Latest Russia-Ukraine updates: Tens of thousands flee their homes

• The UN refugee agency says an estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes.
• US President Joe Biden announces new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion, says Putin “chose” war.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin launches sweeping Ukraine invasion.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows to defend his nation, declares martial law.
• He calls on citizens to fight, says weapons will be issued to everyone who wants them.
• Kyiv reports dozens of casualties, including more than 40 troops and up to 10 civilians.
• Western powers condemn Moscow’s move, prepare economic sanctions.

The live blog is now closed; thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for February 24:

6 hours ago (21:50 GMT)

Republican senator criticises Biden for not sanctioning Putin

Key Republican Senator Lindsey Graham slammed Biden for not targeting Putin personally with sanctions.

“The Biden Administration continues to misread the moment,” Graham wrote in a series of tweets. “We should not be seeking permission from allies to go after Putin and his cronies. We should move ahead forcefully against Putin, a war criminal, and demand our allies join us!”

6 hours ago (21:33 GMT)

Blinken speaks with top diplomats of Turkey, Baltic states

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with the foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Turkey, the State Department said on Thursday.

“Secretary Blinken strongly condemned Russia’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine and emphasized the importance of Allied unity for the strong, swift response to Russia’s aggression,” the department said in a statement describing the talks with the diplomats from the Baltic states.

In a separate statement on Blinken’s call with Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu, the State Department said, “Blinken thanked Turkey for its strong and vocal support in defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

6 hours ago (21:13 GMT)

US House Speaker Pelosi: Response will be ‘devastating for Russia’

Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, said the response by the US and its allies to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine “will be severe, ongoing and devastating for Russia, economically, diplomatically, and strategically”.

Pelosi lauded the sanctions announced by Biden earlier on Thursday and said Washington and its partners are “united with unprecedented strength”.

“The United States Congress joins President Biden and all Americans in praying for the Ukrainian people,” she said in a statement.

Russia’s launch of a premeditated war against the sovereign nation of Ukraine is an attack on democracy and a violation of international law, global peace and security. Putin’s unprovoked actions will cause devastating loss of life and a diminishing of Russia in the world order.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 24, 2022

7 hours ago (20:57 GMT)

Russian forces have advanced closer to Kyiv: US defence official

Russian forces are making advances on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and Moscow has continued to flow forces into the country, a senior US defense official has said.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that so far Russia had fired more than 160 missiles at Ukrainian targets.

7 hours ago (20:53 GMT)

Russia wants to block Kyiv, create land corridor to Crimea and Transdniestria, Kyiv says

Ukraine’s military has said that Russian forces aim to block Kyiv while creating a land corridor on the southern coast towards the annexed Crimea peninsula and the Transdniestria region of Moldova.

Ukrainian forces have battled Russian invaders on three sides after Moscow mounted an assault by land, sea and air.

7 hours ago (20:32 GMT)

100,000 Ukrainians believed to be displaced

The UN refugee agency has said an estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes and that several thousand have crossed into neighbouring countries, mainly Romania and Moldova.

7 hours ago (20:30 GMT)

Ukraine foreign minister says US told him it plans to deliver defensive weapons

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that he has spoken to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told him about “plans to deliver new defensive weapons to help Ukraine defend itself”.

Kuleba made the remarks on Twitter, but did not give details. He added, “We need the world to help us”.

7 hours ago (20:28 GMT)

‘The whole of Europe is in major danger’: Former Zelenskyy adviser

Speaking to Al Jazeera on the nuclear issue, Igor Novikov, former advisor to Zelenskyy said: “We need help explaining the dangers to our friends in the West.

“I mean, Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors and nuclear waste in Chernobyl: one mortar miss, and everyone in Europe is facing a major nuclear catastrophe,” Novikov said.

“I’d ask everyone to speak with your political representatives, your friends and peers. Everyone should understand that it’s not only about Ukraine; the whole of Europe is in major danger.”

