Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine began a week ago, but so far Vladimir Putin‘s army have not been able to make the progress that they would have liked, thanks largely to the resilience of the Ukrainian people. There appears to be no sign of things coming to an end just yet, but pressure is being applied on Russia from a plethora of areas, notably by harming their economy.
Russia Ukraine Live Blog
Stay up to date with the latest developments in Ukraine in this live blog.
04:45 GMT / 22:45 CST: Reactors ‘are being safely shut down’, US says
US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says her department has now activated its nuclear incident response team, and is monitoring events at the power plant.
She added that the facility’s reactors are now being safely shut down – and they are protected by robust containment structures.
04:25 GMT / 22:25 CST: Dozens of people and 10 vehicles are involved in extinguishing a fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
40 people and 10 vehicles are involved in extinguishing fire at Zaporizhzhya NPP, says Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine.
Residents of Energodar will not be evacuated right now because of the situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the head of the regional administration, Aleksandr Starukh, has said.
04:05 GMT / 22:05 CST: International Atomic Energy Agency’s emergency center is in “full 24/7 response mode”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has put its Incident and Emergency Centre in “full 24/7 response mode” due to the “serious situation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the agency said on Twitter.
The agency is in contact with Ukrainian authorities about the ongoing fire at the power plant.
03:50 GMT / 21:50 CST: Zelensky talks to leaders about nuclear plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say he has informed the leaders of the U.S., Britain, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency about the dire threat of nuclear disaster after Russian troops shelled a nuclear power plant.
“If there is an explosion – that’s the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe,” he said in an emotional speech in the middle of the night.
“Only urgent action by Europe can stop the Russian troops. Do not allow the death of Europe from a catastrophe at a nuclear power station,” he said
He’s calling on politicians and citizens to pressure Russian leadership to stop Russian troops.
03:35 GMT / 21:35 CST: US activates Nuclear Incident Response team
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm tweeted Thursday night that she spoke with Ukraine’s energy minister about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The US has activated its Nuclear Incident Response Team, and is monitoring the situation along with the Department of Defense, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the White House, she said.
03:25 GMT / 21:25 CST: Russian military prevent firefighters from extinguishing the fire at the nuclear power plant
The Nexta reported that one of the buildings of the training complex is still burning as a result of shelling on PNP territory. Three floors of the five-story building are engulfed by fire.
The Russian military continues to stop firefighters from starting extinguishing operations.
Mayor of Energodar Dmytro Orlov says that there are injured at Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant.
03:20 GMT / 21:20 CST: The fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant site did not affect important
Ukraine reported that the fire at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant site did not affect important (major) equipment, plant personnel are taking all necessary mitigating measures.
After talking with Zelensky, Boris Johnson would call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in the coming hours over the situation around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, the #British prime minister’s press office said.
02:55 GMT / 20:55 CST: Zelensky: ‘For the first time in human history a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “immediate European action” to stop Russian forces from attacking the country after Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was struck.
According to a tweet by Ukraine’s foreign ministry, Mr Zelenskyy said: “No state except Russia has ever opened fire at nuclear power units.
“For the first time in human history, a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror.”
02:35 GMT / 20:35 CST: ‘Europe is at risk’, says Ukrainian official
The head of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office has shared a video that appears to be off the Zaporizhzhia power station after it came under attack by Russian forces.
Sharing the clip on Twitter, Mykhailo Podoliyak said: “Zaporizhzhia NPP is under fire! The entire Europe is at risk of a repeat of the nuclear catastrophe. Russians must stop fire.”
02:15 GMT / 20:15 CST: Joe Biden spoke with Zelensky after the nuclear power plant attack
U.S. President Joe Biden has just spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the White House continues to monitor the fire at the Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant.
02:00 GMT / 20:00 CST: International Atomic Energy Agency is in contact with Ukrainian authorities
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a tweet it is “aware of reports of shelling at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” and that it was in contact with Ukrainian authorities about the situation.
01:50 GMT / 19:50 CST: Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant update
According to reports, at the moment, the third power unit was shut down at the plant and only the fourth unit is working.
The radiation and fire safety conditions at the nuclear power plant are within normal limits.
The plant accounts for about one-quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.
A video on the plant’s YouTube channel appears to show large explosions at the power station.
01:40 GMT / 19:40 CST: White House is monitoring Ukrainian nuclear power plant
According to CNN, White House official says they are monitoring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where Ukrainian officials say a fire has broken out as Russian troops attack “from all sides.”
01:25 GMT / 19:25 CST: Ukraine foreign minister: Russian army is “firing from all sides” on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The Russian army is “firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Friday.
“Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!” Kuleba said.
00:55 GMT / 18:55 CST: Official urges Russian troops to stop attacking nuclear power plant
As we told you in our 00.01 post, the Mayor of Energodar Dmytro Orlov has said parts of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has caught fire after coming under attack by Russian troops.
Now a spokesperson for the Zaporizhzhia power plant has urged Russian forces to stop their attack.
“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Andriy Tuz, said in a video posted on Telegram.
00:35 GMT / 18:35 CST: Russian troops are shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Ukraine, AP reported
“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Andriy Tuz, spokesperson for the plant in Enerhodar, said in a video posted on Telegram. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.”
