sorrow" in phone call with Zelensky
From CNN's Nicola Ruotolo and Duarte Mendonça
Pope Francis
(Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis expressed “his deepest sorrow” over the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, Ukraine’s embassy to the Holy See (Vatican) tweeted.
“Today Pope Francis had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Holy Father expressed his deepest sorrow for the tragic events that are taking place in our country,” according to the embassy.
In a tweet, Zelensky said that he had thanked the Pope for his prayers, adding that “the Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”
“Thanked Pope Francis for praying for peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire. The Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness,” Zelensky tweeted.
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Pentagon denies Russia's claim that it's "highly likely" US used surveillance drones to help Ukrainian navy
From CNN’s Nathan Hodge and Vasco Cotovio in Moscow and Oren Lieberman at the Pentagon
The Pentagon has denied a claim from the Russian Ministry of Defence saying it is “highly likely” that the United States used some of its surveillance drones flying over the Black Sea to help the Ukrainian Navy attack its vessels.
“On the evening of February 25, during the evacuation of 82 Ukrainian servicemen who voluntarily laid down their arms from Zmeiny [Zmiiny] Island, 16 boats of the Ukrainian Navy, using the ‘swarm tactics,’ tried to attack the ships of the Black Sea Fleet,” Russian defense ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Saturday. “During the attack by Ukrainian boats over the provocation area, US strategic unmanned aerial vehicles RQ-4 ‘Global Hawk’ and MQ-9A ‘Reaper’ were overhead.”
“It is highly likely that it was American UAVs that directed Ukrainian boats at the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Konashenkov said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby denied the claims:
Konashenkov also said that six boats of the Ukrainian navy were destroyed but that none of the 82 Ukrainian servicemen from the island, also known as Snake Island, were injured.
According to a purported, widely shared audio exchange, as the Russians approached the island, the Russian officer said, “This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”
A Ukrainian soldier responded, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”
Those were the final known words heard from the island.
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YouTube blocks RT in Ukraine and prohibits it from monetizing its channels on the platform globally
From CNN’s Brian Fung
YouTube has blocked Russian state media outlet RT from Ukraine and suspended its ability to monetize its content on the platform globally, the video giant said Saturday.
The move to restrict RT and several other Russian channels comes after the Ukrainian government asked YouTube to cut off access from within the country, YouTube told CNN.
In a statement, YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi cited “extraordinary circumstances in Ukraine” for the company’s steps.
YouTube also said that in recent days, it has removed hundreds of channels and thousands of videos that violated its policies, among them a number of channels that the company said were engaging in coordinated deception.
YouTube’s decision follows widespread criticism as journalists, activists and even a member of Congress noticed that the platform was running ads against content from RT.
A letter to YouTube’s parent Alphabet on Friday by Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said his staff was able to find instances of RT’s monetization on YouTube, and that he had alerted the Departments of Justice and Treasury to a report about YouTube allowing sanctioned entities to monetize on YouTube as well.
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Ukraine closes borders to Russia and Belarus
From CNN’s Sebastian Shukla in Kyiv
Ukraine is closing its borders to Russia and Belarus, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced Saturday evening.
In video statement posted on Telegram, Shmyhal said that only citizens of Ukraine will be able to cross from Russia and Belarus into Ukraine.
He did not indicate when the border closure would come into force.
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Blinken cites Russia's "prior example of disregard for international law" on anniversary of Crimea invasion
From CNN's Sarah Fortinsky
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the eighth anniversary of Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea as “a prior example of disregard for international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” in a tweet Saturday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
“The U.S. and Ukraine today mark the 8th anniversary of Russia’s 2014 invasion and seizure of Crimea, a prior example of disregard for international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We reaffirm that Crimea is Ukraine and stand #UnitedWithUkraine,” Blinken tweeted.
Russia is spinning slow advance as pause for negotiations, NATO official says
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
A NATO military official claims that Russia is spinning its slow advance in the invasion of Ukraine as having stopped to allow time for negotiations.
On Saturday, the Russian defense ministry said its troops have been ordered to resume their offensive “in all directions,” after a suspension was ordered for negotiations with the Ukrainian government. The ministry said the offensive was ordered to continue after Ukraine abandoned the consultations.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
Asked whether Russians are likely to intensify their efforts, the official said, “They have to, they are way behind schedule. This is getting out of hand for them, every additional day is very painful.”
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Russian billionaire gives up "stewardship and care" of Chelsea club
From CNN's Homero DeLaFuente
Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich announced on Saturday he will be giving the “stewardship” of the club over to trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation.
“I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans,” he said.
In 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) called on US President Joe Biden to sanction at least eight high-profile Russian figures it said was close to Putin.
In a copy of the letter obtained by CNN, Abramovich is named on the “priority shortlist,” for what FBK describes as being a key enabler and an alleged beneficiary of “Kremlin kleptocracy.”
A spokesperson for Abramovich said in an email statement to CNN that “there is no basis for such claims which are entirely without foundation.”
Navalny was detained on Jan. 17, 2021, moments after arriving in Moscow following months of treatment in Germany after being poisoned in August 2020 with nerve agent Novichok.
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US firms should be wary of destructive malware unleashed on Ukraine, FBI and CISA warn
From CNN's Sean Lyngaas
US critical infrastructure firms should reinforce their defenses and increase their vigilance following data-destroying cyberattacks in Ukraine prior to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Saturday.
The advisory includes several technical recommendations for organizations to keep malicious software from spreading on their systems.
US officials continue to say there are “no specific, credible” threats to the US homeland tied the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but Saturday’s advisory is the latest warning from officials that what happens in cyberspace in Ukraine may not stay there.
Just hours before Russian forces began to attack Ukraine early Thursday, cybersecurity researchers said they had found a data-wiping hacking tool on hundreds of computers at Ukrainian government and financial organizations. The malicious code is designed to delete data from computers and render them inoperable — which has the potential to hobble organizations trying to stay online during a war.
Jean-Ian Boutin, head of threat research at anti-virus firm ESET, which responded to some of the destructive hacks, told CNN that he assumed that the malware was successfully deployed and the “affected machines were wiped.”
Two Ukrainian government contractors — one with a presence in Latvia and another with a presence in Lithuania, both NATO members — were hit with the malware, according to Broadcom’s cybersecurity unit Symantec. While the hack was targeted at Ukrainian assets, the potential for collateral damage in cyberspace during the war in Ukraine has been high on Western officials’ minds.
It’s unclear who was responsible for deploying the destructive malware. It was the second such destructive hack in as many months. A similar piece of malicious code appeared on the systems of some Ukrainian government agencies and nonprofit and technology organizations in January.
The White House has blamed Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency for a separate cyberattack on Ukrainian government websites on Feb. 15 that temporarily knocked the websites offline. Russia has denied the allegation.
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Czech Republic, Netherlands and Portugal will send reinforcements to assist Ukraine
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite, Josh Pennington and Duarte Mendonça
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, center, flanked by Defense Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho, left, and the Chief of Armed Forces General Staff Admiral António da Silva Ribeiro as he speaks to the media after attending the NATO Extraordinary Virtual Summit of Heads of State and Government meeting to discuss Russian military invasion to Ukrainian on Friday, February 25, 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal.
(Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images)
Three NATO members have announced they would send reinforcements to assist Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
The Czech Republic committed on Saturday to send a “shipment of weapons to Ukraine” worth over $8.5 million to a “place of Ukrainians choice.”
“The government has approved a shipment of weapons to Ukraine. We are sending machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles and pistols and their corresponding ammunition valued at CZK 188 million,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted.
The Netherlands on Saturday also said it would be providing Ukraine with more firepower.
“The Netherlands will supply Ukraine 200 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles. Other defence material already on its way,” the prime minister’s foreign affairs and defense adviser, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, tweeted.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Friday that the country would be sending reinforcements to join Ukrainian soldiers on the ground to help secure their borders as this “is a war against the freedom of self-determination of a democratic country and therefore it is also a war against the freedom of self-determination and against democracy.”
Speaking at a televised news conference, the Portuguese prime minister went on to say, “there was an unanimity of all states, in view of the need to strengthen the NATO presence on the borders of Ukraine and in all the alliance countries that are close to the Ukraine region.”
“Portugal, in this sense, in addition to the forces that this year has assigned to the European command of NATO, decided to anticipate, from the second half to the first half, the mobilization and commitment of an infantry company that will act in Romania and that will be projected in the coming weeks,” Costa said.
“Several other countries at the moment are either anticipating or reinforcing or deciding to reinforce their participation with these countries [bordering Ukraine] in order to have a clear manifestation of unity and deterrence regarding Russia’s actions,” Costa added.
When asked for a specific number of that would be sent to support Ukraine, Costa said the infantry company would include 175 troopers.
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Germany will deliver anti-tank weapons and missiles to Ukraine
From Inke Kappeler in Berlin
Germany will deliver weapons to Ukraine in a major policy shift after resisting Kyiv’s previous calls for defensive weaponry.
In its coalition agreement, the German government had agreed on a restrictive arms export policy that does not allow any weapons deliveries to crisis regions. The delivery of such weapons also has historical connotations post-World War II.
“The Russian attack marks a change in times. It is our duty to support Ukraine as much as we can defending themselves against Putin’s invasion army. Therefore we will deliver 1,000 antitank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted Saturday after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda.
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Ukrainian President Zelensky hints that there is consensus on SWIFT restrictions for Russia
From CNN’s Sebastian Shukla in Kyiv
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen during a released statement on February 26.
(From President Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has hinted that there is consensus on SWIFT restrictions for Russia.
In a statement on Saturday evening, the Ukrainian leader said “we feel Ukraine has got the support of the whole civilized world. The practical result? SWIFT.”
He hailed this as an “important victory” and “means billions and billions of losses for Russia. It is a price for a sneaky invasion into our country.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the “technical preparations” for Russia’s ban from the SWIFT system have begun.
