Fierce fighting in Kyiv, elsewhere in Ukraine

Recap live updates of the third day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What you need to know:

- Kyiv residents braced themselves in bunkers as Russian forces continued to attack Ukraine’s capital overnight. The city of nearly three million is being rocked by the sound of tanks, gunfire, and explosions.

- Facebook begins to bar Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platforms anywhere in the world.

- The US, European Union and UK have announced sanctions on Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

- Russia blocked a UN Security Council resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine, in an 11-1 vote, with three members abstaining. The abstaining members were China, India and the United Arab Emirates.

- Ukraine mounted a heavy defence overnight as the people of Kyiv have spent the night in bomb shelters and basements. Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, says 35 people were wounded in overnight fighting, according to the BBC.

10pm The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, says 35 people were wounded in overnight fighting in Kyiv, according to the BBC.

They included two children, he said.

It is not clear yet whether he was referring only to civilians, the BBC reported.

He added that there was currently no major Russian military presence in Kyiv, but he said Russian saboteur groups were active.

933pm The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has sent out a tweet urging the city’s residents to shelter as soon as possible.

“Friends! Kiyani! For safety’s sake, stay at home or in shelters as much as possible! Do not go out and do not go to the city. In addition to those who work in critical infrastructure. Leave home just to go to the shelter. We are defending our city!” the tweet translated into English

855pm The mayor of the Ukrainian capital says a missile hit an apartment building but no casualties were immediately reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the missile slammed into a high-rise building on the southwestern outskirts of Kyiv near Zhuliany airport on Saturday. He said rescue workers were heading there.

He posted an image on a messaging app, showing a gaping hole on one side of the building that ravaged apartment units and several stores.

Russian troops were pressing their attack on the Ukrainian capital, trying to advance on the city from several directions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began Thursday with massive air and missile strikes and ground troops moving in from the north, east and south.

850pm According to the BBC, weapons and equipment are en route from France to Ukraine, as the West supplies aid to Ukraine in their battle with advancing Russian troops.

President Zelensky tweeted that he had spoken to France’s President Macron early on Saturday morning as a “new day on the diplomatic frontline began”.

“The anti-war coalition is working!” Mr Zelensky tweeted.

On Saturday, Mr Macron posted a video of himself declaring: “The war will last - we must prepare for it!

8pm From the Associated Press

An adviser to Ukraine’s president says that fighting is raging in the capital and in the country’s south, and that the Ukrainian military is successfully fending off Russian assaults.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Saturday that small groups of Russian forces tried to infiltrate Kyiv and engaged in fighting with Ukrainian troops. He said that Russia wants to seize control of the Ukrainian capital and destroy the country’s leadership, but said the Russian military has failed to make any gains and that the Ukrainian forces control the situation in Kyiv.

He said Russian forces were also focusing on the country’s south, where intense fighting is underway in Kherson just north of Crimea, and in the Black Sea ports of Mykolaiv, Odesa and around Mariupol.

He said that Russia considers it a priority to seize the south, but it has failed to make any significant gains.

“Ukraine hasn’t simply withstood it. Ukraine is winning,” Podolyak said at a briefing.

Nataliya Gumenyuk is a Ukrainian journalist and posted this to Twitter:

740pm Head of security policy at Facebook, Nathaniel Gleicher, has tweeted that the company will bar Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platforms anywhere in the world.

7pm From the Associated Press

Kyiv officials are warning residents that street fighting is underway against Russian forces, and they are urging people to seek shelter.

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

The Ukrainian military said a battle was underway near a military unit to the west of the city centre.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said new explosions shook the area near a major power plant that the Russians were trying to attack.

Ukrainian journalist Oleksiy Sorokin tweeted this:

6pm From the Associated Press

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the US government but turned down the offer.

Zelenskyy said in response: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation, who described Zelenskyy as upbeat.

Invading Russian forces closed in on Ukraine’s capital on Saturday, in an apparent encircling movement after a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country.

Independent journalist Neil Hauer says the Ukrainian defence is putting up a solid fight.

5.30pm News agency Kyiv Independent reports air raid alerts have gone off in multiple cities.

“People must go to the closest shelter.”

5.15pm Reports are emerging of fighting breaking out on the streets of Kyiv, according to the BBC.

