As it happened: Deadly blast at Kyiv TV tower after Russia warns capital

1. Five people have died after Russia attacked a TV tower in Kyiv, hitting nearby broadcast facilities, Ukrainian officials say
2. It comes after Russia warned residents that it was preparing to hit targets in the Ukrainian capital
3. It said it was planning attacks on Kyiv technology centres, urging people to stay away
4. A huge convoy of Russian armoured vehicles continues to advance on the city
5. Freedom Square in central Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, has been hit by a strike, killing at least 10 civilians
6. In its latest assessment, the Pentagon says Russian troops have not taken Kharkiv or Mariupol, but they have occupied nearby towns
7. UK PM Boris Johnson accuses Russia of "barbaric and indiscriminate" attacks

Ukraine defences hold as Russia hurls force at Kyiv - analysts

Military operation analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War have put out their latest assessment of Russia's campaign. After Saturday's fighting - Day 3 of the war.

They say:

• Russia has "failed to encircle and isolate Kyiv with mechanised and airborne attacks as it had clearly planned to do"
• The Russian advance is now focused on straightforward assaults on Ukraine's capital, with attacking drives from the city's north-east and a narrow flank of the Dnipro River, which lies next to Kyiv
• Russian forces have "temporarily abandoned" their attacks on Chernikiv and Kharkiv, noting forces are appearing to bypass those cities to drive on to Kyiv
• Russia's attacks on those north-east and eastern cities failed because they were "poorly designed and executed", and they faced "more determined and effective resistance than expected", the Institute said
• But Russia's successes in Ukraine's south pose the most danger and "threaten to unhinge Ukraine's successful defences to the north and north-east"

In pictures: Ukrainians flee home amid Russian assault

Some 120,000 Ukrainians are thought to have been forced to flee their homes as Russian tanks roll through the country and missiles rain down on cities. Many have fled west, to cities such as Lviv, or across the border to Poland.

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A mother watches her child sleep at Lviv train station in Western Ukraine on 26 February, 2022

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Refugees from Ukraine arrive in Poland

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Volunteers offer transportation and accommodation in and to Polish cities as Ukrainian refugees arrive

Ukraine's hotline for Russian military families flooded with calls

Earlier we reported that Ukraine had set up a hotline for the family members of Russian soldiers.

The Kyiv Independent now reports the hotline has received "hundreds of calls" already.

The service is called "Come back alive from Ukraine” and was launched on Saturday by Ukraine's Defence Ministry.

"On this phone line, you can find out whether your relatives are still alive, taken prisoner, injured, and you can decide when and how to take the body of your deceased relative," an official said.

The hotline is a direct appeal to Russians, thousands of whom have been protesting against President Putin's war in Ukraine despite being faced with arrest.

Russians and Ukrainians have described each other as "like brothers and sisters" at anti-war protests around the world in recent days.

Ukraine's Zelensky: 'Listen. I am here.'

Zelensky's defiant response to invasion... in 100 seconds

Ukrainian President Voloydymyr Zelensky has regularly posted updates to his social media showing his citizens that he's staying on the ground in Kyiv and fighting, including the video above from Saturday.

In his addresses, he's given voice to Ukrainian anger and defiance of Russian aggression. His steadfastness has won him many fans online.

Zelensky, 44, was previously a TV comedian in Ukraine before entering politics. When he was elected in 2019 in a landslide victory, he said it was because people saw the "Cinderella story" in his background and that an ordinary person could lead a nation too.

Political commentators at the time wrote him off as a bit of a lark. But he's proven himself a convincing and inspiring leader in recent times.

And he's led by example in refusing to run away. To reports that the US had offered him an evacuation flight, he responded: "I need ammunition. Not a ride".

• From comedian to war president rising to the moment

Macron denounces Belarus decision to help Russia

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Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Russian soldiers onto its soil to march through to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron has denounced Belarus's decision to authorise Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil.

In a call with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Macron asked him to demand Russia's withdrawal of its troops from Belarus "as quickly as possible".

"These troops are waging a unilateral and unjust war," Macron said, according to a statement from his office, the Élysée.

Macron also "emphasised the extent to which brotherhood between the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples should make Belarus refuse to be Russia’s vassal and de facto accomplice in the war against Ukraine".

In recent days Russian troops have been seen moving into Ukraine from its border with Belarus, a long-time Russian ally.

Sanctions could spell 'catastrophe' for rouble

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On Saturday, Western allied nations announced new sanctions on Russia, including blocking banks from Swift, a key international system for carrying out financial transactions and restrictions against the Russian Central Bank.

The measures will prevent the bank from using its international reserves to support the Russian currency to undermine sanctions.

Sergei Aleksashenko, a former deputy chairman of the bank, says the latest moves spell big trouble for the future of the rouble.

"It means there is going to be a catastrophe on the Russian currency market on Monday," he told Reuters.

"I think they will stop trading and then the exchange rate will be fixed at an artificial level, just like in Soviet times."

Kyiv residents warned of toxic fumes

We reported earlier that an oil depot in Vasylkiv, on the outskirts of Kyiv, appeared to have been hit.

Kyiv officials have now warned that the burning depot is emitting smoke and toxic fumes, telling residents to close their windows tightly. Many residents in the capital are already taking cover underground.

Videos posted online, purportedly of the oil depot, appear to show massive plumes of smoke rising in the air.

UN: At least 64 civilian deaths

Intense fighting has been under way across several major Ukrainian cities.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR) reports there have been at least 240 civilian casualties - including at least 64 deaths - in the country so far.

It added that damage to homes and critical infrastructure has left hundreds of people without access to water and electricity.

The UN also said over 160,000 Ukrainians are now internally displaced and trying to flee across international borders.