7 hours ago (20:24 GMT)

 EU agrees on new round of Russia sanctions

EU leaders have agreed to impose new sanctions on Russia’s financial, energy and transport sectors and impose export controls, as well as blacklisting more Russians.

“The European Council today agrees on further restrictive measures that will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action,” said a statement by the 27 national EU leaders meeting in Brussels.

“These sanctions cover the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors, dual-use goods as well as export controls and export financing, visa policy, additional listings of Russian individuals and new listing criteria,” the statement said.

7 hours ago (20:22 GMT)

Ukrainian forces recapture Hostomel Airfield

Ukrainian forces have recaptured Hostomel airfield, the adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office has said.

7 hours ago (20:18 GMT)

EU leaders agree to impose sanctions against Russia that will have ‘massive and severe consequences’

EU leaders have agreed to impose sanctions against Russia that will have “massive and severe consequences”.

7 hours ago (20:18 GMT)

Russian forces capture Zmiinyi Island in Black Sea

Ukraine national police has said Russian forces have captured Ukraine’s Zmiinyi Island located in the northwestern Black Sea.

8 hours ago (20:07 GMT)

France says Putin needs to understand NATO has nuclear weapons

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said that Putin, when making threats about using nuclear weapons, needs to understand that NATO, too, is a nuclear alliance.

Asked whether Putin’s threat of “such consequences that you have never encountered in your history” was tantamount to threatening to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, Le Drian said it was understood as such.

“Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance. That is all I will say about this,” Le Drian said on French television TF1.

8 hours ago (20:05 GMT)

US expelling Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat move: State Department

The US is expelling the No. 2 diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Washington in response to Russia’s recent expulsion of the US deputy chief of mission in Moscow, a senior State Department spokesperson has said.

“The US believes that it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments.  However, we will not let actions like these go without a response,” the spokesperson said.

8 hours ago (20:03 GMT)

Latvia’s PM says Putin and his regime need to be isolated from the world

Putin is fighting democracy with his decision to invade Ukraine, and the EU must take sanctions that isolate him for the rest of the world, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins has said.

“We need to say very clearly to Putin that this is by no means acceptable and the general direction is to isolate ever more Putin and his regime from the rest of the world through the various sanctions”, Karins told reporters before an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders.

“Putin is fighting against democracy… If he can attack Ukraine, theoretically it could be any other European country”, he added.

8 hours ago (20:00 GMT)

FAA expands area in Eastern Europe, Russia where US airlines cannot operate

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it is expanding the area in Eastern Europe and Russia where US airlines and US pilots cannot operate.

The US agency issued expanded notices barring operations that now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia. Prior to the new restrictions, the FAA prohibited operations in an eastern region of Ukraine. The restrictions do not apply to military operations.

8 hours ago (19:57 GMT)

IAEA says Ukraine power plants running safely, no destruction at Chernobyl

Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants are running safely and securely and there has been no “destruction” at the remaining waste and other facilities at Chernobyl, the UN nuclear watchdog has said, citing Ukraine’s nuclear regulator.

“Ukraine has informed the IAEA that ‘unidentified armed forces’ have taken control of all facilities of the State Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl NPP, located within the Exclusion Zone,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

“The counterpart added that there had been no casualties nor destruction at the industrial site.”

8 hours ago (19:54 GMT)

Ukraine requested urgent debate at Human Rights Council, UN says

Ukraine has requested an urgent debate be held at the UN Human Rights Council on the situation stemming from the “Russian aggression”, the United Nations has said.

“This is [a] response to the extremely grave deterioration in the human rights situation in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s hostilities on Ukrainian territory,” Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said in a letter sent to the president’s forum, posted in a tweet by its mission to the UN in Geneva.

The EU said in a separate tweet that it supported the move.

The Council president will meet and discuss the request with the 47-member body for its consideration, a UN statement said. A simple majority is needed to hold an urgent debate during its main annual month-long session opening on Monday.