The capital city’s government Ukrainian news agency Interfax says in a statement:

“There is fighting on the streets of our city at the moment,” it says.

It warns residents to stay in shelters and not to approach windows or balconies.

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst just tweeted this:

4.50pm It’s 5.50am Saturday in Ukraine. An update from the Associated Press reveals the following, according to witnesses:

- Explosions heard from central Kyiv, about 800 metres from the president’s headquarters.

- Multistory apartment building in Kyiv hit by shelling, with major damage, on the eastern side of the Dneiper River that cuts through the capital, 13 kilometres southeast of the government quarter.

- Shooting near a main thoroughfare leading into central Kyiv from the south.

- Ukrainian soldiers evacuating an unmarked military vehicle damaged by gunfire in Kyiv, in the Obolon district about 10 kilometres north of the government quarter.

- Ukrainian military establishing defensive positions at bridges around Kyiv. Armored personnel carriers driving through Kyiv streets. Ukrainian authorities placed snowplows at some spots along Kyiv roads to force traffic to slow down.

- Russian missile launcher seen on the edge of the northeastern city of Kharkiv, shelling heard in the distance.

- A bridge destroyed at Ivankiv, some 60 kilometres northwest of Kyiv.

4.22pm Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows to protect the country after he refused evacuation offers from the US government to leave.

“We are all here,” he said, surrounded by senior advisers and his prime minister.

“Our troops are here, citizens are here. All of us are here protecting the independence of our country.

“And it will continue to be this way.”

4pm From the Associated Press

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he spoke with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the phone Saturday and they agreed they must respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine properly to prevent it from becoming “a wrong lesson” because of its potential influence in Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

Hayashi declined to comment if Japan plans to join the United States, Britain and the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Hayashi said Japan will stay in close touch with other Group of Seven members and other international leaders while watching the developments.

Hayashi told reporters that he and Blinken reaffirmed their commitment to work closely with the rest of international society and they agreed it is necessary to reject Russia’s unilateral act to change the status quo.

3.31pm Ukrainian anti-war protesters gathered in Wellington’s Civic Square at midday on Saturday.

3.17pm A reporter for Fox News in Kyiv, Trey Yingst, said on Twitter that there are currently ongoing attempts to attack Kyiv from several directions.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has reported that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has refused evacuation offers from the US government to leave the country.

According to the newspaper, US officials believe Zelenskyy will be either captured or killed by Russian forces.

3.01pm 1News reporter Kristin Hall said Ukrainian anti-war demonstrators are protesting in Wellington’s Civic Square.

She said the Ukrainian New Zealanders demonstrating said they were asked by anti-mandate protesters to join forces - but refused.

2.44pm Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces shelled a residential area and kindergarten.

“There simply can’t be a truth that could possibly explain why they shoot on kindergartens or residential infrastructure,” he said in a speech. Zelenskyy’s words have been translated.

“The Sumy region, was shelled by rocket launcher systems and residential areas, civil shelters, kindergartens came under fire.

“What kind of war is being led against Ukrainian children in kindergartens? Who are they? Are they also Neo-Nazis? Or are they the NATO soldiers that put Russia in danger?”

2.30pm From the Associated Press

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is in “close contact” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he hailed “the fierce bravery and patriotism” of the country’s government and people.

In a recorded message, Johnson said “the scenes unfolding in the streets and fields of Ukraine are nothing short of a tragedy,” calling it bloodshed Europe has not seen in a generation or more.

“The people of the United Kingdom stand with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in the face of this unjustifiable assault on your homeland,” he said.

1.49pm Photos from Kyiv show people hunkering down in underground metro stations as fighting continues in the air and on the ground.

1.22pm From Associated Press

Ukraine’s military says it has shot down a Russian military transport plane with paratroopers on board.

According to a statement from the military’s General Staff, the Il-76 heavy transport plane was shot down near Vasylkiv, a city 40 kilometers south of Kyiv. The Russian military has not commented on the incident so far, and the report could not be immediately verified.

1.07pm More explosions have been reported by foreign correspondents on the ground in Kyiv.

Earlier, Ukraine’s president said that overnight fighting would be the hardest that the country’s capital would likely have to withstand. It is currently 2.07am in Kyiv.

12.51pm The UK’s defence ministry said on Twitter that Russia has likely conducted an amphibious landing in southern Ukraine.

