Summary

  • Russian missiles hit an oil depot in Vasylkiv, its mayor said, prompting fears of toxic fumes

  • Air raid sirens in Kyiv sound shortly before midnight local time (2200g) warning of incoming missiles

  • A curfew is in place from Saturday evening until Monday morning

  • Kyiv's mayor says anyone seen in the streets will be considered a Russian "saboteur"

  • The US, EU, UK and other allies say they have agreed to remove some Russian banks from the Swift payments system

  • They also pledge to limit the sale of "golden passports" - citizenship - to wealthy Russians

  • Huge numbers of people are fleeing Ukraine, with a 27-hour-long queue of women and children on the Moldovan border

  • Germany also announces it is sending anti-tank missiles and other weapons to Ukraine - marking a major change in policy

  1. Images of Kyiv apartment building hit by missilepublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    More images have now emerged of the apartment building near Kyiv's Zhuliany airport that was struck earlier today. The pictures show a hole covering at least five floors that were blasted into the side.

    Authorities say the number of casualties is "being specified" while an evacuation is under way.

    Damaged apartment buildingImage source, Reuters
    Damaged apartment buildingImage source, Reuters
    Damaged apartment buildingImage source, Reuters
  2. Fires overnight on Kyiv highway - videopublished at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    A section of the Prospekt Peremohy highway near central Kyiv turned into a warzone last night, with one video showing fires alight along the key road running east-west from the city's centre.

    According to media reports the footage was recorded near the capital's Beresteiska metro station, just 4km (2.5 miles) from the building housing Ukraine's Ministry of Defence.

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  3. Analysis

    Control of Kyiv 'crucial' for Russian successpublished at 07:41 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Orla Guerin
    BBC News

    wreckage on road to kyiv

    The convoy was obviously heading for Kyiv to be part of an increasingly urgent defence of the city. It was destroyed about an hour’s drive from the city.

    Getting control of the capital is crucial for Moscow, and for the success of the Russian invasion.

    But this may involve street to street fighting. Urban warfare like this will mean heavy losses for both sides.

    The motorway to Kyiv is eerily quiet, with very few vehicles moving in either direction.

    Along the way there is evidence of war.

    We have just passed the wreckage of a convoy of four Ukrainian military vehicles - one of them was an air defence missile system. They were hit yesterday by a Russian missile strike. The smoke was still rising.

    So far, at around 09:00 on Day Three of the invasion, the city remains firmly in Ukrainian hands.

    Ukrainian officials say the situation is “under control” in the city and on the outskirts.

  4. France sending weapons to Ukrainepublished at 07:32 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    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!"

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  5. Russian forces capture first 'significant' citypublished at 07:23 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Russia's defence ministry has confirmed they have captured the city of Melitopol - in what has been described by news wire Reuters as the first significant population centre to be taken over since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday.

    Melitopol is a mid-size city located near the key Ukrainian port of Mariupol, in Ukraine's southern region of Zaporizhzhya.

    An estimated 150,000 Ukrainians live in Melitopol.

  6. Kyiv struck by two missilespublished at 07:09 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Partially-destroyed apartment buildingImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Emergency services attended the scene this morning of a Kyiv apartment building damaged by shelling

    Reuters is reporting that the area southwest of Kyiv has been struck this morning by two missiles. It's unclear right now what the targets were.

    According to the Kyiv's city government, one of the missiles struck a residential building.

    Reuters is reporting that one of the missiles landed in the area close to the capital's Zhuliany airport.

  7. Damage to Kyiv apartment buildingpublished at 07:00 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    As Ukraine wakes up, an unverified image has been circulating on social media appearing to show a partially-destroyed apartment building in Kyiv.

    There are unconfirmed reports that the building, apparently located near the capital's Zhuliany Airport, was struck by a missile.

    Reuters is also reporting a missile strike targeting the area near the Kyiv's airport, according to a local witness. It's currently unclear if the reports are linked, but we'll update you when we have more on this.

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  8. Russia defence ministry claims capture of Melitopol citypublished at 06:48 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022
    Breaking

    Russian troops have captured the city of Melitopol in Ukraine's southern region of Zaporizhzhya, say Russian news outlets Interfax and Sputnik quoting the country's defence ministry.