8 hours ago (19:52 GMT)

Biden hits Russia with tough export curbs, slashing its access to global tech

The Biden administration has announced sweeping export restrictions against Russia, hammering its access to global exports of everything from commercial electronics and computers to semiconductors and aircraft parts.

The controls, announced by the Commerce Department rely on a dramatic expansion of the so-called Foreign Direct Product rule, forcing companies making high and low tech items overseas with US tools to seek a license from the US before shipping to Russia.

The rules also instruct the Commerce Department to deny almost all of those license requests.

8 hours ago (19:48 GMT)

Iran’s Raisi denounces NATO in call with Putin

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has said NATO expansion toward the east creates tensions in a call with Putin, calling it a “serious threat against the stability and security of independent countries in various regions”.

Raisi also said he hopes “what is happening will end up to the benefit of nations and the region”, according to his website.

Putin was quoted as saying the current situation is a “legitimate response to decades of violating security accords” and a Western effort to harm Russia.

8 hours ago (19:44 GMT)

Ukraine says 57 people killed on first day of Russian invasion

Ukraine’s Health Minister Oleh Lyashko has said 57 people have been killed and 169 wounded.

Separately, the deputy defence minister reported heavy Russian shelling was still underway in the eastern Donetsk region.

8 hours ago (19:42 GMT)

US sanctions Belarus over support for Russia’s invasion

The US’ sanctions include 24 Belarusian individuals and entities over their support for Moscow’s attack, the US Treasury Department has said.

The US sanctions target two state-owned banks – Belinvestbank and Bank Dabrabyt – as well as Belarus’ defense and security industries and defense officials, Treasury said.

They target Aliaksandr Mikalaevich Zaitsau, a former Belarusian government official and a member of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s inner circle, the department said.

8 hours ago (19:35 GMT)

Military transport aircraft crashes in southern Russia: Interfax

A Russian AN-26 military transport aircraft has crashed in Russia’s southern Voronezh region, killing its crew on board, Interfax news agency has quoted Russian military officials as saying.

The accident could have been caused by a technical failure and has not inflicted any damage on the ground, Interfax said, citing a press office of Russia’s western military district.

8 hours ago (19:30 GMT)

New sanctions to isolate Russia from global economy: Correspondent

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett speaking from Washington, DC said the new sanctions on Russia, which are being coordinated with European allies, would isolate the country from the global economy.

“This is going to – in the United States specifically – any assets that Russia currently holds in the United States, are now frozen,” Halkett said.

In his speech from the White House, Halkett added, Biden signaled to the American public that the US is closely monitoring the situation in order to assess whether or not to send its own troops.

“The President was very carefully making the argument to Americans that right now, while there are no boots on the ground of American soldiers in Ukraine, should this conflict spill over into neighbouring NATO countries, that would change.”

8 hours ago (19:28 GMT)

US to send 7,000 troops already on alert to Germany: US official

The US is sending 7,000 troops to Germany to help reassure NATO allies who are part of a larger contingent that had already been put on alert earlier this year, a senior US defense official has said.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the troops would be made up of an armored brigade combat team and would leave for Germany in the coming days.

8 hours ago (19:26 GMT)

Biden says Putin will be a pariah on the international stage

Biden has said that Putin would cost Russia dearly and leave him as a pariah on the international stage.

He also described it as a dangerous moment for Europe but said that freedom would prevail.

8 hours ago (19:20 GMT)

Biden says working to secure global energy supplies

The US is working closely with major oil-producing and consuming countries to secure global energy supplies and protect consumers, Biden has said.

Biden said the US was working actively with countries around the world to ensure collective releases from their strategic petroleum reserves, and Washington would release additional barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve as conditions warranted.

8 hours ago (19:19 GMT)

US will ‘defend every inch’ of NATO nations but no troops to Ukraine: Biden

Biden has vowed to defend “every inch” of NATO territory, but reaffirmed that no American troops would be deployed.

