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The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Mariupol, at 10am Moscow time (7am UK) today, according to reports. The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the

The Russian military continued shelling and firing at the only evacuation route for those trapped in Irpin, a satellite town about eight kilometres from the Ukrainian capital. The town has come under increasingly heavy bombardment over the past few days with hundreds streaming out of the town to try to get away from the advancing

Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed directly to the Russian people to protest against the Kremlin saying evidence from captured troops shows the invasion was planned. Urging them not to stay silent, he said it was time to “overcome evil” and insisted it was not just a fight for peace in his country, but their

There is no humanitarian corridor in Irpin – a town only five miles away from the Ukrainian capital.  As we watched the pounding the city is taking, with plumes of smoke mushrooming into the sky and the rattle of gunfire from anti-aircraft guns, civilians were trying to flee however they could. We saw some walking

The Kremlin has accused the West of behaving like bandits and claims the world is “too big” for the US and Europe to isolate a country as big as Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West was engaged in “economic banditry” against Russia and that Moscow would respond. He did not specify what response

NATO has warned that there will “more deaths, more suffering and more destruction” in coming days in Ukraine. The alliance’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw all troops from Ukraine without conditions. “The days to come are likely to be worse, with more deaths, more suffering and more destruction,” he

Russian troops have seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after it was shelled overnight, sparking a fire but no release of radioactive material, the UN’s atomic watchdog has said. The attack on the southeastern city of Enerhodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant had led to fears of a nuclear disaster, with immediate condemnation from world

A fire has broken out at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant after the Russian army targeted it “from all sides” in the Ukrainian city of Energodar. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged troops to immediately stop shooting at Zaporizhzhia power station so firefighters can take action. Officials have warned there is a “real threat

Russia has reportedly taken control of Kherson in what would be its first seizure of a major Ukrainian city, while leaders in the south of the country have warned “we are being destroyed” after attacks wiped out water and power supplies. The southern port city of Mariupol said critical infrastructure was being targeted and that

It has now been a week since Russian began its invasion of Ukraine. Sky News asked military and defence experts to identify the key things we have learned so far – and what could happen next. Follow live updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russia was ‘unprepared’ and ‘made a lot of mistakes’ Edward

Russian paratroopers stormed a military hospital in Kharkiv overnight – as forces close in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Fighting was ongoing overnight in Kharkiv and Kherson, while a long convoy of Russian military vehicles is now about 20 miles northwest of the capital, Kyiv. In Kharkiv, Russian paratroopers launched an airborne assault on

Bloodshed in Ukraine and headlines about the threat posed by nuclear weapons have been dominating the news for days. Inevitably, this leads to questions from curious and sometimes anxious children – questions which many adults would struggle to give balanced and nuanced answers to. With sizeable Russian and Ukrainian populations in the UK, sometimes mixing

Latest satellite images show a Russian military convoy stretching for about 40 miles – far bigger than initially thought – as troops close in on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The images are from satellite technology company Maxar, and they also show evidence of fighting outside the city, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge. Russian troops

Clinging to his mother in the basement of Kyiv’s main children’s hospital, the four-year-old boy ground his teeth, making a scratching sound. Nikita Synytsky, who has leukemia and Down’s syndrome, started making the noise when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last week, causing his life even more trauma. “We are very nervous,” said Tatiana

Russia is preparing to hold peace talks with Ukraine as fierce fighting continued into a fifth day without a breakthrough into a major city. Satellite images showed a more than three-mile-long Russian military convoy nearing Kyiv as Ukraine’s president warned of a “crucial” 24 hours. There were more Russian air attacks and fierce clashes between

It started as a concern, then a rumour, then a fact; Russian units, small in number, infiltrating the city, looking to bring terror to Kyiv – and to plot routes for their main forces to enter the centre of the capital. Within hours, the suspicion levels among Ukrainians had accelerated to near hysteria. Reports of

Vladimir Putin has ordered that Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces are put on high alert. Mr Putin said aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow were behind the decision. Speaking on state television on Sunday, he said: “As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in