“Official decision hasn’t been processed yet, but technical preparations for making and implementing that decision have begun,” Kuleba said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
Banning Russia from the SWIFT high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world would cut Russia’s banks off the global financial system. The move is considered the “nuclear option” of sanctions, because while it would be very damaging to the Russian economy, it would hurt other countries, too.
A number of European countries said on Friday and Saturday that they would support cutting Russia off from SWIFT. The UK, France, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Germany already indicated they would not block the sanction.
US President Joe Biden is seriously weighing whether to remove Russia from SWIFT, the high security network that connect thousands of financial institutions around the world, but has yet to make a final decision, multiple people familiar with his thinking say.
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Biden says Putin's invasion is bringing Europe and NATO closer together
From CNN's Sam Fossum
US President Joe Biden, in a taped interview that aired on Saturday, said one of his major strategic goals as Russia invades Ukraine is to keep NATO and the European Union united.
“My goal from the very beginning was to make sure that I kept all of NATO and the European Union on the same page. Because the one thing I think Putin thought he could do was split NATO, creating a great aperture for him to be able to walk through. And that hasn’t happened,” Biden told podcaster and commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
Biden also predicted that Russia would pay a heavy price in both the long and short term for its invasion of Ukraine, adding that the conflict is bringing Europe and NATO closer together.
When asked about sanctions, Biden argued that he believes it’s one of the only ways to penalize Russia without risking war on a global scale.
“You have two options. Start a third world war, go to war with Russia, physically. Or two, make sure that a country that acts so contrary to international law pays a price for having done it,” Biden said.
He also pointed to the defense weaponry and economic assistance the US is providing Ukraine as the country continues to fend off the Russian advance.
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Germany supports SWIFT sanctions against Russia in some form
From Inke Kappeler in Berlin
Germany has said it will support restricting Russia from SWIFT after days of debate among European Union members as to whether to include the global interbank payment system in its next round of sanctions.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and German Economics Minister Robert Habeck in a joint tweet on Saturday said they are “under high pressure to avoid collateral damage when decoupling (Russia) from SWIFT so it will hit the right people. What we need is a targeted and functional constraint of SWIFT.”
More background: US President Joe Biden is seriously weighing whether to publicly support expelling Russia from SWIFT, but has yet to make a final decision, according to multiple people familiar with his thinking say.
The decision to trigger the action has always been contingent on sign-off by the European Union, which has been split in a contentious debate for weeks over the action, ultimately choosing not to go forward this week.
Ukraine appealed for Russia to be removed from SWIFT after President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on Thursday. The call from Kyiv was backed by numerous countries, including Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and the United Kingdom.
Hungary will not block sanctions against Russia, including on SWIFT, according to its foreign minister. Italy has also signaled that it would support taking measures to expel Russia from the SWIFT global payment system as part of further EU sanctions.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Phil Mattingly, and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
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Russian thermobaric "vacuum bombs" launcher seen by CNN team in Ukraine
From CNN's Fred Pleitgen, Ivana Kottasová and Tim Lister
(CNN)
A Russian thermobaric multiple rockets launcher has been spotted by CNN team south of Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border early Saturday afternoon.
The TOS-1 or TOS-1A Multiple Rocket Launcher seen by CNN is capable of launching rockets with thermobaric warheads.
There is no evidence that thermobaric weapons have been used in the conflict in Ukraine.
These types of weapons do not use conventional ammunition. Instead, they are filled with high-temperature, high-pressure explosive. They are sometimes called “vacuum bombs” because they suck in the oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a powerful explosion and a large pressure wave that can have enormous destructive effects.
Thermobaric weapons have been used in Chechnya, with horrifying consequences, according to Human Rights Watch. Their use has been condemned by number of non-governmental organizations.
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Ukrainians try to block Russian tanks with their bodies and bicycles
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Josh Pennington
Dramatic video out of Bakhmach, Ukraine, shows Ukrainians citizens standing in front of Russian tanks, attempting to stop them from moving forward.
In the video, tanks can be seen driving on roads in Bakhmach, which is just over 110 miles northeast of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
CNN has confirmed the authenticity and location of the video.
“They are throwing their bicycles underneath the Russian tanks,” a voice on the video says.
Then a man steps in front of one and jumps on top. The tank continues to roll forward until the man jumps off, puts his hands on the tank and tries to hold it back. The tank stops suddenly, and the man moves in front, kneeling in front to obstruct its path.
The tank stops for just a moment longer as bystanders appear to pull the man to the side.
“People are begging the tanks to stop,” the voice on the video says.
It starts to move again, but is again confronted by another Ukrainian standing in front of it.
The legs of the individual that stood in front of the tank are seen airborne in the video; they appeared to have jumped on the tank again.
Before the video cuts off, the tank spits out a black cloud of exhaust and continues moving forward.
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Twitter says it is being restricted inside Russia
From CNN's Pierre Meilhan
Twitter said Saturday it is being restricted inside Russia and is working to address the issue.
Twitter did not immediately comment on whether it is in touch with the Russian government about this problem or whether any action would be taken by Russia.
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Russian ministry says civilian involvement in Ukraine defensive effort will "lead to accidents and casualties"
From CNN’s Nathan Hodge and Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
The Russian Ministry of Defence has criticized the Ukrainian government for handing out weapons to civilians, saying it “will inevitably lead to accidents and casualties.”
“The Kyiv nationalist regime massively and uncontrollably distributes automatic small arms, grenade launchers and ammunition to residents of Ukrainian settlements,” the Ministry of Defence spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Saturday. “The involvement of the civilian population of Ukraine by the nationalists in the hostilities will inevitably lead to accidents and casualties.”
Despite Russian claims to the contrary, evidence suggests civilian infrastructure is under attack. Reports about apartment buildings and kindergartens being shelled, civilians being killed, and rockets being found in residential streets have been trickling in since the beginning of the offensive.
Social media videos, photos and satellite images analyzed and geolocated by CNN confirm that on several occasions densely populated areas have been hit by Russian forces.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said Saturday he “most strongly” condemns Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Konashenkov also repeated claims that the Ukrainian military was deploying heavy military equipment in civilian areas.
“Our intelligence data continues to record the deployment of rocket and artillery units by Ukrainian nationalists in residential areas not only in Kyiv, but also in other Ukrainian cities,” he said.
“We call on the people of Ukraine to be conscious, not to succumb to these provocations of the Kyiv regime and not to expose themselves and their loved ones to unnecessary suffering,” Konashenkov concluded.
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People with disabilities and mobility issues find themselves trapped in Kyiv
From CNN's Ivana Kottasova in Kyiv
From left, Sofia, Yulia, Yulia’s mother and Maryna.
(Courtesy Yulia Klepets)
About a minute after the sirens went off on Saturday morning, Yulia Klepets heard a huge boom. She saw from her window that an apartment building roughly 200 meters from her home got hit by something.
A huge hole appeared on one side of the high-rise building. There was fire and smoke. Debris was flying around. She started panicking; her whole body was shaking.
Klepets has been hunkering down in her home alongside her mother, two daughters and a cousin. The five women had to made a quick decision. Klepets’ cousin and younger daughter went down to an underground carpark that turned into a bomb shelter. She stayed behind with her mother and older daughter.
“My mother is 82 years old. She cannot walk on her own and there is no way to get her down, because we’re on the seventh floor,” she told CNN on Saturday.
Klepets’ older daughter, Maryna, is 25 years old and has autism. She was in a state of shock, unable to move.
Maryna doesn’t understand what is going on, Klepets said. She keeps asking her mother whether or not there will be any more shaking.
“She wants to go to the sea, or at least to the pool, and I have to explain to her that there is a war right now so we cannot do that, and then she says, ‘Maybe it will end and then we’ll go to someplace nice [near] the sea,’” Klepets said, adding that Maryna doesn’t know how to swim, but she really loves the seaside. “She finds [it] miraculous when she’s next to the sea.”
Maryna
(Courtesy Yulia Klepets)
Not long after the strike, Klepets’ cousin came back from the basement. She said Sofia, Klepets’ younger daughter, was too scared without her. She tried to resist, refusing to leave her mother and Maryna behind, but was forced to go.
“We said our goodbyes. We hugged each other without saying a word,” she said.
Klepets said she has been trying to get help for her mother and Maryna for the past four days.
“I called the rehabilitation service center and was told that people who were unable to move by themselves needed to call and register so that they are on the list of people who need help with mobility,” she said. “They told me to call the next day, that they would tell me which documents we needed. Then they told me that they can come to my apartment and help me clean but they did not offer to take my daughter out. I don’t know what to say about this,” she said.
Klepets said that families of people with disabilities are finding themselves trapped in Kyiv.
This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Maryna’s name.
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Nearly 2,700 people detained in anti-war protests in Russia since Thursday, monitoring site says
From CNN's Anna Chernova in Moscow
A demonstrator against the invasion of Ukraine is led away by police in Moscow, on February 24.
(Daniil Danchenko/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
A total of 2,692 people have been detained in anti-war protests in Russia since Thursday, independent protest monitoring site OVD-Info said Saturday.
At least 1,370 of them were detained in protests in Moscow, according to the same site.
Protests are ongoing in at least 27 cities, according to OVD-Info.
On Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee warned that participation in any anti-war protest was illegal. It also said that offenses could be entered on participants’ criminal records which would “leave a mark on the person’s future.”
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On the ground: CNN correspondent observes Russian armored vehicles moving toward Ukraine
A large column of Russian armored vehicles drove past CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen on Saturday headed toward Ukrainian territory and the city of Kharkiv.
“This is something … that we’ve seen throughout the entire course of the day, that more of this heavy equipment has been moving towards the front line,” he reported from near Belgorod, Russia.
“To see the Russians move that many of those in one column towards the front line is certainly something that at least for us right now is remarkable,” he said.