    Melitopol is a mid-size city near the key Ukrainian port of Mariupol.

  9. Meta bars Russian state media from running ads on platformpublished at 06:35 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has announced that it will bar Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platforms anywhere in the world, the parent company of social media company Facebook said on Friday.

    "We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media," Facebook's head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher posted on Twitter.

    He added that these new measures had already been implemented and would continue into the weekend.

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  10. Zelensky posts video, denies he has called for surrenderpublished at 06:20 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a self-shot video of himself on Twitter walking around the streets of Kyiv in an apparent effort to combat rumours that he has called on the army to surrender to Russian troops.

    "There's a lot of fake information online that I call on our army to lay down arms, and that there's evacuation," he said against a backdrop of Kyiv's Gorodetsky House.

    "I'm here. We won't lay down our arms. We will defend our state."

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  11. In pictures: Anti-war protests across Russian citiespublished at 06:05 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Protestor holding up a sign in MoscowImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A man holds a placard reading "No war. Putin, go away" during a protest at Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow, Russia

    Thousands of Russian people took to the streets in multiple cities across Russia in condemnation of the nation's attack on Ukraine in recent days.

    Photos showed protesters in Moscow and St Petersburg - two of Russia's largest cities - marching down the streets while holding up banners that said "No to war".

    The protests were reported in cities as far as the snowy city of Novosibirsk, in the southern Russian region of Siberia.

    However, demonstrators were met with heavy police presence, and more than 1,800 people were rounded up and arrested.

    Here are some images from the demonstrations:

    Protesters being arrested in MoscowImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Riot police detain a demonstrator in Pushkin Square, central Moscow

    Protesters in St PetersburgImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Demonstrators hold flowers and chant slogans

    Protesters being encircled by Russian police in St PetersburgImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Protesters find themselves surrounded by riot police dressed in full gear

    Protesters in NovosibiriskImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A man holds a placard reading "No to war" during an anti-war protest in Lenin Square in Novosibirsk, Siberia

    Protesters in NovosibiriskImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Women hold placards reading "No War" and "I Never Chose" during an anti-war protest in front of the Yekaterinburg City Hall in Novosibirsk, Siberia

    Protesters being arrested in St PetersburgImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Police detain a demonstrator holding a sign with the Russian and Ukrainian flags

  12. Ukraine says 3,500 Russian soldiers killed so farpublished at 05:54 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    The Ukrainian military has published what they claim is a breakout of Russia's losses.

    According to a post on its Facebook page, more than 3,500 Russian soldiers involved in the invasion have been killed and almost 200 taken prisoner.

    They add that Russia has also lost 14 aircraft, eight helicopters, and 102 tanks so far. The BBC is unable to independently verify any of these claims.

    Russia has so far not acknowledged any casualties.

  13. 'Eerily quiet' morning in Kyiv after night of sirens and gunfirepublished at 05:46 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    After a frenetic night filled with air raid sirens and gunfire, people in Kyiv are speaking of an eerily quiet morning - so silent that the sound of birds chirping can be heard in the distance.

    Olexander Scherba, Ukraine's ambassador to Austria, said the sunrise this morning marked the end of a night of shooting.

    "Sun is up in Kyiv. The shooting in my neighbourhood stopped. Feels like the end of a vampire movie," he said.

    The BBC's Paul Adams and James Waterhouse, who are also in Kyiv, reported a similar "eerie" silence.

    "Silent [but] everyone knows it could change in an instant," said Adams.

    KyivImage source, Paul Adams
  14. Missiles launched at Ukraine from Black Seapublished at 05:36 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022
    Breaking

    Reports are coming in that missiles are being launched at Ukraine from the Black Sea.

    Air strikes are also being reported across a number of areas, in an apparent escalation of violence.

    We will bring you more detail as soon as we have it.

  15. Ukraine president turned down US offer to evacuate: reportspublished at 05:22 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    ZelenskyImage source, Getty Images

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned down an offer by Washington to help evacuate him from Ukraine, US media outlets say.

    Mr Zelensky said "the fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride", the Associated Press reported, citing a senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation.