“As I made crystal clear, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with a full force of American power,” Biden said in an address to the nation.

The president added, however: “Our forces will not be engaged in a conflict with Russia in Ukraine.”

8 hours ago (19:16 GMT)

Biden announces sanctions on Russia’s second largest bank

Biden has announced the imposition of sanctions on Russia’s second largest bank, VTB Bank.

Read more here.

9 hours ago (19:12 GMT)

‘[Putin] has much larger ambitions in Ukraine’: Biden

“[Putin] has much larger ambitions in Ukraine. He wants to re-establish the former Soviet Union. That’s what this is about,” Biden has said.

“And I think that his ambitions are completely contrary to the place where the rest of the world has arrived.”

9 hours ago (19:09 GMT)

Biden sending more US forces to Germany

Biden has said he is authorising the deployment of additional US forces to Germany.

9 hours ago (19:07 GMT)

Russia has ‘complete air superiority’ over Ukraine: Western intel official

Russia has “eliminated” Ukraine’s air defences and now controls the skies over the country as it pursues its invasion, a senior Western intelligence official has said.

“Essentially the Russians now have complete air superiority over Ukraine,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

9 hours ago (19:05 GMT)

Biden announces sanctions and export controls against Russia

Biden has announced severe new sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, including freezing assets of major banks and cutting off high-tech exports to the country.

“This is going to impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time,” Biden said.

He said the steps imposed in coordination with Europe will block top Russian banks from the US financial system and “cut off more than half of Russia’s high-tech imports”.

9 hours ago (19:04 GMT)

‘America stands up to bullies’,  Biden says

Biden has said “this cannot go on unanswered.

“If it did, the consequences for America would be much worse. America stands up to the bullies. We stand up for freedom. This is who we are,” Biden said.

“Putin’s actions betray his sinister vision for the future of our world, one where nations take what they want by force.”

9 hours ago (19:01 GMT)

Biden says Russian attack on Ukraine unfolding largely as predicted

Russia’s military attack on Ukraine is taking place as US officials had predicted, Biden has said, describing the invasion as “unprovoked”.

“For weeks, we have been warning that this would happen, and now it’s unfolding largely as we predicted,” the president said in a statement at the White House.

He said the invasion marked a “flagrant violation of international law”.

9 hours ago (18:58 GMT)

Biden says US will ‘limit Russia’s ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen’

Biden has said they will “limit Russia’s ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds, and to be part of the global economy.

“Between our actions and those of our allies and partners, we estimate it will cut off more than half of Russians’ high tech imports,” Biden said.

“It will strike a blow to their ability to continue to modernise the military, hurt their aerospace industry – including their space program – hurt their ability to build ships reducing their ability to compete economically. [It] will be a major hit to Putin’s long term strategic ambitions.”

9 hours ago (18:55 GMT)

Biden says Russian assault on Ukraine going as Washington predicted

Biden has said that Russia has made an unprovoked assault on Ukraine and it is going largely as the US predicted.

Biden vowed new sanctions after what he called a flagrant violation of international law and Russia’s rejection of diplomacy.

9 hours ago (18:50 GMT)

Biden: Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of new sanctions

Biden has said “Putin chose this war” in Ukraine, and he and Russia “will bear the consequences” of new sanctions.

He said Western sanctions will target four more major Russian banks.

9 hours ago (18:15 GMT)

Russia plans to ‘decapitate’ Ukraine’s government, US defence official says

The United States believes Russia’s invasion is designed to “decapitate” Ukraine’s government and one of the three main axes of assault is directed at Kyiv, a senior defence official has said.

“The indications we’ve seen thus far, in just these first, not even 12 hours, are in keeping with our assessment earlier, that would be his goal: to decapitate this government,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“What we’re seeing are initial phases of a large-scale invasion,” the official added, suggesting the other axes of the attack were a Russian advance south into the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and a push north out of Russian-controlled Crimea to the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.