He also said that he and his team have been hearing more rocket launchers going off today than in the past few days.
Earlier today, a senior US defense official said Russian forces are facing the “stiffest resistance” to their invasion in the northern part of Ukraine along two axes: “down towards Kyiv and generally from Belgorod towards Khakriv.”
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Heavy shelling and small arms fire seen in strategic maritime town of Mykolaiv
From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh and Natalie Gallon in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Heavy shelling reverberated around the outskirts of the strategic maritime town of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine on Saturday night.
One substantial blast lit up the skyline at around 6 p.m. local time. The impacts of multiple rockets were heard on several occasions and small arms fire grew.
The shelling comes after a day of heightened tensions in the city where a CNN crew saw Ukrainian troops fire warning shots and throw suspected Russian saboteurs from their cars to the ground.
The town, which sits on an inlet from the Black Sea, raised its bridge Saturday, a rare event locals said had not happened for years. The move was apparently designed to cut a main connection between the north and south of the city after unconfirmed reports Russian paratroopers landed in the city’s northern areas.
The city’s main fuel plant was also hit by an apparent missile late Friday, causing significant damage, even though the tanks were empty, an official at the plant told CNN.
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Russian defense ministry orders troops to resume offensive "in all directions," according to statement
From CNN’s Nathan Hodge and Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
The Russian Ministry of Defence says its troops have been ordered to resume their offensive “in all directions,” after a suspension was ordered for negotiations with the Ukrainian government.
“[On Friday], after the Kyiv regime declared its readiness for negotiations, active hostilities in the main directions of the operation were suspended,” Ministry of Defence spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Saturday. “After the Ukrainian side abandoned the negotiation process, today all units were ordered to continue their offensive in all directions in accordance with the operation plan.”
A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
Konashenkov’s remarks, also echoed by the Kremlin, were made after Western officials said the Russian invasion was not progressing as fast as Moscow would have expected.
Alex Marquardt reports:
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EU official "strongly condemns" Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič speaks during a European Parliament session in Strasbourg, France, in 2021.
A residential block near Kyiv’s second airport was struck by a missile or rocket fire early Saturday.
Images and video from the scene showed a large impact some ten floors up.
Some background: On Friday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sought to reassure the world about civilian casualties on day two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Nobody is going to attack the people of Ukraine,” he said during a heated press conference, telling CNN that there were “no strikes on civilian infrastructure.”
But evidence suggests civilian infrastructure is under attack: Reports about apartment buildings and kindergartens being shelled, civilians being killed, and rockets being found in residential streets have been trickling in since the beginning of the offensive.
Social media videos, photos and satellite images analyzed and geolocated by CNN confirm that on several occasions densely populated areas have been hit by Russian forces.
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Kremlin website is being targeted by cyberattacks, spokesperson tells state media
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
The Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in Moscow.
(Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The Kremlin website is being targeted by cyberattacks, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS on Saturday.
“Attacks are ongoing,” Peskov told TASS. “[The website] often freezes.”
Some Russian government websites, including the Kremlin and Ministry of Defence, have been down for a third day in a row.
On Friday, the same Russian websites appeared offline for a while, but the Kremlin denied it was being attacked by Anonymous, according to state media.
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Heaviest fighting in Ukraine is "in and around Kharkiv," senior US defense official says
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman and Oren Liebermann
The heaviest fighting in Ukraine is “in and around Kharkiv,” a senior US defense official said Saturday.
The official said the US saw “stiff resistance on the northern advance towards Kyiv,” as well. “But the heaviest fighting we still assess is in and around Kharkiv,” the official added.
Russian forces are facing the resistance to their invasion in the northern part of Ukraine along two axes, the official said: “down towards Kyiv and generally from Belgorod towards Khakriv.”
Russian forces are facing “less resistance in the south,” the official added.
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US security assistance to Ukraine has arrived within "last couple of days," senior defense official says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
US security assistance to Ukraine has arrived “within the last couple of days,” a senior defense official said Saturday, indicating that US President Joe Biden’s administration has continued to send in aid even after Russia launched its invasion.
Late Friday night, the US approved another $350 million in security assistance to Ukraine. In a statement Saturday morning, the State Department announced that it would include “lethal defensive assistance” that would help Ukraine deal with armored, airborne and other threats.
Though the senior defense official would not detail the exact types of equipment beyond Javelin anti-armor missiles, the US has provided Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine in the last few weeks.
The official would not say how the assistance would arrive in Ukraine.
Since Ukraine’s airspace is contested, the US has not flown any aircraft into or over Ukraine. But countries like Poland have openly stated that they have sent ammunition into Ukraine with ground convoys, one of the only viable options given the current situation.
“I think you’d have to assume that ground routes would certainly be on the list of options that we would consider,” the defense official said without providing further details.
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Russian advance in Ukraine has temporarily slowed, according to UK defense ministry
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
The speed of the Russian advance on Ukraine has temporarily slowed “likely due to acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance,” according to the British Ministry of Defence.
In its latest intelligence update on Ukraine, the ministry says the capture of Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv “remains Russia’s primary military objective.”
“Russian forces are bypassing major Ukranian population centres while leaving forces to encircle and isolate them,” the update added.
“Overnight clashes in Kyiv are likely to have involved limited numbers of pre-positioned Russian sabotage groups,” the ministry said.
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There have been "more than 250" missile launches by Russians at Ukraine as of this morning, US official says
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
There have been “more than 250” missile launches from Russian forces at Ukraine “as of this morning” eastern time, a senior US defense official told reporters Saturday.
The majority of the missile launches “continue to be short-range ballistic missile types,” the official said.
Russians continue to impact “civilian infrastructure and residential areas” with these missile strikes, the official said.
As of this morning, the US has “no indication” that the Russian military has “taken control over any cities,” the official added.
There have been “intermittent” power outages in Ukraine, but the internet is still “generally available,” the official added.
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Biden is seriously weighing whether to support removing Russia from SWIFT
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Phil Mattingly, and Kevin Liptak
President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting on February 22, in Washington, DC.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden is seriously weighing whether to remove Russia from SWIFT, the high security network that connect thousands of financial institutions around the world, but has yet to make a final decision, according to multiple people familiar with his thinking.
The decision to trigger the action has always been contingent on sign off by the European Union, which has been split in a contentious debate for weeks over the action, ultimately choosing not to go forward this week.
But US officials and their EU counterparts have continued to weigh options, including sanctions to remove individual banks and entities, instead of the entire Russian economy, from the network, officials say.
But since Biden’s press conference announcing new sanctions against Russia for its unprovoked attack, the administration appears to be moving closer to this position as other European allies have now given it their backing.
The administration has discussed the matter with the Federal Reserve, which would have a stake in any decision, according to an official. And US officials have been in talks with the European Union about a possible move.
One administration official said additional sanctions were likely to come if Kyiv, the besieged Ukrainian capital, fell. But it wasn’t clear if that would include SWIFT, or whether removing Russia from SWIFT might happen before.
A White House official told CNN that “as the President and administration officials have made clear, we are focused on coordinating with allies and partners to impose further costs on Putin for his war of choice” but declined to comment further.
On Saturday, Italy signaled that it would support taking measures to expel Russia from the SWIFT after Prime Minister Mario Draghi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “Italy fully supports the European Union’s line on sanctions against Russia, including those regarding SWIFT, and shall continue to do so.”
Draghi’s comments are particularly notable given the Italian economy’s exposure on energy, but the primary opposition to taking the action has come from Germany, officials say.
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Former Ukrainian president: I ask the world "don't believe Putin"
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks with CNN on Saturday.
(CNN)
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the world should not trust information that Russian President Vladmir Putin and his office are relaying about negotiations with Ukraine after invading the country.
The Kremlin said Saturday that Putin ordered a halt Friday to the Russian military’s advance in Ukraine pending negotiations, but operations resumed after the government in Kyiv allegedly refused talks. A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours of Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
Speaking to CNN on Saturday, Poroshenko also brought up Malaysia Flight 17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 by a surface-to-air missile, killing nearly 300 people. Western officials and a Dutch-led investigation said Putin bears responsibility for the incident, but Putin has denied it.
Poroshenko was asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to accept an offer from the United States of evacuation from the capital city Kyiv, according to the Ukraine embassy in Britain.
Poroshenko also said he is willing to die if necessary and is proud of his people and country.
“If I’m ready, unfortunately, yes. I hate the idea to be my country occupied and I think that we should do our best to protect the nation, to protect the nation against Russian aggressor, definitely bring the risk … Everybody here,” he said, pointing to defense troops behind him, “all the young and old people fully understand that we have this risk.”
“But many, the biggest part, make a decision to take the rifle and to protect the nation. I’m proud for these people. I’m proud of this country. And I’m proud to be Ukrainian,” he said.
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Kyiv will be under a strict curfew until Monday
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Empty streets are seen following curfew in Kyiv, early February 26.
The curfew will run from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. local time nightly “for more effective defense of the capital and the security of its inhabitants.”
Mayor Vitali Klitschko had initially set the curfew to run until Sunday morning, “for more effective defense of the capital and the security of its inhabitants.”
In the latest order, citizens are prohibited from all movement of vehicles except for those with special passes.
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4 more countries ban Russian airlines from their airspace
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
Estonia, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia will ban Russian airlines from their airspace, the countries announced Saturday.
“We invite all EU countries to do the same. There is no place for planes of the aggressor state in democratic skies. #StandWithUkraine,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted Saturday.
Latvia made the decision to close its airspace such a decision in coordination with its neighbors Lithuania and Estonia, the government said Saturday in a statement.
“Lithuania is joining Latvia and Estonia in banning Russian aircraft from its airspace”, Lithuanian Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said Saturday.
The UK, Poland, Moldova and the Czech Republic all previously closed their airspace to Russian airlines following its attack on Ukraine.
