Recap live updates of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on February 24.
What you need to know:
- Kyiv time is 11 hours behind New Zealand time. Street fighting broke out early Sunday in Kharkiv as Russian troops pushed into Ukraine’s second-largest city
- The Kremlin says a Russian delegation has arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials
- Western countries say they will remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT network, banning them from the international financial system
- More than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled across the border to neighbouring countries like Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania, according to the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees
- Since February 24 at least 198 people have been killed so far
9.50pm: The BBC's Paul Adams tweeted that Zelensky's spokesman says: "We are aware that Russian delegation arrived in Gomel [Belarus]. We've indeed discussed talks there, but then Russia issued an ultimatum that Ukrainian military should lay down the weapons, so there will be no Ukrainian delegation there."
9.45pm: On social media, the Ukrainian military has issued advice to people in its civilian resistance movement.
"Your simple actions have a great importance in the fight against the enemy!" it read.
It urges people to:
- Dismantle or carefully draw road signs, names of settlements to confuse the enemy
- Make forest landslides to prevent the enemy's promotion
- Destroy key nodes of transport infrastructure
- Be more active at night or dusk
9.27pm: According to local media outlet The Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian military have blown up bridge outside of Kyiv to slow down Russian troops. The bridge was between the cities of Bucha and Irpin. Russian troops are blocked in Bucha.
9.10pm: President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he's "grateful to the British Prime Minister" who he says is helping him "counter the aggressor".
9.06pm: The Ukrainian government is calling for foreigners to come and fight against Russia. Minister of Ukraine Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba just tweeted this:
9pm From the Associated Press
Ukrainian authorities say that Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv and fighting is underway in the streets.
Oleh Sinehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said Sunday that Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops in the city and asked civilians not to leave their homes.
Russian troops approached Kharkiv, which is located about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south of the border with Russia, shortly after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. But until Sunday, they remained on its outskirts without trying to enter the city while other forces rolled past, pressing their offensive deeper into Ukraine.
Videos on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street.
855pm: Russian forces have blocked Kherson and Berdyansk and delivered another missile strike on Ukraine's military infrastructure, according to the BBC.
But Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko says their airforce has shot down a missile aimed at the capital Kyiv, by a plane that flew in from Russian ally Belarus.
8.45pm: From the Associated Press
The Kremlin says a Russian delegation has arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats. “The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,” Peskov said.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who previously expressed their own readiness for peace talks with Russia but haven’t mentioned any specific details on their location and timing.
Ukraine’s president says his country is ready for peace talks with Russia but not in Belarus, which was a staging ground for Moscow’s 3-day-old invasion.
Speaking in a video message Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues. He said other locations are also possible but made clear that Ukraine doesn’t accept Russia’s selection of Belarus.
"If there had been no aggressive action from your territory, we could talk in Minsk... other cities can be used as the venue for talks," the BBC reports.
"Any other city would suit us, too - in a country, from whose territory missiles are not launched at us. This is the only way negotiations can be honest and can really end the war."
8.20pm: From the Associated Press
An organisation that facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel says it is ramping up its efforts along Ukrainian border crossings to absorb what it expects to be a wave of new immigrants fleeing the Russian invasion.
The Jewish Agency for Israel said late Saturday it plans to open six processing facilities along Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary. The organization said in a statement it also plans to assist Ukrainian Jews with temporary housing in bordering countries until they can leave to Israel.
The agency said it assisted a group of new immigrants to cross into Poland on Saturday where they are awaiting a flight to Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry estimates there are at least 120,000 Jews in Ukraine. Israel also has a sizeable population of Ukrainian emigres.
7pm: From the Associated Press
Elon Musk says his SpaceX company’s Starlink satellite internet service is now “active” in Ukraine.
The tech billionaire made the announcement on Twitter in response to a tweet by Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation saying that while Musk tries to “colonize Mars,” Russia is trying to occupy Ukraine. The minister called on Musk to provide his country with Starlink stations.
In his response Saturday, Musk said: “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.”
Starlink is a satellite-based internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world. It markets itself as “ideally suited” for areas where internet service is unreliable or unavailable.
6pm: Watch the latest update on TVNZ1 as 1News' Europe correspondent, Daniel Faitaua brings reports of consistent bombing in the capital. Our US correspondent Anna Burns-Francis looks at the global picture as new sanctions against Russia emerge. Catch up on the 6pm news OnDemand here.
5.40pm: Top Republican on the US Senate Intelligence Committee Marco Rubio has strong words for Putin's advisers on Twitter.
5.15pm: More detail on the new sanctions announced against Russia can be found at this link.