“We haven’t seen a conventional move like this, nation state to nation state, since World War II, certainly nothing on this size and scope and scale … It has every potential to be very bloody, very costly and very impactful on European security writ large.”

10 hours ago (18:07 GMT)

Scholz condemns Putin, says Western powers will defend eastern NATO allies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Western powers will deploy all available resources to ensure that the conflict in Ukraine does not spread to other countries in Europe.

“Putin should not underestimate the determination of NATO to defend all its members. This applies expressly to our NATO partners in the Baltic States, Poland and Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia. No ifs or buts,” Scholz said in a televised address to the nation.

He added that Putin alone bore the responsibility for the attack on Ukraine, but warned the Russian president he “would not win.”

“With the attack on Ukraine, President Putin wants to turn back time. But there is no going back to the 19th century, when great powers ruled over the heads of smaller states,” Scholz said.

10 hours ago (18:00 GMT)

Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces, Ukrainian official says

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been captured by Russian forces after a fierce battle for control of the now-defunct site, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office says.

“It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians,” Mykhailo Podolyak said.

“This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today,” he added.

10 hours ago (17:52 GMT)

India’s Modi urges end to Ukraine violence in call with Putin

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an end to the violence in Ukraine during a phone conversation with Putin, the Indian government says in a statement.

“[The] Prime Minister appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue,” the statement said.

10 hours ago (17:43 GMT)

Russia says first day of Ukraine invasion ‘successful’

A spokesman for Russia’s defence ministry says the country’s military has achieved the goals it set out for the first day of its invasion of Ukraine.

“All of the tasks assigned to the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the day were successfully completed,” Igor Konashenkov said.

Russian forces have attacked Ukraine by land, air and sea [Sergei Grits/AP]

10 hours ago (17:17 GMT)

Russian police detain hundreds at anti-war protests, monitoring group says

Russian police have detained more than 650 people at anti-war protests held in cities throughout the country, protest monitoring group OVD-Info says.

The group said demonstrations had been staged in 40 different locations, including in the capital, Moscow.

11 hours ago (17:08 GMT)

G7 leaders promise to hit Russia with severe sanctions

The G7 group of industrialised nations has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion and promised to hit Moscow with severe and coordinated economic sanctions.

“This crisis is a serious threat to the rules-based international order, with ramifications well beyond Europe,” the G7 leaders said in a joint statement released by Germany.

They added Putin had re-introduced war to the European continent and said the Russian president had “put himself on the wrong side of history”.

The G7 is comprised of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US.

11 hours ago (17:03 GMT)

Ukrainian ambassador to US says ‘all Ukrainians’ will fight invasion

Ukraine’s ambassador to the US says all of the country’s citizens will resist Russia’s assault.

“Ukraine has activated our right to self-defence in accordance with international law,” Oksana Markarova told reporters at a news conference a press conference at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington.

“The combat spirit of the Ukrainian military is high. We are fighting, we will be fighting – not only our brave and motivated military but all Ukrainians,” she added.

11 hours ago (16:52 GMT)

Putin claims he had no choice but to order ‘operation’ against Ukraine

Putin has claimed he had no other option but to order what he described as a “special operation” against Ukraine, arguing all of Moscow’s previous attempts to ensure its security concerns were addressed had come to nothing.

The Russian president made his remarks while addressing the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Moscow had called for the US-led NATO military alliance to guarantee Ukraine would never be allowed to become a member and cease all military activity in Eastern Europe prior to launching an attack on its neighbour. Washington and NATO flatly rejected those demands.

11 hours ago (16:38 GMT)

Russian municipal deputies, journalists and scientists pen open letters opposing invasion

More than 180 municipal deputies from cities across Russia, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Samara and Volgograd, among others, have signed an open letter strongly condemning Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

“We are convinced that the citizens of Russia did not give him such a mandate,” the regional officials’ letter says, before warning that the incursion will have “catastrophic consequences”.