US official: Putin has more than 50% "of his total assembled power" inside Ukraine
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
Russian President Vladimir Putin has more than 50% “of his total assembled power now committed inside Ukraine,” a senior US defense official told reporters Saturday.
The official said the 50% consists of “largely combat power.”
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Anonymous claims responsibility for "ongoing" hacking of Russian government sites
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio and Mia Alberti
Some Russian government websites continued to be down on Saturday, as the country’s invasion of Ukraine is in its third day.
The websites that are dark notably include the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defence.
The exact reasons for the outages are not immediately clear, but the international hacking group Anonymous has claimed that it is attacking the sites.
On Friday, the same Russian websites appeared offline for a while, but the Kremlin denied it was being attacked by Anonymous, according to state media. It’s the third day in a row Russian websites have been inaccessible, at least for some period of time.
Anonymous said it is also working “to keep the Ukrainian people online as best we can.”
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UK cancels visas of Belarus basketball team over Minsk's involvement in Ukraine invasion
From CNN's Lindsay Isaac
The United Kingdom has canceled the visas of a Belarusian basketball team due to Minsk’s backing of Moscow in invading Ukraine.
The team was scheduled to play in Newcastle in northern England on Sunday.
“The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine,” British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted Saturday.
More on this: A number of sporting groups have spoken out over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Poland has refused to play in next month’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the President of the Polish Football Association Cezary Kulesza said on Saturday. The football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic also issued a joint statement Thursday calling for the World Cup qualifiers not to be played in Russia.
Following his semifinal win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday, Russian professional tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “no war please” on a camera lens.
The NBA’s lone Ukrainian players, Alex Len and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, issued a joint statement condemning the war on Thursday as well.
CNN’s Jacob Lev, David Close and Aleks Klosok contributed reporting to this post.
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UK forces have arrived in eastern Europe to reinforce NATO's eastern front, Ministry of Defence says
From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau in London
Royal Navy ships, British Army troops and Royal Air Force fighters have been deployed in eastern Europe to bolster NATO’s eastern front, according to a statement from the UK’s Ministry of Defence on Saturday.
“HMS Trent is in the eastern Mediterranean, conducting NATO exercises with Merlin Helicopters and RAF P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft,” the statement said. HMS Diamond, a destroyer, will join from Portsmouth.
Tanks and armored vehicles “have arrived in Estonia from Germany, with further equipment and around 1000 troops arriving over the coming days,” the ministry added.
The statement added that Typhoon fighter jets “flying from bases in Cyprus and the UK are now patrolling NATO airspace over Romania and Poland alongside NATO allies with Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft in support.”
“Alongside our NATO Allies, these deployments constitute a credible deterrent to stop Russian aggression threatening the territorial sovereignty of member states,” Wallace added.
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$350 million in US military assistance will include "anti-armor and anti-aircraft systems," official says
From CNN's Arlette Saenz
A official from US President Joe Biden’s administration says the newly authorized military assistance of up to $350 million from US Department of Defense supplies will include “anti-armor and anti-aircraft systems, small arms and various caliber munitions, body armor, and related equipment in support of Ukraine’s front-line defenders facing down Russia’s unprovoked attack.”
“The United States and its Allies and partners are standing together to expedite security assistance to Ukraine,” the official said. “We are employing all available security cooperation tools in support of the Ukrainian people in their hour of need as they defend themselves against Russian aggression.”
More background: As CNN has reported, President Biden instructed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to release up to $350 million in immediate support to Ukraine’s defense, according to a memo released by the White House Friday.
This is the third drawdown of money. Previous drawdowns have been for $60 million and $250 million, putting the total over the last year at more than a billion dollars, according to an administration official.
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US lobbyists rush to cut ties with lucrative Russian contracts
From CNN's Casey Tolan, Curt Devine and Daniel A. Medina
In the years leading up to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, US lobbyists have raked in millions of dollars from Russian banks and financial firms paying to push their interests in Washington.
Now, in the wake of the Russian invasion and new sanctions announced by President Joe Biden, many of those lobbying firms are rushing to cut ties and drop their lucrative contracts.
At least six lobbying firms that previously represented now-sanctioned Russian banks and companies tied to a Russian natural gas pipeline terminated their contracts or representation this week, according to statements and federal lobbying disclosures.
The exodus marks the rupture of a Moscow-to-K-Street conduit that has long employed former federal officials and members of Congress of both parties, experts said.
Some of the banks Biden targeted with sanctions, including VTB, Russia’s second-largest, were put under “full blocking” sanctions, which freeze organizations’ US assets and prohibit them from doing business in the country. That means it would be illegal for lobbyists to work for them unless they receive a license from the Treasury Department, according to legal experts.
Dropping contracts with fully blocked banks “is not a gesture in solidarity with Ukraine, this is a requirement under US law,” said Erich Ferrari, an attorney who specializes in US economic sanctions. Lobbyists could face prosecution for running afoul of sanctions laws, he said.
But even for lobbyists representing firms that aren’t fully blocked, it would be a “real reputational risk for these firms to keep representing these sanctioned entities,” said Freeman, who called ties to Russia a “scarlet letter” in DC.
Landmarks around the world glow blue and yellow in support of Ukraine
As Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, a number of the world’s most iconic landmarks were lit up in blue and yellow — the colors of the Ukrainian flag — to show support for the country.
Here’s a look at some of them:
The Empire State Building in New York City
The Empire State Building is lit in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in New York City, on February 25.
(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
The London Eye
The London Eye joins landmarks around the world in lighting in unity with the people of the Ukraine, on February 25.
(Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
The flag of Ukraine is projected on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on February 23.
(Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Eiffel Tower in Paris
The Eiffel Tower is illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in Paris, on February 26.
(Raphael Krawzyk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Kremlin says Putin ordered halt to Russian attack due to talk of negotiations, but operations have resumed
From CNN's Nathan Hodge in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a halt Friday to the Russian military’s advance in Ukraine pending negotiations, but operations resumed after the government in Kyiv allegedly refused talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours of Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
“Yesterday, in the light of pending talks with the Ukrainian leadership, the commander-in-chief, the president of Russia, ordered a suspension of the advance of the main group of Russian armed forces in Ukraine,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
He continued:
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UAE foreign ministry calls for de-escalation in first official statement on Ukraine
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for an “immediate de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine, according to a statement on Saturday.
This is the first official statement by the Gulf nation and close US ally, and it comes hours after the UAE, along with China and India, chose to abstain on a vote on a draft United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement published by the UAE’s Permanent Mission at the UN and titled “UAE explanation of vote at the UN Security Council,” the Emirati permanent representative Amb. Lana Nusseibeh said that the UAE supports the de-escalation of violence, the resumption of dialogue and the sending of humanitarian aid.
The foreign ministry did not mention Russia in the statement, instead calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, and focused on emphasizing the need to protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance.
The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed will be meeting Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a visit to Moscow on Monday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, according to a tweet by the Russian MFA.
The Emirati top diplomat also received a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to the Security Council vote, where Blinken spoke about the “importance of building a strong international response to support Ukrainian sovereignty through the UN Security Council.” The Emirati readout of the call was issued after the vote and did not include Blinken’s statement.
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Italy backs SWIFT sanctions against Russia as part of EU measures
From Hada Messia in Rome and Sharon Braithwaite and Lindsay Isaac in London
Italy has signaled that it would support taking measures to expel Russia from the SWIFT global payment system as part of further European Union sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine, Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s press office said on Saturday.
During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Draghi said that “Italy fully supports the European Union’s line on sanctions against Russia, including those regarding SWIFT, and shall continue to do so,” the prime minister’s press office said.
Draghi expressed to Zelensky Italy’s solidarity and support for him and the Ukrainian population “in the face of the attack by the Russian Federation.”
Draghi also said Italy will provide Ukraine with assistance to defend itself, according to his office, and the two leaders agreed to remain in close contact in the immediate future.
More background: The bloc has been divided over the issue of banning Russia from SWIFT as part of the two packages of sanctions it has agreed since the invasion of Ukraine began. However, the opposition has been dropping off with France also saying it would “support” the idea of SWIFT restrictions, according to the Élysée, following a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky. On Friday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that France is not among the countries that has reservations regarding SWIFT sanctions.
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Hungary will not block sanctions against Russia, including on SWIFT, foreign minister says
From CNN's Chris Liakos and Sharon Braithwaite
Hungary will not block any sanctions against Russia, including on the global SWIFT payment system, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Saturday in a statement.
Szijjártó responded to recent claims that Hungary would oppose sanctions against the Kremlin over the invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union announced new sanctions against Russia on Friday.
The bloc has adopted the “strongest” package of sanctions ever against Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine, EU Commission deputy chief spokeswoman Dana Spinant tweeted Saturday.
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Debunking fake videos of the war in Ukraine
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam
The way the conflict in Ukraine has unfolded across social media has made it hard for many people to figure out what’s real and what’s not. Cell phone videos from locals have circulated on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, but some of the videos alleging to depict the situation on the ground in Ukraine have turned out to be fake.
Many showcase old footage from elsewhere instead, while some even used scenes from video games.
To combat misinformation around Ukraine, Facebook set up a “Special Operations Center” Thursday afternoon to respond to war-related activity and “remove content that violates our Community Standards faster,” while Twitter shared tips for using its platform in conflict zones.
Texas A&M University professor Jennifer Mercieca, whose research focuses on propaganda and political rhetoric, said it’s not a surprise that a conflict involving Russia includes what she calls “information warfare.”
While information warfare is not new, according to Mercieca, the extent to which misinformation currently is being spread is a consequence of the sheer volume of information about the situation in Ukraine available across different forms of media.
100,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived since start of Russian invasion, says Polish Border Guard
From CNN’s Antonia Mortensen
A Polish border guard assists Ukrainian refugees as they arrive to Poland, on February 26.