    The Washington Post had also quoted US and Ukrainian officials who said that the US government was prepared to help Mr Zelensky.

    Mr Zelensky has been widely praised on social media for his response to the Russian invasion. The former comedian and actor had earlier given a moving speech in which he vowed to keep fighting, saying: "When you attack us, you will see our faces. Not our backs."

    He had also posted a self-shot video earlier on Friday showing him and his key aides in the capital, rebuffing reports that he had fled Kyiv.

    "We're all here," he said. "And it will stay this way."

  16. Now 'a war of necessity' for Putinpublished at 05:09 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Paul Adams
    BBC diplomatic correspondent

    Western officials say that Ukraine’s military has been effective in slowing the Russian advance overnight in the capital Kyiv.

    But they worry that the Russians, impatient to inflict a rapid victory, could resort to drastic measures.

    “My fear would be that if they don’t meet the timescales and objectives… they will be indiscriminate in the use of violence,” one said.

    “The problem is that [Vladimir Putin] having committed himself in the way that he has, this is now not a war of choice for him, but a war of necessity.”

  17. If you're just joining uspublished at 04:51 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    It's nearing 07:00 in Ukraine this morning - the third day of Russia's invasion of the country.

    It will have been a long sleepless night for many in their homes or underground shelters as air raid sirens blared warnings across the night.

    Overnight, we've been hearing reports of heavy fighting and explosions across the capital Kyiv.

    Here's what else you need to know to bring you quickly up to speed:

    • Ukrainian troops have been trying to push back Russian attacks. An army unit in Kyiv reportedly repelled Russian forces on a major city avenue, the military said in a Facebook post
    • Earlier this morning, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in another Facebook post that there were "heavy battles ongoing" in one part of the city, adding that "active combat" was taking place in some streets. This came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia would try to "storm" Kyiv
    • More than 50 explosions and heavy machine gunfire have been reported in the capital, according to Kyiv Independent
    • However, the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov said the army was in "control" of the situation in Kyiv, saying "we are stopping the horde using all means available", according to a report by Ukrainian news site Lb.ua
    • The US administration has asked Congress for $6.4bn (£4.8bn) worth of aid to help Ukraine
    • UN aid agencies predict that up to five million Ukrainians could flee to surrounding countries.
  18. Loud bangs and gunfire reported in centre of Kyivpublished at 04:39 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    As the morning approaches, there are reports of intense fighting in Kyiv.

    According to a post on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Facebook page, "heavy battles are ongoing" in the Vasylkiv area of the city.

    It adds that "active combat" is now taking place on the streets of the capital. The Kyiv government also confirmed the fighting in a statement earlier and warned residents to stay in shelters and not approach windows or balconies.

    Reports by Kyiv-based journalists on social media also suggest that fighting has indeed broken out on the streets. Many are describing loud bangs and gunfire much nearer to the centre of the city.

    Meanwhile, the Ukraine armed forces added that its troops had shot down a number of Russian "enemy targets" during the day, and had also stopped Russian troops from taking any of Ukraine's cities.

  19. Underground with four dogs and a rabbitpublished at 04:18 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022

    Sarah Rainsford
    BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent

    A rabbit is amongst the pets people have brought into a bomb shelter several storeys below ground

    I'm writing this in a bomb shelter several storeys below ground in the central city of Dnipro with a crowd of people, four dogs and a pet rabbit.

    Hotel staff ran around banging on doors soon after midnight before herding us down multiple flights of stairs at high speed.

    Earlier in the evening, we visited Hanna Syva and her family in a giant apartment block across the road.

    Her husband brought out his gun. It now lies beside a big stuffed toy on their window ledge.

    The mother-of-two seems upbeat, but she admits she's putting on a smile not to worry her children.

    "They cried yesterday, they're very nervous, so I can't afford to be scared," Hanna says.

    Read more about Hanna and her family here.

  20. Fighting has broken out on the streets of Kyivpublished at 03:59 Greenwich Mean Time 26 February 2022
    Breaking

    Fighting has broken out on the streets of Kyiv, the capital city's government says in a statement quoted by Ukrainian news agency Interfax.

    "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.