If fully carried out as planned, the measures will severely damage the Russian economy.
4.50pm: Fighting in Vasylkiv is reportedly ongoing according to Ukraine media.
4.40pm: CNN is reporting a six-year-old Ukrainian has been killed during a gun battle in Kyiv.
They also report one woman died after a Kharkiv apartment block was hit by artillery fire.
4.20pm: Associated Press is also reporting that Russian forces have blown up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, Ukraine - the country's second largest city.
The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection warned that the explosion, which it said looked like a mushroom cloud, could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.
Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova, said the Russian forces have been unable to take Kharkiv, where a fierce battle is underway.
4.15pm: Footage of an oil depot on fire in Vasylkiv, around 30 kilometres south of Kyiv, has emerged on social media. It explains the glowing sky seen from Kyiv earlier today after a loud boom was heard.
3.55pm The ABC is reporting that Australia will send weapons to support Ukraine's military via NATO.
"I've just spoken to the Defence Minister and we'll be seeking to provide whatever support we can for lethal aid through our NATO partners, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom," prime minister Scott Morrison said.
The Australian government has already been providing non-lethal aid like medical supplies. Morrison has ruled out sending troops.
3.50pm The UK's defence ministry has corroborated earlier media reporting of Russia's slowing advances. It said Russian forces are suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance.
3.34pm A hacking group associated with "Russian-speaking cybercrime actors" that 1News on Friday reported had stolen data from a Rotorua-based IT company has since expressed support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
3.20pm There were extraordinary scenes from earlier in the day in Ukraine. Authorities have been encouraging citizens to prepare for the arrival of Russian forces by creating Molotov cocktails and other weapons.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford was on the ground in the city of Dnipro and sent this tweet.
3.05pm Ukraine says Russian forces have blown up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, according to the Associated Press.
2.52pm Air raid sirens can once again be heard in Kyiv live streams, it's 3.51am there right now.
2.30pm From the Associated Press
The United Nations says it has confirmed at least 240 civilian casualties, including at least 64 people killed, in the fighting in Ukraine that erupted since Russia’s invasion - though it believed the “real figures are considerably higher” because many reports of casualties remain to be confirmed.
On Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs relayed the count from the UN human rights office, which has strict methodologies and verification procedures about the toll from conflict.
OCHA also said damage to civilian infrastructure has deprived hundreds of thousands of people of access to electricity or water, and produced a map of “humanitarian situations” in Ukraine - mostly in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine.
2.11pm CNN is reporting that it has verified video that two explosions that were seen around Kyiv were near the Vasylkiv Air Base - around 30km from the capital.
It said it had confirmed oil tanks were on fire at a storage area southwest of the air base’s main runway.
2.01pm More photos of the protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Auckland’s Aotea Square.
1.41pm From the Associated Press
France’s president Emmanuel Macron has asked his Belarus counterpart to demand that the country, Ukraine’s neighbour, quickly order Russian troops to leave.
Macron told president Alexander Lukashenko that fraternity between the people of Belarus and Ukraine should lead Belarus to “refuse to be a vassal and an accomplice to Russia in the war against Ukraine,” the statement said.
Belarus was one one of several axes used by Russia to launch attacks on Ukraine, with Belarus the point to move toward the capital Kyiv, a senior US defence official has said.
1.12pm Protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine are kicking off in Auckland’s Aotea Square. The protests have been organised by members of the Ukrainian community in Tāmaki Makaurau.
1.00pm As Kyiv is bunkering down, thousands have already left the city and many continue to do so. Freelance reporter Clara Marchaud is on a train from the capital to Lviv, in Ukraine's west, and posted this update on Twitter.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has reported over 150,000 Ukrainians have left the country since the war began.
12.43pm CNN is reporting that two explosions that lit up the night sky in Kyiv appeared to have been around Vasylkiv. The city has a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks.
12.35pm NBC News reporter Raf Sanchez has already found some services in Moscow have been disrupted due to the restrictions on the use of the SWIFT interbank financial system that are planned to be levied.
The planned restrictions were announced in a joint statement from the US, EU, and UK in the last hour.
12.19pm From the Associated Press
A respected Swiss newspaper is reporting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his Swiss counterpart to act as a neutral mediator between Ukraine and Russia, and help work toward a ceasefire between the two countries.
Daily Tages Angeizer said the request of Swiss President Ignazio Cassis came in the context of the upcoming Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva starting on Monday (local time) which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to attend on Tuesday (local time).
The report, which was not immediately confirmed by the Swiss Foreign Ministry that Cassis also leads, cited Swiss experience with such issues — notably a mediation effort carried out by Switzerland after Russian forces seized control of Crimea in 2014.