(Czarek Sokolowski/AP)
Around 100,000 people have entered Poland from Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country on Thursday, a Polish border guard said Saturday.
“Yesterday was a record day, Border Guard officers cleared over 47,000 people in the direction to Poland. We will help everyone, we will not leave anyone without help. Once again, all Polish services are working together,” a tweet attributed to the guard’s Commander-in-Chief read.
The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly Clements, told CNN Saturday that more than 120,000 people had left Ukraine while 850,000 were internally displaced. She added up to 4 million Ukrainians could leave if the situation worsened.
The Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Michał Dworczyk, said a train had been converted to aid people fleeing the war, and tweeted a photo of himself at the station.
The train will run from the station in Przemysl, Poland to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
“We are next to the train which will perform 2 functions. 5 wagons were converted for sanitary transport and possible injured. 4 wagons are filled with humanitarian aid, which will be transferred to the Lviv region today,” Dworczyk said.
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls for end to Russian involvement in SWIFT
From CNN's Allegra Goodwin in London
British prime minister Boris Johnson speaks from 10 Downing Street, in London, on February 24.
(Jeff J Mitchell/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
British prime minister Boris Johnson has called for an end to Russia’s involvement in SWIFT, the secure messaging service that facilitates payments among 11,000 financial institutions in 200 countries, in an act of support towards Ukraine.
The European Union is divided over Ukraine’s appeal for Russia to be banned from the service.
In a video message to Ukrainians earlier on Saturday, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the majority of EU members now supported imposing the new sanction, but called on Germany and Hungary to do the same.
Ukraine appealed for Russia to be removed from SWIFT after President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on Thursday. The call from Kyiv was backed by Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and the United Kingdom but other European countries resisted.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has come under fire for not supporting the move, which the government said would require careful preparation.
Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it much harder for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.
However, senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if that happened.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday he has authorized $350 million in new US military assistance to Ukraine.
“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,” he added.
As CNN has reported, President Joe Biden instructed Blinken to release up to $350 million in immediate support to Ukraine’s defense, according to a memo released by the White House Friday.
This is the third drawdown of money. Previous drawdowns have been for $60 million and $250 million, putting the total over the last year at more than a billion dollars, according to an administration official.
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Russia defense ministry denies its missile struck Kyiv residential building, state news agencies say
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge in Moscow
A residential building was struck by a missile or rocket fire in Kyiv, on February 26.
(Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied reports that one of its missiles struck a residential building in Kyiv, claiming the damage was caused by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft projectile, Russian state news agencies reported on Saturday, citing a source at the ministry.
“The information disseminated on social networks about a Russian missile attack on a residential building on Lobanovsky Avenue in Kyiv is not true,” the defense ministry source said, according to TASS and RIA Novosti. “The nature of the damage to the house indicates that an anti-aircraft missile hit it. This is clearly visible on the video.”
“Obviously, in the course of repelling a night rocket attack on military infrastructure … of Ukraine, a failure occurred in the missile guidance system of the Ukrainian Buk-M1 medium-range air defense system, and the missile hit the corner of a residential building,” the source added, according to TASS and RIA Novosti.
CNN has reached out independently to the Russian Ministry of Defense for a response but has yet to hear back.
Images and video from the scene showed a large impact some 10 floors up in the building, with the cause of the strike unclear and the extent of casualties unknown. Several apartment units were blown out entirely, their outer walls and windows missing, leaving a gaping hole visible in the building’s side, as residents were evacuated.
Here’s the location of the building:
More context: Social media videos, photos and satellite images analyzed and geolocated by CNN confirm that on several occasions densely populated areas have been hit by Russian forces. CNN is reaching out to the Russian government for comment.
Amnesty International, in a press release on Friday, accused Russian forces of “indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals,” citing three examples, including an attack on Thursday near a hospital building in Vuhledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. That attack killed four civilians and wounded ten more, Amnesty reported.
Russia bans flights from Bulgarian, Polish and Czech carriers
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
The Russian Civil Aviation authority has closed off its airspace to flights from carriers or aircraft registered in Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
“This decision was made in accordance with the norms of international law as a response to the ban on all civil flights of aircraft operated by Russian air carriers and/or registered in Russia to/from the territory of these states,” the Russian Civil Aviation authority said in a statement on Saturday.
On Friday, Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport, Rosaviatsia, imposed a ban on UK registered flights or flights of aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with the UK from transiting through the country’s airspace. The ban was in response to the UK prohibiting civilian Russian aircraft from its airspace.
Travel affected: Meanwhile, Ukraine’s airspace is currently closed in the wake of the Russian invasion. Its neighbor Moldova has also closed its airspace, as has part of Belarus. Furthermore, the US government’s Federal Aviation Administration has told US pilots to avoid “the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia.”
Japanese-owned cargo ship hit by a missile off Ukrainian coast
From CNN’s Lizzy Yee and Emi Jozuka
A Japanese-owned cargo ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea on Friday, lightly injuring one crew member, an official from a Japanese marine transportation firm said Saturday.
The official added that there were 20 crew members on board.
According to a statement released on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Facebook page on Saturday, preliminary reports indicate the missile was fired by Russian forces and hit the stern of “Namura Queen” cargo ship on Friday.
“The tugboat ‘P&O STAR’ has come to the rescue. The situation is under control,” the post said. It added that the ship was sailing under the Panamanian flag, and heading to Pivdennyy port.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported Saturday that the “Namura Queen” crew are all safe. According to a website that tracks ships’ positions, the vessel is currently en route to Istanbul, Turkey.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also reported that a different ship was shelled by a Russian warship on Friday. The vessel, “Millenial Spirit,” was sailing under the Moldovan flag, and carried 600 tons of fuel oil and diesel onboard when it was struck. Two crew members were seriously injured as a result, according to the ministry.
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If you're just waking up on Saturday, here's what you need to know
Ukrainian service members collect unexploded shells after fighting with advancing Russian troops in Kyiv, early Saturday morning on February 26.
(Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
The streets of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv became a battle zone on Saturday, but President Volodymyr Zelensky told citizens in a video message that the country had “withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks,” with Kyiv still under Ukrainian control.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
Presidential appeal: Zelensky also appealed to Ukrainians to resist the invasion, and called for those living abroad to return and defend the country. He also welcomed volunteers from abroad, saying, “we will give you weapons.”
Fighting on the streets: Early Saturday, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry warned active fighting was taking place and urged residents to stay calm, hide indoors, take cover and head to the nearest shelter if they hear air raid sirens. The mayor of Kyiv has imposed an overnight curfew from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., until February 28.
Apartment building struck: A residential building was hit by a missile or rocket early Saturday as many in the city slept, with images and video showing extensive damage to apartments, with outer walls torn away completely. The cause of the strike and extent of casualties is not yet known.
Ukrainians flee: More than 120,000 Ukrainians have already left while 850,000 are internally displaced, according to the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees. She said up to 4 million Ukrainians could flee if the situation continued to deteriorate, and that there were queues at a number of border crossings,
International step-up: The US offered to evacuate President Zelensky from Kyiv, but he refused saying, “I need ammunition, not a ride.” He also called on Hungary and Germany to support blocking Russia from the international payments system SWIFT, a strong sanction he said was now supported by most EU states.
Strategic link shelled: The sound of shelling impacts hit around the city of Kherson, Ukraine, north of the Crimean peninsula, on Saturday morning. The bridge connecting Russian-held areas to Ukraine was later blanketed in smoke, through which a CNN team saw apparent armored vehicles moving toward Ukraine.
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Sanctions against us "will change nothing," says former Russian president
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Moscow
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks at a meeting in Moscow, on February 22.
(Yekaterina Shtukina/Sputnik/Government Pool Photo/AP)
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has lashed out at Western sanctions imposed on Russia – of which he is also a target – saying they are a sign of “political impotence.”
“The reason for the sanctions is this. It is political impotence arising from inability to change Russia’s course. Also, a hope to make up for the shameful decisions like the cowardly flight from Afghanistan.”
Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the Security Council, added: “These amazing prohibitions will change nothing, of course. Even the ignorant people at the State Department know this.”
The ex-president went on to compare the incursion into Ukraine, with Russia’s military operation in Georgia in 2008.
“[The military operation] will be conducted in full, until all the objectives the president of Russia has set out are achieved, no more and no less. As it was in a similar situation in 2008,” he said.
He argued that this move by Western nations would further increase the support the Russian government currently has.
Medvedev also threatened to nationalize assets that foreign companies held inside Russia, and said sanctions gave Russia a “good reason” to review its diplomatic relations with the countries who are imposing them.
“Diplomatic relations are not that necessary, either,” he wrote. “Time to put a padlock on embassies and confine contacts to gazing at one another through binoculars and rifle scopes.”
Russia’s invasion has been followed by sweeping sanctions by Western nations, designed to damage Russia’s economy and turn President Vladimir Putin into an international “pariah.”
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Officials are trying to stabilize Kyiv residential block struck by missile or rocket overnight
Medics gather near a residential apartment block which was struck by a missile or rocket fire in Kyiv, on February 26.
(Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
A tall residential building in Kyiv was struck by a missile or rocket fire on Saturday morning. Images from the scene showed a large impact some 10 floors up.
CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward has visited the scene, which is quite near to one of the capital’s airports. Smoke could still be seen billowing from the building with the streets and air below littered with debris.
“There are ambulance workers on the scene. And what they’re doing now is trying to take some scaffolding up there to try to prevent the 22nd and 23rd floors from collapsing,” Ward reports, adding that miraculously no one was actually killed in the incident.
“We’re hearing from Ukrainian authorities that six people were wounded,” she adds. “They’re being treated in various hospitals.”
It was unclear who bears responsibility for the damage at this point, Ward reported.