“This is an unparalleled atrocity for which there is and cannot be justification,” the letter adds. It also calls on Russians not to “be silent” over the attack, saying “only massive popular condemnation can stop the war”.

In two other open letters, more than 240 journalists and 260 scientists also expressed their opposition to the Kremlin’s move.

11 hours ago (16:20 GMT)

Red Cross fears ‘massive casualty numbers’ in Ukraine

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could unleash death and destruction on a scale that is “frightening to contemplate”.

“I fear increased suffering, with the potential of massive casualty numbers and extensive destruction of civilian objects like water and electricity plants, as well as mass displacement, trauma, family separation, and missing persons,” Peter Maurer said in a statement.

“The ICRC has seen many conflicts start and escalate in recent years, but too few of them end, and in each one it is the civilian populations that bear the consequences,” he added.

Today @ICRC stands with the people of #Ukraine.

Legally, and in the name of humanity, they must be protected from the fighting.⁰My three calls: pic.twitter.com/GbqO2BEMt0

— Peter Maurer (@PMaurerICRC) February 24, 2022

12 hours ago (15:56 GMT)

Ukraine says dozens killed within hours of Russian attack

Dozens of people have been killed during the first hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to local officials.

Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said that more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and dozens of others wounded within hours of Moscow launching its attack. He added that up to 10 civilians had also been killed.

Read more here.

12 hours ago (15:53 GMT)

‘Dark and frightening night ahead for millions of Ukrainians’

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from the city of Mariupol, in eastern Ukraine, says Russian forces do appear to be specifically “trying to target military positions” with their attacks.

“The Ukrainians are responding – the barrage that they are being subjected to dictates that [they must],” he said.

Stratford added the atmosphere in Mariupol, but also in other parts of Ukraine, was becoming increasingly ominous as nightfall loomed.

“It is getting dark now and we have been told by the authorities here that they will be encouraging people not to use their lights, so it is going to be a very dark and a very frightening night ahead for millions of Ukrainians,” he said.

Several explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, amid Russia’s attack [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]

12 hours ago (15:34 GMT)

Russian Twitter users rally behind ‘notowar’ hashtag

Russian-speaking social media users have been voicing their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, using the hashtag #нетвойне, or #notowar.

It had become the top trending hashtag on Russian Twitter at about 06:00 GMT, shortly after Moscow launched its attack, and by 15:00 GMT had accumulated some 112,000 mentions.

12 hours ago (15:25 GMT)

Battle for Chernobyl rages

Ukrainian forces are battling Russian troops intent on capturing the former nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, in northern Ukraine, Zelenskyy says.

Elsewhere, the regional administration in charge of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region said some parts of the territory had been lost to invading forces.

12 hours ago (15:14 GMT)

Kyiv mayor imposes curfew on the capital

Kyiv’s mayor has ordered a curfew in the Ukrainian capital in response to Russia’s attack.

Vitali Klitschko’s decision came after footage showed swaths of the city’s residents attempting to flee by car, clogging its main exit points by road.

13 hours ago (14:51 GMT)

WHO raises alarm over potential humanitarian catastrophe

The World Health Organization (WHO) has voiced alarm over an expected health emergency in Ukraine.

“Amid the conflict rapidly unfolding in Ukraine, the WHO Regional Office for Europe reiterates its deepest concern for the safety, health and wellbeing of all civilians impacted by the crisis in the country and possibly beyond,” the office said in a statement, warning any further escalation could result in a humanitarian catastrophe.

The European arm of the world health body added it was working closely “with all UN partners in rapidly scaling up readiness to respond to the expected health emergency triggered by the conflict”.

13 hours ago (14:25 GMT)

Eastern Ukraine’s Kramatorsk ‘eerily quiet’

Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, says the city is “eerily quiet”.

“The streets are nearly empty and none of the businesses are open,” Abdel-Hamid said, adding that the magnitude of Russia’s attack had “sunk in” for local people.

“They are bracing themselves that something will happen here,” she said.