12.03pm On Twitter, tech billionaire Elon Musk has responded to a request by Ukraine's vice prime minister asking for help. Musk said his Starlink satellite internet service is available in Ukraine and that more satellite terminals were en route.
11.51am CNN reporter Alexander Marquardt said on Twitter he heard a "big boom" from southwest Kyiv and posted a video from afar. It is unclear what caused the pulsing glow visible in Marquardt's video, but there is speculation it's fire from the aftermath of the explosion.
11.38am From the Associated Press
Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet says two freelance journalists working for the paper were injured when the car they were traveling in was hit by gunfire near the village of Ohtyrka in eastern Ukraine.
The reporter and photographer were taken to a local hospital, Ekstra Bladet said, adding their injuries were not life-threatening. The paper was working with a security firm to have the two journalists evacuated.
11.30am Wellington City Councillor Rebecca Matthews has said on Twitter that the city’s Michael Fowler Centre will be lit up in solidarity with the people of Ukraine on Sunday night.
11.25am The US, UK and EU have pledged to remove "selected" Russian banks from the SWIFT system in a joint letter released on Sunday morning.
11.10am The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced plans to remove certain Russian banks from the international SWIFT interbank messaging system.
Speaking on the new sanctions, von der Leyen said Russia's president Vladimir Putin had chosen to destroy "the future of his own country".
"Putin embarked on a path aiming to destroy Ukraine. But what he’s also doing, is destroying the future of his own country," she said.
11.03am As air raid sirens sound across Kyiv, many residents continue to shelter underground - including in the city’s metro system. NPR reporter Rachel Martin posted what she saw on Twitter.
10.56am Stuff reports Sky TV has stopped broadcasting Russia Today, otherwise known as RT.
The channel is controlled by the Russian government and has long been accused of being used to further the Kremlin’s political goals.
10.40am Credible reports from journalists in Kyiv have said air raid sirens are sounding with warnings of a potentially significant attack.
10.32am Watch Q+A's full interview with Ukrainian politician, Pavlo Kukhta, who said he is willing to take up arms to fight for his country.
He had previously been acting minister of economic development, trade and agriculture in Ukraine's government.
Pavlo Kukhta is a former minister in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government (Source: Q and A)
10.15am Russian aircraft are being cut off from a growing swath of European airspace. The UK’s transport minister said all Russian private jets would be banned in the country’s airspace.
10.04am Watch Q+A's full interview with Professor Rouben Azizian, who is director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University.
Prof Azizian was the Soviet Union's acting ambassador in Wellington when the country collapsed in 1991.
Massey University’s Rouben Azizian expressed his shock over the invasion. (Source: Q and A)
9.51am ACT leader David Seymour has said that Ukraine is being “picked off by a thug”.
“We as a country also need to re-evaluate what this means for us - when a western democratically-elected government can be picked off by a thug in this fashion,” he said on Q+A.
"For now, we stand with those brave people, who a few moments ago were supermarket shopping and are now in a trench defending their city."
9.26am Russian forces are facing "very determined resistance" according to one characterisation by a US official, reported by Reuters.
The New York Times describes the Ukrainian resistance as having had "stalled" further Russian advances, thus far. Meanwhile, the Washington Post describes the Russian attack "slowing".
9.16am Ukrainian politician Pavlo Kukhta, who is based in Lviv, told Q+A that there was widespread support for Ukraine's military action in response to Russia's invasion.
"You won't find a pro-Russian person in Ukraine anymore," he said.
Kuhta said he was prepared to return to the country's capital, Kyiv, in order to take up arms to fight Russian forces.
9.14am Professor Rouben Azizian, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, told Q+A that Russia's president Vladimir Putin is trying to "change the world order".
"He is a person trying to change the world order and who is bitter about what was done to Russia before. He believes the military solution is the solution," Prof Azizian said.
"I feel very sad and tragic about the loss of life. Not only the loss of life in Ukraine, but the loss of life of Russian soldiers who are sent to fight a war that will not bring glory to Russia."
Prof Azizian said propaganda on Russian state television meant many older viewers were "brainwashed" about the pretext for war in Ukraine.
9.01am Right now, Q+A with Jack Tame is covering the Ukraine-Russia crisis and going deeper on the reasons behind the war. Watch now on TVNZ 1 or on the 1News homepage.
9.00am Ata mārie and welcome to live coverage of the war in Ukraine from 1News. Get a recap of what happened on Saturday below.
Russian troops and military vehicles have been reported inside the city limits. (Source: 1News)
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