“Ukrainian authorities saying that this was the work of a Russian missile. And the Russians are saying … that they believe this was actually a Ukrainian missile defense system that somehow went awry and ended up hitting this apartment building.”
She continued: “Now, whoever was responsible, and however this happened, the reality is this is the sort of thing that does happen when you have a war playing out in a major metropolis like Kyiv.
“This is a city of nearly 2.9 million people and we’re in a pretty central area here. This isn’t on the far outskirts of town. You can just imagine how terrifying it was for the people who were sleeping, or just waking up, having their breakfast with their families on a Saturday morning, already terrified about the situation, only to find their building hit in this attack.”
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Bulk of Russian forces just 18 miles from Kyiv, according to UK intelligence
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
The bulk of Russian forces are now only 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv, the British Ministry of Defence said Saturday.
It also warned Russia that casualties are “likely to be heavy and greater than anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin.”
According to the latest intelligence update from the ministry, “Russia has yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force.”
It said that “Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to put up staunch resistance across the country.”
Defiant president: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told citizens the capital Kyiv was still under their control and “fighting continues,” in his latest video message on Saturday.
Earlier, explosions in Ukraine were heard as the country’s Interior Ministry warned of “active fighting” in the capital.
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Poland refuses to play Russia in next month's 2022 World Cup qualifier over Ukraine
From CNN's Lindsay Isaac
Robert Lewandowski (L) and his Poland team mates pictured during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar qualifying match between Poland and Andorra on March 28, 2021 in Warsaw, Poland.
Poland has refused to play in next month’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the President of the Polish Football Association Cezary Kulesza said on Saturday.
“No more words, time to act! Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia,” he wrote on Twitter.
Polish forward Robert Lewandowski backed up the decision, tweeting: “It is the right decision! I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”
Separately, in a statement, the Polish Football team said: “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the Polish Football Association, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do not intend to play in the play-off match against Russia It is not an easy decision, but there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation and our friend from the national team, Tomasz Kedziora, who is still in Kiev with his family.”
The statement signed off with hashtags: #SolidarnizUkraina (in solidarity with Ukraine) and #NoWar Please.
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Kyiv mayor orders curfew starting Saturday evening
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, is imposing a curfew from Saturday evening that will run from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. “for more effective defense of the capital and the security of its inhabitants.”
The curfew will continue until the morning of February 28.
“All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered as members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
“Please treat the situation with understanding and do not go outside.”
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Israeli embassy staff in Lviv to move to Polish side of border
From CNN's Hadas Gold in Jerusalem
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid holds a press conference at the Foreign Ministry on February 24 in Jerusalem, Israel.
(Israeli Government Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has instructed staff at the Israeli embassy in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to move to the Polish side of the border.
The embassy staff will cross the border into Ukraine every day to continue their diplomatic work and help Israeli citizens leave Ukraine, according to Lapid on Saturday.
The decision was made after assessing various aspects including the situation on the ground, the security of the emissaries of the State of Israel and the continuation of service to Israeli citizens.
Earlier this week Israeli diplomats had relocated from Kyiv to Lviv.
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Ukraine has withstood and repelled attacks, Zelensky says
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a video message to the people of Ukraine on February 26.
(President of Ukraine)
In his latest video message on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians: “We have withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks. Fighting continues in different cities and regions of our country.”
Zelensky said the capital Kyiv and key towns around it were still under the control of the army.
He said Russia had hit residential areas using rockets, adding: “The destruction by missiles and artillery of residential buildings is the ultimate argument for the world to be by our side in stopping the occupiers’ invasion.”
Zelensky said Ukraine now had “almost full support of the members of the EU to exclude Russia from SWIFT” – the international payments system that has been at the heart of a debate about sanctions against Russia. “I hope that Germany and Hungary will have enough courage to support this decision,” he said.
He also said Ukraine has earned its membership in the European Union. “Now the decisive moment has come to end the many years of discussions” about Ukraine joining the bloc.
He again appealed to Ukrainians to resist the Russian invasion.
He also appealed to volunteers from abroad. “All the friends who want to join us – please come, we will give you weapons.”
Switching to Russian, Zelensky then spoke again directly to Russians.
He thanked Dmitry Muratov, the head of independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, and others in Russia for their anti-war activism, and said: “Russians are being sent to die in the thousands and to kill.”
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France seizes Russian-flagged cargo ship over suspected sanctions breach
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris
French authorities seized a Russian-flagged commercial ship Saturday in the English Channel, a spokesperson for the French Channel Prefecture told CNN.
The Russian-flagged “Baltic Leader” – a commercial vessel carrying cars – was stopped by French officials in the Channel and re-routed to the port of Boulogne, the spokesperson said.
Customs officials have begun inspections of the vessel, which is suspected of belonging to a company targeted by European sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the spokesperson said. An investigation by French customs has been opened.
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Russia's media watchdog threatens outlets over Ukraine coverage
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge in Moscow
Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor has warned 10 local news outlets that it will restrict access to their publications unless they stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an “attack, invasion or declaration of war.”
In letters sent letters to these outlets, the watchdog said it complained about allegedly “false information” they published on the shelling of Ukrainian cities and the death of civilians caused by the Russian armed forces.
The outlets notified are: Echo of Moscow, InoSMI, Mediazona, New Times, TV Rain, Svobodnaya Pressa, Krym.Realii, Novaya Gazeta, Zhurnalist and Lenizdat.
Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace prize in 2021. Some of these outlets have been designated by Russian authorities as foreign agents.
“Unless the above inaccurate information is removed, access to these sources will be restricted,” the watchdog said in a statement on Saturday, announcing an investigation into the media outlets.
“Roskomnadzor strongly recommends that the editorial offices of the media, prior to the publication (broadcast) of materials in accordance with Article 49 of the Mass Media Law, establish their authenticity,” the watchdog said. “We emphasize that accurate and verified information is available from official Russian information sources.”
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Several security checkpoints are being set up around Lviv
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Journalists Sofiya Harbuziuk in Lviv and Petro Zadorozhnyy in Lviv
Several security checkpoints were set up around Lviv in western Ukraine on Saturday, CNN teams on the ground have witnessed.
The city’s mayor confirmed the checkpoints in a statement on Saturday.
“Checkpoints are being set up in Lviv and the region. They will be placed on all entrances and exits to the Lviv Territorial community for checking all people entering the territory,” Andriy Sadovyi said, according to the statement.
“Checkpoints are placed in cooperation with police and territorial defense forces to ensure the safety of Lviv,” the statement added.
Some of those checkpoints are still being established on the main roads leading to the city.
Separately, sirens went off multiple times in the city as local authorities in Lviv continue urging residents to take cover and go to nearby bomb shelters.
Lviv is the city to which some diplomats relocated from Kyiv, the capital, earlier this month.
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No Russian casualties from Ukraine invasion reported by Russia's Ministry of Defense
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge in Moscow
The Russian Defense Ministry has not reported a single combat casualty from the military conflict in Ukraine, a CNN review of their news releases shows.
In its latest update to the media on Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense only lists losses of military equipment on the Ukrainian side, as a result of what it calls a “special military operation.” On Friday, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said there were no casualties on the Russian side, in a statement regarding an operation to take an airfield on the outskirts of Kyiv.
On the opposing side, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that the country’s forces have killed “hundreds” of Russian soldiers, without providing an exact figure. Ukrainian officials have acknowledged casualties on their side.
On Friday morning, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia had lost more than 450 personnel.
CNN has been unable to independently verify these figures, but videos have surfaced on social media purporting to be showing Russian casualties.
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UN says more than 120,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled since Thursday
From CNN's Jennifer Hauser and Jeevan Ravindran
A woman and her son look out from a train leaving Kyiv station en route to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on February 25.
(Umit Bektas/Reuters)
The United Nations’ Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly Clements, told CNN that up to 4 million people could try to cross borders as the crisis in Ukraine continues.
Speaking to CNN’s Michael Holmes on Saturday morning from the Swiss capital Geneva, Clements said people were having to make “life or death decisions,” with 850,000 people internally displaced while over 120,000 people had fled Ukraine.
Clements said there were queues at a number of border crossings, and many Ukrainians were monitoring the situation. She added that “many more” would follow the “large number” of refugees who have already crossed into neighboring Moldova.
The latest estimate of displaced people is a huge increase from numbers cited by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Friday, when he said more than 50,000 people had fled Ukraine in the previous 48 hours.
Refugees from Ukraine arrive in Medyka, Poland, after crossing the border from Shehyni in Ukraine on February 25.
(Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty Images)
The Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, saying, “international humanitarian law demands it” and people’s lives were “quite literally being taken in this conflict.”
“So far those borders are open, and this is something that’s tremendously important in a dynamic situation like this,” Clements added.
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Zelensky refuses US offer to evacuate saying, "I need ammunition, not a ride"
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned down an offer from the United States of evacuation from the capital city Kyiv, the Ukraine embassy in Britain said Saturday on Twitter.
According to the embassy, Zelensky told the US: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.
“Ukrainians are proud of their President,” the tweet adds.
In a video posted Saturday morning on Twitter, Zelensky said, “we are not putting down arms.”
Zelensky remains a “prime target for Russian aggression,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday evening amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It echoed Zelensky’s own words that his intelligence said he has become a key target.
Zelensky said Thursday that “according to our information, the enemy marked me as target №1, my family - as target №2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. We have information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv.”
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Bridge connecting Russian-held areas to Ukraine enveloped in smoke
From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Kherson, Ukraine
The city of Kherson in southern Ukraine is the site of a key bridge that connects Russian-held areas to the country. A CNN crew witnessed intense shelling in the area on Saturday.
(CNN)
The sound of shelling impacts hit around the city of Kherson, Ukraine, north of the Crimean peninsula, from 8 a.m.
By 11 a.m. the bridge – which connects Russian-held areas to Ukraine – was blanketed in smoke from the grass around it that had caught fire.