12.35pm New video shows a Ukrainian man has somehow survived after the car he was driving was run over by a Russian tank. Read more and watch the video.

12.23pm From the Associated Press

Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding that Moscow stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops.

The vote on Saturday morning (Friday local time) was 11-1, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining. It showed significant but not total opposition to Russia’s invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbour.

The United States and other supporters knew the resolution wouldn’t pass but argued it would highlight Russia’s international isolation. The resolution’s failure paves the way for backers to call for a swift vote on a similar measure in the UN General Assembly. There are no vetoes in the 193-member assembly. There’s no timetable as yet for a potential Assembly vote.

12.19pm A new post on the Ukrainian parliament’s Twitter account shows a baby that was apparently born while people sheltered underground in the Kyiv Metro system.

12.00pm From the Associated Press

Russia’s military claimed on Saturday it had captured weapons delivered by western countries to Ukraine.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major Gen. Igor Konashenkov said: “Among the trophies are the American Javelin anti-tank systems and the British NLAW.”

Konashenkov also said the Russian military has destroyed 211 Ukrainian military facilities since the invasion began.

11.50am, watch live: Feed from the United Nations where the UN Security Council had been debating a resolution to condemn the war in Ukraine.

11.44am In a late-night address, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “fate of Ukraine is being decided right now”.

He said Russian forces were expected to storm the capital Kyiv in the next several hours.

“This night will be very difficult, and the enemy will use all available forces to break the resistance of Ukrainians.”

11.13am Reuters and the BBC are reporting on a Facebook post by the Ukrainian president’s spokesperson, Serhiy Nykyforov, that states the Ukrainian government is willing and ready to discuss a negotiated ceasefire.

Earlier, Russia had claimed Ukraine had rejected immediate peace talks, according to the New York Times.

10.52am From the Associated Press

The invasion of Ukraine drew more punitive measures across the sporting world on Friday when Russia was stripped of the Champions League final in St Petersburg and Formula One dropped the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

The International Olympic Committee also urged sports federations to move their events out of Russia or Belarus, which Moscow is using as a staging ground for its troops moving into Ukraine from the north.

The IOC statement signaled an ostracising of President Vladimir Putin, who has lavishly funded sports events and was still courted by IOC President Thomas Bach and FIFA President Gianni Infantino despite the country corrupting sport with state-sponsored doping schemes in the last decade.

10.39am Kiwi photojournalist Tom Mutch is currently based in Kyiv and posted this update to his Twitter account on Saturday morning.

10.26am From the Associated Press:

The Biden administration has announced that it will move to freeze the assets of President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following the European Union and Britain in directly sanctioning top Russian leadership.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions shortly after the EU said it had also approved an asset freeze against Putin and Lavrov as part of a broader package of sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also told NATO leaders during a call that Britain would move to impose sanctions against Putin and Lavrov.

It wasn’t immediately clear how impactful an asset freeze would be on Putin or Lavrov, but the direct action targeting the Russian president was meant to be seen as a warning to Putin that he could emerge as an international pariah if he doesn’t end the invasion of Ukraine.

10.11am On Newshub Nation, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said “no decisions” had been made to potentially expel Russia’s diplomats who are based in New Zealand. “These are all options that are available to all countries,” she said.

In the past few days, some protesters in New Zealand have called for the expulsion of the Russian Ambassador and other representatives.

9.56am Early on Saturday morning (NZ time), US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts agreed to send thousands of troops backed by air and naval support to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine, the organisation’s top civilian official said. Read more.

9.44am CNN and the New York Times are reporting that the US is planning to sanction Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are continuing to move against Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv. BuzzFeed News correspondent, Christopher Miller, wrote of the continuing strikes on Twitter.

9.26am Citizens in Ukraine have been urged to resist the advances of Russian forces. Earlier, Ukraine’s defence military instructed citizens to make Molotov cocktails on Twitter. The Guardian’s Shaun Walker wrote about the efforts on Twitter.

9.14am It's around 10pm in Kyiv, and foreign correspondents in the Ukraine capital have reported loud explosions and artillery fire in the past few hours. The mayor of the city reportedly said it would be a "difficult night" for the city.

9.00am Get a recap of what happened in Ukraine on Friday in the video below.