Ukraine's government estimates the Russian invasion may leave behind as many as five million refugees.

The BBC has spoken to several people who've been waiting for days to cross international borders in queues up to 15km (10 miles) long. You can read their stories here.

Tense, long night in Kyiv

It's past 03:00 local time on Sunday in Kyiv. The situation is very tense after residents, around midnight, were warned to expect a bombardment.

While there's reportedly been a strike on an oil terminal about 40km south of Kyiv, explosions have not been reported in the capital so far. The city has already endured some shelling in past days.

As our correspondents in the capital reported earlier, Russia's ground advance on Kyiv has appeared to stall on the city's edges in the midst of concerted Ukrainian resistance.

But many expect an aerial attack. People are sheltering in underground bunkers.

The pictures below show members of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Units - i.e. volunteer civilians - preparing for the long dark ahead.

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Volunteer recruits sleeping on cardboard and foam mats in a bunker in Kyiv on Saturday night

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Thousands of Ukrainians have signed up to fight in the past few days. Our correspondents report seeing long queues at sign-up centres

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Most have next to no combat experience or training. But those who've joined up say they're determined to defend their families and their country

Kyiv tonight: 'We're staring down this dark abyss'

Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, a non-profit organisation, has just been speaking to the BBC about what is happening in Kyiv.

Like other Ukrainian men of his age, Zalmayev is staying in the country.

In the last three days, "there have been explosions throughout the country. We heard explosions right and left... in every part of the country," he said.

Reflecting on the surrealism of the situation, he said: "Growing up [you're] reading books on war, watching movies on war, now you are living it.

"We're staring down this dark abyss now."

Ukraine to receive boost in weaponry

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues in the early hours of Sunday morning, here's a reminder of pledges for support from Western allies issued so far this weekend.

On Saturday:

• The US State Department said it will send $350m (£261m) in weapons - including Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems and body armour
• The German government said it would supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank grenade launchers and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles on an emergency basis
• The Dutch announced deployment of 50 Panzerfaust-3 anti-tank weapons and 400 rockets
• The two countries are also said to be considering sending a joint Patriot air defence system to a Nato battle group in Slovakia
• Earlier, Nato began deploying more of its forces to Eastern Europe "to respond quickly to any contingency"

Polish border: My friend abandoned her car and is walking

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A Ukrainian man at the border said men were being turned away and urged to fight

Our correspondent Kasia Madera is in the town of Medyka on Poland's border with Ukraine.

She says people are facing harrowing scenarios where mothers and children are saying goodbye to their husbands, fathers and grandfathers who are being held back by the Ukrainian authorities.

“Men can’t come through, they have to stay and are being urged to fight," a Ukrainian man who reached the border told her.

He has colleagues stuck in the traffic jams facing 40km (25-mile) tailbacks.

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This Polish man is waiting for his friend to walk 25km from Ukraine to the border

One man who lives in the Polish city of Kraków said had planned to meet his Ukrainian friend at the border at 19:00 on Friday, but she was still 80km away when he arrived - at 25km she had to leave her car and walk.

“She started walking last night and she’s still walking.

"Some vehicles are travelling at the speed of 1km per hour while others abandon vehicles and walk.”

What's happening in the Ukraine crisis now

If you're just joining us, welcome. Here's a round-up of what's happened in the last few hours:

• The Ukrainian capital Kyiv is bracing for another night of Russian attacks. Air sirens have gone off, people are taking cover in underground shelters, and officials are warning of an onslaught of missiles. One MP has claimed Russia will "hit us with all they have"
• In the last hour there have been multiple reports of explosions at an oil depot outside of Kyiv and a gas pipeline in Kharkiv
• Huge numbers of people are fleeing Ukraine into neighbouring countries such as Poland and Moldova. In Ukrainian cities, citizens are arming themselves and making Molotov cocktails to fight Russian forces
• Western allies including the US, Germany and the Netherlands have pledged to send more weapons to aid Ukraine's war effort
• Western countries say they are removing selected Russian banks from Swift, the banking communications system that allows for smooth transfer of money across borders - a significant move as it disconnects Russian entities from the international financial system
• They will also impose measures to stop Russia's central bank from getting around sanctions, and stop wealthy Russians from gaining citizenship in other countries and getting access to financial systems elsewhere

Unverified reports of a gas pipeline hit in Kharkiv

Also in the past hour, there have been unverified reports that a gas pipeline has been hit in Kharkiv, in the northeast of Ukraine.

The country's second-largest city, Kharkiv has been under rocket attacks since Day One.

There's much commentary that Russia may now be targeting gas and oil infrastructure, after first going after Ukraine's military bases.

Oil depot hit outside Kyiv - reports

There have been multiple reports in the past half an hour that an oil depot in Vasylkiv, a city in the Kyiv region, has been hit by a Russian rocket.

Local media reported both the city's mayor Nataliia Balasynovych, as well as Ukaine government adviser Anton Geraschenko, have confirmed the hit.

Footage on social media shows huge flames billowing from the terminal. The BBC has not verified these clips.

Russia closes airspace to Baltic countries

Earlier on Saturday, the Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania announced they would close their airspace to Russian aircraft.

The UK, Germany and other countries have already done the same.

Russia has reciprocated.

On Saturday, federal air transport agency Rosaviati said it will shut down its own airspace to Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Slovenian carriers.

It has already barred flights from Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic too.

The restrictions will include transit flights.

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Welcome to our continued coverage

Welcome back to our continued coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.

It is approaching 03:00 in Kyiv on 27 February, 2022 and after midnight in London.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, and in the last half hour, reports of blasts in the capital city of Kyiv have been widely circulating.

Please follow our live coverage as we bring you the latest from Ukraine and around the world.