Shelling continued back and forth, and a CNN team could see through the smoke apparent armored vehicles on the bridge moving towards the Ukrainian side. CNN was unable to confirm who they belong to.
Battle over strategic link: CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh has been reporting from the area.
On arriving to the southern Ukrainian city on Thursday night, he said Russian tanks were in the streets, with no rest overnight. Jets were flying low overhead, terrifying residents.
By Friday, Ukrainian forces had reclaimed the key crossing into the country but not without cost. One Ukrainian soldier told CNN the Russians were “not far away.” Civilians were seen picking through the wreckage on the bridge for ammunition, bodies of soldiers lying nearby.
“It shows you how many people are involved on a local level,” Paton Walsh reports. “They’re stopping everywhere to pick up whatever they can.”
Friday afternoon brought the noise of more rockets landing in the streets and by dusk it appeared the balance of power had changed once again. Shells landed around Ukrainian positions and seemingly near houses. It was followed by the sound of an attack helicopter. All acute violence that seemed to indicate the bridge had changed hands again and moments later local officials told CNN Kherson’s defenses had fallen.
This post has been updated.
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Russia says it's not hitting Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Evidence suggests otherwise
From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore and Katie Polglase in London
Firefighters extinguish a fire in a high-rise apartment block which was hit by recent shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 26.
(Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
On Friday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sought to reassure the world about civilian casualties a day after Moscow had ordered an invasion of Ukraine.
“Nobody is going to attack the people of Ukraine,” he said during a heated press conference, telling CNN that there were “no strikes on civilian infrastructure.”
However, reports about apartment buildings and kindergartens being shelled, civilians being killed, and rockets being found in residential streets have been trickling in since the beginning of the offensive.
Social media videos, photos and satellite images analyzed and geolocated by CNN confirm that on several occasions densely populated areas have been hit by Russian forces. CNN is reaching out to the Russian government for comment.
Amnesty International, in a press release on Friday, accused Russian forces of “indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals,” citing three examples, including an attack on Thursday near a hospital building in Vuhledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. That attack killed four civilians and wounded 10 more, Amnesty reported.
Since 2014, when the United States and its Western allies imposed sanctions on Moscow following the annexation of Crimea and the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, Russia’s president has been trying to build an economy capable of withstanding much tougher penalties.
The West this week kept some of its sanctions firepower in reserve after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Even so, the measures that were announced by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom will put Russia’s “fortress economy” to the test.
Fear of what sanctions might do sent Russian stocks crashing 33% on Thursday. They have since recovered some of those losses, but the ruble continues to trade near record lows against the dollar and the euro.
Russia’s $1.5 trillion economy is the world’s 11th biggest, just behind South Korea. Since 2014, its gross domestic product has barely grown and its people have gotten poorer. The value of the ruble has also tumbled, shrinking the value of the Russian economy by $800 billion.
Zelensky tweets it is time to decide on Ukraine's membership in the EU
From CNN's Eric Cheung in Taipei, Taiwan and Joseph Ataman in Paris
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the nation via his smartphone in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 26.
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it is now a “crucial moment” to decide on his country’s membership in the European Union, in a tweet on Saturday.
“It is a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine’s membership in the #EU. Discussed with @eucopresident further effective assistance and the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their free future,” a tweet on his verified Twitter page said.
Defiant words: Earlier Saturday as the battle for Kyiv continued, Zelensky took to the social media platform a number of times to post updates.
In one 40-second video titled “do not believe the fakes,” the president said: “I am here. We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this.
“That is it. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine,” he added.
In a separate tweet on Saturday morning, he also said: “A new day on the diplomatic frontline began with a conversation with @EmmanuelMacron. Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working!”
French support: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday warned that the war in Ukraine and the crisis around it “will last” as he predicted impacts on food markets.
“If I can tell you one thing this morning, it is that this war will last,” Macron told France’s annual agriculture fair.
“This crisis will last, this war will last and all the crises that come with it will have lasting consequences,” Macron added, warning: “We must be prepared.
“French and Europeans, we will be there,” he said, “to build short and medium-term responses to try and fully secure our energy.”
The president said that the crisis’ “impact on our lives” will also extend to the world of farmers and food, without providing further details.
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Kyiv resident shelters in her bathroom as fighting reaches capital's streets
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Kyiv
(Olga)
Olga lives in the Left Bank part of Kyiv, the area of the city that is to the east of Dnieper.
Her little son Vadim, a kindergartener, is sleeping in the bathroom these days, the safest place in the apartment.
“I sit next to him and caress him when he is not happy with something in his dream,” she said. “We are not going to the shelter, it does not guarantee 100% safety, and it can affect the psychology of a child. At home, he sleeps well, eats and thinks it’s all fun,” she said.
Olga described hearing many explosions between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Saturday morning that sounded like they were coming from the north.
“It’s calm now, she said on Saturday morning. “Finally, I can take a nap.”
Oleksandra Ochman contributed to this report.
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Russian defense ministry says it launched missiles overnight, but claims it didn't target residents
From CNN's Nathan Hodge in Moscow
An apartment building damaged by recent shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26.
(Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Russia’s defense ministry said Saturday it launched cruise missile strikes overnight against targets in Ukraine — but claimed it exclusively targeted military infrastructure, as videos emerged of a residential high-rise near Kyiv that was struck by a missile or rocket fire.
Scenes on the ground: CNN and other international news outlets have seen and documented damage to civilian infrastructure around Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Images on Saturday morning showed severe damage to the outside of an apartment building in western Kyiv, with the outer walls blown out entirely for several apartment units. Emergency workers are on the scene, helping to evacuate residents. The extent of casualties is not yet clear.
The Russian ministry statement also claimed units of the Russian armed forces had taken control over the city of Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine. CNN on Thursday verified and geolocated footage circulating on social media of a massive explosion at Melitopol Airport.
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As fighting intensifies in Kyiv, Chinese diplomat says national sovereignty "applies to the Ukraine issue"
As fighting in Kyiv intensified on Saturday, a top Chinese diplomat defended China’s long-held position on protecting national sovereignty – adding that it “applies equally to the Ukraine issue.”
Liu previously served as the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The UN Security Council vote: Liu’s comments are especially striking as China had been one of the three countries that abstained from voting for a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, at a Friday night meeting.
India and the UAE also abstained from voting, while Russia used its veto power as a permanent seat on the council to block the measure. After the vote, 50 countries released a joint statement accusing Russia of abusing its veto power.
China’s position on Ukraine: Over the last few days, as other countries moved to punish Russia and President Vladimir Putin, China has avoided condemning the invasion, instead calling for peace and diplomacy – and pointing the finger at the US instead for “fueling fires.”
Any action from the Security Council “should be truly conducive to defusing the crisis, rather than adding fuel to fire,” said China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun on Friday.
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How Zelenksy went from an actor playing President on TV to becoming a defiant wartime leader
From CNN's Joshua Berlinger
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a video address in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 25.
(ABACA/Reuters)
Volodymyr Zelensky approached a lectern under bright lights, preparing to deliver a message to the Ukrainian people.
“Today I will start with long-awaited words, which I wish to announce with pride,” he said.
“Finally,” he continued. “Ukraine is United … This is our victory.”
The speech was fiction: It is from the closing scene of “Servant of the People,” a satirical TV show about a down-on-his-luck high-school teacher, played by Zelensky, who is thrust into the Ukrainian presidency after his rant about corruption goes viral.
The series didn’t just make Zelensky a star. It eventually served as the springboard for his real-life presidential campaign. In April 2019, within a month of the show’s finale, the comedian-turned politician was elected Ukraine’s President.
Zelensky again found himself in front of a lectern Friday, but the picture he outlined in the show’s final moments has never felt further away as Russia’s war of aggression moved closer to the capital.
The battle for Kyiv continued to rage Friday. Explosions lit up the sky as the Kremlin targeted the city with missile strikes before dawn, forcing people into air raid shelters.
In his Friday morning televised address, the Ukrainian President struck a defiant tone and praised the country’s armed forces for “brilliantly defending the country.”
Images emerge of residents being evacuated from damaged apartment building
Residents being evacuated from damaged apartment building in Kyiv on February 26.
(Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine)
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has released images of the apartment building in Kyiv that was damaged early Saturday, which show emergency workers helping evacuate residents.
The photos show several apartment units blown out entirely, their outer walls and windows missing – a gaping hole in the building’s side.
The sidewalk below the building is littered with debris. Some windows on the bottom few floors appear smashed, with similar damage on adjacent low rooftops.
One photo shows two emergency responders carrying a woman away from the scene, with other workers running in the background.
Damage to an apartment building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 26.
(Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine)
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It's Day 3 of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. Here's the latest
War arrived on the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday, as the country’smilitary battled to hold back advancing Russian troops in multiple locations, forcing residents to seek shelter amid the sound of explosions and gunfire.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
Apartment building struck: A residential building was hit by a missile or rocket early Saturday as many in the city slept, with images and video showing extensive damage to apartments some tens floors up, with outer walls torn away completely. The cause of the strike and extent of casualties is not yet known.
Fighting on the streets: Early Saturday, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry warned on Facebook that “Active fighting is taking place on the streets of our city.” It urged residents to stay calm, hide indoors, take cover — and head to the nearest shelter immediately if they hear air raid sirens.
Overnight battles: Explosions in and around the capital were seen and heard from 2 to 4 a.m., with a brief lull before gunshots were heard before dawn. It’s the first time blasts have been reported inside the city proper, after days of heavy fighting on the outskirts. The Ukrainian military attributed some of the early morning explosions to to the destruction of a Russian tank.
Residents take up arms: Ukrainians have been preparing to defend their capital in recent days, with officials arming reservists and Ukrainian TV broadcasting instructions for making Molotov cocktails. Even members of parliament told CNN they have picked up guns and learned to shoot in preparation of battle.
