It's 7.30am in Kyiv. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky is speaking again to his citizens in a video address. In both Ukrainian and Russian, he's making appeals to Russia for a ceasefire.

"Russia will have to talk to us sooner or later about how to end hostilities and stop this invasion," he said.

"The sooner the conversation begins, the smaller Russia's losses will be."

He added that until the attacks stop, "we will be defending our country until then".

Just last night, he'd warned of the intensifying attack on the capital. He said he had no intention of leaving the capital and that he knew he was Russia's number one target right now.

Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba says Russia has conducted "horrific" missile strikes on Kyiv, comparing them to Nazi Germany's attack on Ukraine during World War Two.

Meanwhile, there are multiple reports of more explosions in and around Ukraine's capital.

The BBC's Paul Adams says he has heard air sirens and at least one blast.

Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda has reported Ukrainian military forces had destroyed a bridge near Ivankiv on the outskirts of Kyiv, to impede Russian tanks from advancing further into the city.

Ukraine's military has published footage of what it says is a street gunbattle between Ukrainian defenders in the north-eastern city of Sumy and Russian attackers.

Sumy - with the population of more than 260,000 people - is a regional capital that lies less than 30km (19 miles) from the Russian border.

The head of the local administration, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, said a large Russian military convoy was heading west past Sumy towards the capital Kyiv.

He also said that the nearby town of Konotop was now encircled.

Some have posted the military's video on Twitter:

Ukraine's state border guard service says its unit in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhya region was hit by Russian rockets at 04:25 local time (02:25 GMT).

The service says there are casualties and injured among the border guards from the Prymors'ky Pasad unit.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is "convinced" that Russian president Vladimir Putin will try to overthrow the Ukrainian government.

In an interview with US broadcaster ABC, Mr Blinken said it was "part of the Russian plan" to assault the capital Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine, along with launching a multi-pronged attack on the country from the north, east and south borders.

Mr Blinken said a Russian attack beyond Ukraine was "a possibility", but reiterated the US' commitment towards defending its Nato allies, warning that "an attack on one member of Nato is an attack on all members of Nato".

"The President’s been very clear that we will defend every inch of Nato territory. I think that’s the most powerful deterrent against President Putin going beyond Ukraine," he said.

Mr Blinken also reiterated US President Joe Biden's position that the possibility of expanding existing US sanctions to target Mr Putin directly was still "on the table", if the situation were to escalate.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

It’s just turned 06:00 in Kyiv on day two of Russia’s invasion, which represents the first major ground war in Europe in decades.

If you're just joining us, here are the newest developments:

• There were reports earlier on Friday of explosions and an aircraft shot down over Kyiv
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier “saboteurs” had entered the capital
• It follows frontline battles all across the country, with fighting most heavy in the east, around Kharkiv, but also present in the north, and around the southern Black Sea cities of Odesa
• One battle occurred at the radioactive Chernobyl nuclear site in the north, which fell to Russian forces. The US says Ukrainian soldiers are being held hostage there

• Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing cities on the frontline, heading west to quieter areas and many even seeking safety over the border in Poland and Romania
• But most Ukrainians have stayed, sheltering in bunkers and underground metro stations. A general mobilisation has gone out ordering all citizens who can carry arms to defend their country
• The EU, Australia and Japan unveiled fresh sanctions on Friday targeting Russian banks, companies and oligarchs. Western nations have also pledged aid and military supplies to Ukrainian forces
• French President Emmanuel Macron says he phoned Vladimir Putin asking him to end the attack, and the call was "frank, direct, quick"
• In Russian cities, thousands protested in the streets against the decision to go to war and hundreds of demonstrators were arrested

We have this update from our correspondent Paul Adams, who is in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

We've been hearing reports of explosions in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday morning.

There are more unconfirmed reports coming in that the city's air defence stopped an air raid by intercepting a number of missiles and downing an enemy aircraft.

An official with the Ukranian interior ministry said an aircraft had crashed in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv.

Meanwhile local reports say a nine-storey residential building is on fire in Kyiv.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has tweeted saying at least three people were injured, one of whom was in critical condition, "as a result of a rocket fragmentation". He added that the building was on fire and that it was under "threat of destruction".

French President Emmanuel Macron just said he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He says the Ukrainian leader asked him to contact Putin because Zelensky's calls were not getting through.

Macron says he phoned Putin to ask him to stop military operations and the call was "frank, direct, quick".

"It was also to ask him to discuss with President Zelensky, who had requested that, because he could not reach him," Macron told reporters after an EU summit in Brussels.

Image source, Reuters

The European Union has announced extensive new sanctions on Russia, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking of a watershed moment for Europe.

The sanctions will target areas including the financial sector, energy, transport, and visas for the Russian elite, she said after a meeting that ended in the early hours on Friday in Brussels.

Von der Leyen said the adopted measures would make it impossible for Russia to buy technology to upgrade its oil refineries, or spare parts for aircraft.

"The package of massive and targeted sanctions approved tonight shows how united the EU is," she tweeted.

French President Emmanuel Macron, said €300m ($336m; £251m) of aid would be offered to Ukraine, as well as military equipment.

The sanctions do not cover the import of Russian gas into the EU. Questioned on this, Von der Leyen said they were urgently looking at how to wean Europe off its dependence on Russian energy.

An official with the Ukrainian interior ministry says a Russian aircraft has been shot down over the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv.

Anton Herashchenko says the jet crashed near a house at 7a Koshytsia Street.