13 hours ago (14:17 GMT)

‘Putin is plunging Europe into its darkest time since 1939’, Kyiv says

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has accused Putin of “plunging Europe into its darkest time” since the beginning of the second world war in 1939 and urged Kyiv’s allies to hit Russia with sanctions immediately.

“Any government hoping to sit this out is naïve. Don’t repeat mistakes of the past,” he tweeted. “Hit Russia with severe sanctions now. Help Ukraine with military and financial support. Together we can #StopRussianAggression.”

Right now, Putin is plunging Europe into its darkest time since 1939. Any government hoping to sit this out is naïve. Don’t repeat mistakes of the past. Hit Russia with severe sanctions now. Help Ukraine with military and financial support. Together we can #StopRussianAggression.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 24, 2022

13 hours ago (14:15 GMT)

How is the Ukraine invasion being viewed in Russia?

Pro-government media outlets are echoing Putin’s line, but criticism of Moscow’s actions is growing, with prominent public figures voicing their discontent.

Read more here.

14 hours ago (14:05 GMT)

UK PM says Western powers will impose ‘massive sanctions’ on Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has branded Putin a “dictator” and warned Moscow will now face “massive” Western sanctions for invading Ukraine.

“We cannot and will not just look away,” Johnson said in a televised address to the nation, delivered after he held talks by phone with Zelenskyy.

He added that Western powers will move to roll out a “massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy”.

“And to that end, we must also collectively cease the dependence on Russian oil and gas that for too long has given Putin his grip on Western politics,” Johnson said.

WATCH: My address to the nation on the situation in Ukraine. https://t.co/bLDpcnNaDy

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 24, 2022

14 hours ago (14:00 GMT)

Russia anti-war activist says she has been detained

A Russian opposition activist who called for anti-war protests says she has been detained by police.

“I was detained on my way out of the house,” Marina Litvinovich, the Moscow-based activist, wrote on Telegram.

Litvinovich had earlier called on Russians to gather in protest in various cities throughout the country on Thursday evening.

14 hours ago (13:47 GMT)

Russia says it has destroyed 74 military facilities: Report

Russia’s defence ministry says its forces have destroyed 74 above-ground military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine on Thursday, including 11 aerodromes, according to a report by the country’s RIA Novosti news agency.

14 hours ago (13:44 GMT)

Attacks taking place nationwide, Ukrainian police force says

Ukraine’s national police force says attacks are taking place throughout the country.

The authorities said they had logged 203 incidents since the beginning of the day, when Moscow launched its incursion.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defence minister said some Russian forces had been taken prisoner in instances of heavy fighting.

14 hours ago (13:33 GMT)

French president says invasion marks ‘turning point in the history of Europe’

President Emmanuel Macron has said France will stand by Ukraine’s side and warned that Russia’s invasion will have durable and “deep” consequences for the continent of Europe.

“We will respond without weakness to this act of war, with calm, determination and unity,” Macron said in an address to the French nation.

He added that the events were a “turning point in the history of Europe and our country” that would have “deep and lasting consequences for our lives”.

Macron had tried to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow in recent weeks in a bid to avert war [File: Tobias Schwarz/Pool Photo via AP]

14 hours ago (13:23 GMT)

Panic, fear and stoicism in Ukraine as Russia invades

Russia’s invasion has triggered panic and fear among many Ukrainian civilians as they scramble to flee or face down the escalation in violence.

Many also remained stoic, however, even as missiles fell on multiple cities and Russian forces attacked from land and sea.

Read more here.

14 hours ago (13:14 GMT)

Ukraine’s Klitschko pleads for international assistance

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, whose brother Vitali is the mayor of Kyiv, has told Al Jazeera that the Russian invasion is “terrifying” and called on the world to help “stop the killing of Ukrainians”.

Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, whose brother is mayor of Kyiv, has told Al Jazeera that the Russian invasion is “terrifying” and calls on the world to help “stop the killing of Ukrainians” ⤵️