President defiant: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to defend his country in a video filmed Friday night while standing on a Kyiv street with other leaders of his administration. “We are all here defending our independence,” he said. “Glory to Ukraine!”
Conflict elsewhere: The mayor of the town of Vasilkiv, some 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) south of Kyiv, said early on Saturday that fierce fighting in the town had led to losses on the Ukrainian side.
Ukrainians flee the war: Many Kyiv residents had left by Friday, leaving quiet the roads heading west of the capital that had been busy on Thursday. More than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have left the country in less than 48 hours, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who said the majority have gone to Poland and Moldova.
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Kyiv residents go underground as Russian troops advance and escape routes dwindle
From CNN's Ivana Kottasova in Kyiv
A person looks out of a building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday February 26.
Umit Bektas/Reuters
The residents of Kyiv lived through yet another terrifying night as Russian forces entered the city limits.
While the previous two nights were marked by the sounds of sporadic explosions coming from further away, Friday night was different.
There were bursts of small arms fire, orange lines of fire going up into the sky. Gunfire could be heard near the city center. At dawn, a fire broke in western Kyiv after an apartment building was struck by missile or rocket
The city remained dark with curtains drawn and lights off, an attempt to become invisible to the enemy.
As the sun rose, Ukrainian Interior Ministry issued a warning to the people of Kyiv, saying active fighting was taking place on the streets of the capital city, although there was no sign of conflict yet in the city center.
Residents were told to stay indoors and away from the windows, an advice they followed diligently. There was not a soul in the streets around the city center as morning arrived, in contrast to the bustling streets just a few days ago. Many had spent the night in subway stations and underground garages, seeking safe havens from any potential explosions.
As Russian troops close in on the city, the opportunities to escape the violence are getting fewer and far between. On Friday night, the Ukrainian Railway Company put out several special evacuation trains to the west, saying women, children and those with limited mobility would be given priority.
The passengers were told not to be alarmed if the lights go off. “The less the train looks like a garland, the safer the journey,” the company said.
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Apartment building in Kyiv struck by missile or rocket overnight, casualties unknown
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
(From Telegram Nexta)
A residential building near Kyiv’s second airport was struck by a missile or rocket fire early Saturday, with images from the scene showing a large impact some ten floors up.
The outer walls of several apartment units appear blown out entirely, the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose. Smoke is still hanging in the air.
The cause of the strike is unclear.
Emergency services are at the scene, but the extent of casualties is unknown, said Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
In a tweet Saturday morning, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba shared a photo of the damaged building. “Kyiv, our splendid, peaceful city, survived another night under attacks by Russian ground forces, missiles,” he wrote. “I demand the world: fully isolate Russia, expel ambassadors, oil embargo, ruin its economy. Stop Russian war criminals!”
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Zelensky: "We are not putting down arms"
(Office of the President of Ukraine)
In a new video posted to Twitter on Saturday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied any reports of Ukraine laying down its arms, in a post titled “Do not believe the fakes.”
In a separate tweet that morning, he added that he had just spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron. “Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine,” he wrote. “The anti-war coalition is working!”
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Ukrainian presidential adviser says situation is "under control" in suburbs and outskirts of Kyiv
Myhailo Podoliak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said early Saturday that Russian forces had tried to “bring the maximum amount of equipment into the city of Kyiv.”
But, he said, “Currently, the situation in the suburbs and the surrounding area is under control.”
Speaking on Ukrainian television, he said there were “separate sabotage and reconnaissance groups” in the city, but that police and territorial self-defense units “are actively working against them.”
Battle in the city: Earlier Saturday, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry warned Kyiv residents that fighting was taking place on the streets, and urged civilians to seek shelter and stay indoors. Gunfire was heard near the city center before dawn, following several hours of loud explosions in and around the capital.
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Presidential adviser says Ukraine will set conditions in any negotiations with Ukraine
From Tim Lister in Kyiv
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a defiant message, two days after the Russian invasion began.
Back-and-forth on negotiations: A separate spokesperson for Zelensky, Sergii Nykyforov, said late Friday that Ukraine “has been and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace.”
His comments follow a Russian proposal to send representatives to the Belarusian capital of Minsk to talk with Kyiv. A Kremlin spokesperson said the Ukrainian side had countered with a proposal to meet in Warsaw, and then dropped contact — but Nykyforov denied any “claims that we have refused to negotiate.”
“We agreed to the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation,” Nykyforov said. “The sooner negotiations begin, the better the chances of resuming normal life.”
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Ukrainian Interior Ministry warns of "active fighting" in Kyiv
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has warned civilians in the capital Kyiv that fighting is taking place on the streets.
In a Facebook post Saturday, the ministry said:
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Biden instructs State Department to release up to $350 million in security assistance to Ukraine
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
United States President Joe Biden has instructed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to release up to $350 million in immediate support to Ukraine’s security and defense, according to a new memo released by the White House late Friday.
This is the third drawdown of money; previous orders have been for $60 million and $250 million, putting the total over the last year at over a billion dollars, according to an administration official.
The State Department is expected to issue its own statement with more details shortly.
This release comes after a 40-minute call between Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier Friday, during which they discussed “concrete defense assistance.”
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The sun is rising in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
(CNN)
Residents in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv are waking up to explosions and the sounds of war for the third morning, as the battle arrives in the city proper. Here’s the latest:
Explosions through the night: Blasts were reported inside the capital Saturday morning, after days of heavy fighting on the outskirts as Russian troops advanced on the city. Gunfire was also heard close to the city center.
Zelensky’s address: In a national address Friday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Ukrainians would stay and fight for their country, and accused Russia of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Peace talks: A spokesperson for Zelensky said the President accepted a Russian proposal to hold negotiations and that he is ready to talk about peace and a ceasefire.
UNSC meeting: On Friday, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained from voting. After the vote, 50 countries issued a joint statement saying Russia abused its power in blocking the resolution.
Sanctions pile up: The US and Canada announced sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday, joining the European Union and UK in doing so.
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Ukrainian military says it destroyed a Russian tank in western Kyiv
The Ukrainian military has given its first account of explosions that rocked western Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The Military Law Enforcement Service of Ukraine said that country’s the military “destroyed a column of equipment of the occupiers” in the Beresteiska district in Kyiv.
CNN has not been able to independently verify this account.
The United Kingdom supplied NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine in the weeks before Russia invaded.
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Gunfire in Kyiv after explosions throughout the night
Smoke and flames rise over during the shelling near Kyiv, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine February 26.
(Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Several bursts of gunfire were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, close to the city center around 5:45 a.m. local time Saturday (10:45 p.m. ET Friday). It appeared to come from the southeast.
It came after a quiet lull that lasted around 45 minutes — a break from the explosions seen and heard in and around Kyiv throughout the night.
Earlier Saturday between 2 to 4 a.m., CNN teams reported hearing loud explosions to the west and south of the city, with the sky lit up with a series of flashes. Shortly after, videos from eyewitnesses showed explosions to the city’s northwest.
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Ukrainian TV broadcasts instructions for how to make Molotov cocktails
As Ukrainian leaders urge residents to stand their ground and resist Russia’s invasion, one television channel broadcast instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails on Friday.
The TV segment showed a person creating the makeshift explosive, pouring colored liquid into a glass bottle, with a diagram on the side showing how to stopper the bottle with a cloth wick.
Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry tweeted that citizens should “make Molotov cocktails and take down the occupier,” as Russian forces drew closer to the capital Kyiv.
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Ukrainian MP: When the Russians come, "that's when you get a gun and you learn how to shoot it"
Kira Rudik, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, had been going about daily life just a few days ago, holding meetings and discussing legislation even as the threat of a Russian invasion loomed.
Rudik posted a photo of herself holding a gun on Twitter late Friday, captioned: “Our women will protect our soil the same way as our men.” The post has since circulated widely online, with more than 91,000 likes on Twitter.
“It was super unusual and super crazy for myself to understand and realize that I’m holding a gun and I’m ready to bear arms, and I’m ready to go and shoot other human beings,” Rudik said early Saturday. “And the reason for that change was because Russian soldiers are coming to Kyiv and Russian soldiers are trying to take what is actually not theirs.”
She and her family are now hiding in a bomb shelter as heavy fighting intensifies, with explosions heard and seen in the city in the early hours of Saturday.
But, she added, “We are actually fighting them very, very hard … (Putin) underestimated the readiness of our army, and he underestimated that on every step of the way of his soldiers, they were given really hard resistance.”
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See what parts of Ukraine Russian forces have occupied so far
From CNN's Renée Rigdon
Russian forces have taken control of portions of northern Ukraine outside the capital of Kyiv, including the Chernobyl exclusion zone, according to analysis from the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, DC.
They’ve also moved into the city of Kherson, north of the Crimean peninsula.
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"We are all here" Zelensky pledges to defend Ukraine in Facebook video from streets of Kyiv
(Office of the President of Ukraine)
“We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine.”
That was the title of a video posted on Facebook Friday night by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as he vowed to defend his country while standing on a Kyiv street with other leaders of his administration.
“Good evening everyone! Leader of the faction is here. Head of the president’s administration is here. Prime Minister (Denys) Shmyhal is here. (Adviser to the head of the President’s Office Mykhailo) Podoliak is here. The President is here,” said Zelensky, pointing to the various men around him as he spoke, ending with himself.
The rest of the group chimed in: “Glory to heroes!”
Zelensky’s post, which has since gone viral online has been widely shared across different social media platforms.
Also on Friday night, Zelensky released a formal national address, confirming that Russian forces were close to the capital, advancing from the north and the east. He added that he was still communicating with world leaders including US President Joe Biden.
“Our main goal is to finish this slaughter,” Zelensky said in the address. “Ukrainians resist the Russian aggression heroically.”