The unconfirmed claim follows reports of a couple of explosions earlier in the Ukrainian capital.

Similar sounds were heard on Thursday when, according to Ukrainian officials, a military base in Brovary, a town near Kyiv, was hit by Russian cruise missiles, leaving six people dead.

News channel TelekanalNTA posted a photo of a fire and smoke billowing in the morning sky.

Reports are now coming in of several explosions in Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

A CNN team in the city reported hearing two large blasts in central Kyiv and a third loud explosion in the distance early on Friday.

Anton Herashchenko, a former deputy interior minister, says he heard two blasts, Ukraine's Unian news agency reports. He added that cruise or ballistic missiles were used.

Ukraine's military has so far not commented.

Image source, Getty Images

Asia markets edged higher on Friday's market open, spurred by a US rebound after a wave of international sanctions against Russia.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index opened 0.9% higher on Friday morning, while other indexes were also in the green. South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.6% and the S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney was up 0.3% on Friday.

Global shares briefly plunged on Thursday after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices have also eased slightly after surging past $100 (£74) a barrel.

Russia is the second largest exporter of crude oil and the world's biggest exporter of natural gas worldwide, fuelling concerns that international sanctions might restrict supplies and drive up prices.

However, not everyone relies on Russia equally, with China importing 14% of its oil and gas from Russia, according to Deutsche Bank economists.

Image source, Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she is considering the expulsion of the Russian ambassador from the country.

"[The expulsion] does sit amongst the suite of options that sits in front of every country," Ardern said during a press conference on Friday.

However, she said it was not a decision to be taken lightly, given "wider ramifications".

On Thursday, New Zealand placed a travel ban on Russian government officials associated with the invasion, suspended bilateral foreign ministry consultations with Russia, and stopped the export of goods to Russian military and security forces.

Describing Russia's assault on Ukraine as an "illegal invasion", Ardern called for the immediate cessation of military operations and permanent withdrawal of Russian forces to avoid "a catastrophic and pointless loss of innocent life".

Image source, Office of the president of Ukraine

A little more on those remarkable comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier.

He said in a video address: "They [Russians] want to destroy Ukraine politically by liquidating the head of state."

He also told viewers "the enemy has designated me as the target number one, and my family as the target number two".

The president said he was staying in the capital Kyiv's "government quarters" and his family was also in Ukraine. He did not provide further details.

Zelensky also warned Ukrainian officials now had "information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv".

The president did not elaborate on what those groups might be.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has just provided a brief intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, assessing that Russia has probably not yet achieved its strategic goals.

The Chernobyl nuclear site has "highly likely" been captured by Russian forces, the MoD says, and workers there "have reportedly been detained by Russian troops".

The Ukrainian military has halted the Russian advance towards the city of Chernihiv, the ministry says, citing reports.

But most concerning for Moscow would be that "it is unlikely that Russia has achieved its planned Day One military objectives," the MoD says.

The ministry adds that Ukrainian troops have "presented fierce resistance".

Image source, getty

Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, has urged Western countries and Nato to do more to "repel" Russia's aggression towards it.

In a letter to the Times (of London), Prystaiko said that while Kyiv would not surrender, it urgently needed assistance from other UN member states to repel Moscow.

"We are counting on the immediate, decisive and painful sanctions on Russia promised by the West, including Britain. Disconnecting Russia from the Swift international payments system is not enough: much more is needed if we are to make this sick attack end in failure."

Unfortunately for Prystaiko, Western nations have so far ruled out disconnecting Russia from the Swift network.

Read the whole letter here , external

Image source, Getty Images

As the world comes to terms with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, here's a quick guide to the basics.

Ukraine is in Eastern Europe and shares a border with Russia. It used to be part of the Soviet Union, but became an independent country in 1991.

Ukraine is Europe's second-biggest country by land mass with a population of 44 million.

Russia, the largest country in the world, is home to 144 million people.

Russia seized part of Ukraine's territory when its pro-Russian president was deposed in early 2014.

Ukraine has since moved towards European institutions, namely the EU and defence alliance Nato. Russian's President Vladimir Putin wants to prevent any further integration.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to fight for his country, saying: "We're strong. We're ready for anything."

• Want more? Here's what we know about the invasion

Jonathan Csapo
BBC Producer, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

Cold and with light rain falling, a couple of dozen protesters stand against the White House gates draped in Ukrainian flags.

Signs in blue-and-yellow ink call for prayers and support for the embattled country. “Putin will find out Ukraine is no game!” proclaims one sign.

The Ukrainian national anthem is sung as news cameras click away.

A young woman tells me her grandmother called her at five in the morning from Ukraine, crying and distraught as bombs were falling.

Image source, Getty Images

“I want to see my grandparents alive, I don’t want them to die,” she says as she displays her sign with a heart and the national flag.

“All of us barely slept – I honestly never hated people as much as I did last night.”

The sizeable crowd included families with children. They waved flags and chanted: "Stand with Ukraine."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Countries across the Asia-Pacific region have intensified sanctions against Russia in response to its full-scale assault on Ukraine.

Australia's PM Scott Morrison said on Friday they would widen sanctions against Russia, targeting several of its elite citizens and lawmakers.

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said they would shore up sanctions against Russia in three areas, including military equipment exports.

Japan will also freeze the assets of several Russian banks, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.

Taiwan said on Friday the island would join democratic countries to slapsanctions on Russia, without giving details.