Any rumour of a Russian advance, and hurriedly formed roadblocks suddenly appear on the streets of Kyiv.  The roadblocks are manned by Ukrainian soldiers, alongside them volunteers and reservists fill sandbags and build defences. It is starting to feel like the defence of the capital is taking on a character of its own: a character

Ukraine’s president has said his forces are still in control of Kyiv and is appealing to the country’s “friends” abroad to join the fight. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a fresh address on Saturday: “Everyone who can defend Ukraine abroad please do it directly in a united way. “Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned his country’s citizens that Russian troops are preparing to storm Kyiv, urging them “to stop the enemy wherever you can”. After unleashing airstrikes, Russian tanks rolled into Kyiv on Friday, and troops were descending on the capital from two fronts. In a message posted on social media, Mr Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Ukrainian troops “you are all we have” as he accused European countries of not doing enough to stop the Russian invasion. He said the Russian attack in Ukraine was like a repeat of the Second World War and called on European citizens to protest to force their governments to act

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has made him “target number one” in the wake of the country’s invasion, as he ordered a mass mobilisation decree which paves the way for civilians to take up arms against Vladimir Putin’s forces. The decree was signed at the end of a day of intense fighting on multiple

Boris Johnson has accused Vladimir Putin of choosing a “path of bloodshed and destruction” after explosions were heard in Ukrainian cities. The prime minister said the UK and its allies will respond “decisively”, adding that he was “appalled by the horrific events” in Ukraine. Mr Johnson has spoken to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country’s president, to

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is still open to diplomacy but will put its national security interests first. He said the country would continue to bolster its military amid a “difficult international situation”. In a video statement released to commemorate the annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, Mr Putin appeared to indirectly address the

Ukraine has brought in emergency measures and told its citizens in Russia to flee the country as fears of a large-scale invasion by President Vladimir Putin’s troops mount. In further ominous signs, Moscow began evacuating its Kyiv embassy and the leaders of two Russian-backed separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine asked Mr Putin for military help

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked legislators for permission to use armed forces outside Russia – a move that could pave the way for a broader attack on Ukraine. On Monday, Moscow recognised the independence of Russian-backed rebel regions in eastern Ukraine. Some western leaders have said Russian troops had moved into Ukraine’s east –

Ukraine’s president has said the country is considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia after tanks were reportedly seen on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of two breakaway regions in the east. Speaking alongside his Estonian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was weighing a request from his foreign ministry to break

Vladimir Putin has declared he recognises the independence of two separatist regions in Ukraine – and there is now the heightened threat that Russian troops could enter the areas. The Russian president defied Western warnings against such a move over Luhansk and Donetsk, announcing it at the end of a TV address which lasted around

Downing Street has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan for invading Ukraine has effectively “already begun”. Number 10 suggested that Russia’s “playbook” for launching military action against its neighbour had begun to “play out in real time”. But a “window for diplomacy” still remains to prevent war in Europe, Downing Street added. Live updates

Russia has extended military drills near Ukraine’s northern borders – sparking fears an invasion could be more likely. The exercises, which brought a sizable contingent of Russian forces to Belarus, were originally set to end on Sunday. The presence of the Russian troops raised concern that they could be used to sweep down on the

Intelligence suggests Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”, Boris Johnson has warned. The prime minister said “all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun” – telling the BBC that evidence indicates the Kremlin’s intent is to invade Ukraine and encircle Kyiv. “People need to understand the

The volume of Russian disinformation seeking to frame Ukraine as a threat to justify military action by Russia has more than doubled in the past week, Western officials have said. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, revealed there had been a two-fold increase in fake Russian claims during comments she made at a security conference in

Even as we arrived at the command headquarters about four kilometres from the frontline proper, we could hear the sounds of outgoing rockets from the Ukrainian military, which they maintain is a response to incoming fire from Russian-backed separatists. The frontlines near Popasne have been kinetic for the past two days – an intensification in