The plant accounts for about one quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.
The fighting at Enerhodar, a city on the Dnieper River that accounts for one-quarter of the country’s power generation, came as another round of talks between the two sides yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors inside Ukraine to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid.
00:20 GMT / 18:20 CST: US Pentagon official praises Ukraine forces
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby commended the effort Ukrainian forces are putting forth as the Russian invasion continues.
“They are fighting bravely in the streets, and outside their cities, and they are fighting very creatively,” Kirby said while speaking live with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
As for the Russian convoy that has seemingly stalled outside of Kyiv, Kirby said he feels that Russia remains focused on completing a siege of the capital city.
00:00 GMT / 18:00 CST: How the ruble exchange rate has changed since Putin came to power
NEXTA, the largest media outlet in Eastern Europe, published on its Twitter account an analysis of how the exchange rate of the ruble has changed since 2000, after Putin came to power. The results are incredible.
23:40 GMT / 17:40 CST: Next wave of Ukrainian refugees likely to be more vulnerable to illness, says WHO
The next wave of refugees to flee Ukraine are likely to be even more vulnerable to illness and economic hardship than the one million people who have already left to escape the Russian invasion, a senior World Health Organisation official has said.
According to Reuters, Hans Kluge said the situation was already a “humanitarian catastrophe” that was set to worsen as Russian troops surround and bombard major Ukrainian cities.
23:20 GMT/ 17:20 CST: Charter plane carrying Russian nationals held at Canadian airport
A charter aircraft carrying Russian foreign nationals has been held at the Yellowknife airport in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has said.
“We will continue to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine,” Mr Alghabra added.
23:05 GMT /17:05 CST: Biden administration extends immigration relief to Ukrainians in the US
The Department of Homeland Security will allow Ukrainians who are in the United States to remain in the country under a form of humanitarian relief.
The relief – known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS – applies to people who would face extreme hardship if they were forced to return to homelands devastated by armed conflict or natural disasters. As such, these protections are limited to people already in the United States. DHS secretary has the discretion to designate a country for TPS.
22:52 GMT/ 16:52 CST: Anti-tank hedgehogs can now be seen in the very heart of Kyiv
22:30 GMT/ 16:30 CST: Thousands of people in Berlin are welcoming Ukrainian refugees fleeing war
22:09 GMT/ 16:09 CST: Economist says Russian invasion could lead to largest wheat shortage in history
21:44 GMT/ 15:44 CST: Busses are moving in Kherson
Kremlin’s analyst and researcher Olga Lautman believes Russia may be moving people in for rallies for propaganda videos and fake referendums.”
21: 16 GMT/ 15:16 CST: Ukrainian sniper killed Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the Russian 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District
20:48 GMT/ 14: 48 CST: JP Morgan Russia’s economy to contract 35% in the second quarter and 7% in 2022
JP Morgan expects Russia’s economy to contract 35% in the second quarter and 7% in 2022.
20: 12 GMT/ 14:12 CST: 33 dead civilians and 18 wounded during the Russian shelling in Chernihiv
Former Ukraine’s Ambassador to Austria Olexander Scherba reported 33 dead civilians and 18 wounded during the “barbaric” shelling of residential area in Chernihiv.
19:47 GMT/ 13:42 CST/ Confirmation of a thermal power plant struck in Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast
19:25 GMT/ 1325 CST: Ukrainian MPs held a session in the parliament today despite Russian bombs in Kiyv
A video of Ukrainian MPs signing national anthem of Ukraine.
Despite Russian bombs attacking Kyiv, they had a session in the parliament today to vote for the essential laws.
19:05 FMT/ 13:05 CST Today Special Forces of Ukraine’s intelligence have destroyed 20 Russian commando BMD vehicles
According to ZN.UA international desk editor Alexander Khrebet, Ukrainian Special Forces destroyed 20 Russian commando BMD vehicles in Hostomel.
18:50 GMT / 12:50 CST: Putin claims invasion is going to plan
Vladimir Putin has spoken this Thursday afternoon and has insisted that the invasion of Ukraine is going to plan. “I want to say that the special military operation is proceeding strictly in line with the timetable, according to plan,” the Russian president stated. “All the tasks that have been set are being successfully resolved. Our soldiers and officers are fighting for Russia, for a peaceful life for the citizens of Donbas, for the denazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine, so that we can’t be threatened by an anti-Russia right on our borders that the west has been creating for years.”
18:30 GMT / 12:30 CST: Ukraine agrees temporary ceasefire for humanitarian corridors
Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential advisor, has announced that there will be a temporary ceasefire to set up humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and for the delivery of food and medical supplies.
18:20 GMT / 12:20 CST: Ukraine warns of fake reports of surrender
The Ukrainian authorities are warning citizens that there are false reports of a peace treaty having been signed with Russia. Hackers have reportedly posted this misinformation on some regional governmental websites.
17:50 GMT / 11:50 CST: OSCE Moscow Mechanism launched for potential war crimes
Ukraine has launched the OSCE Moscow Mechanism on Russia’s invasion together with 45 other countries, with this mechanism to be used to monitor any potential war crimes that may be committed during this conflict.
17:25 GMT / 11:25 CST: Zelenskiy wants a one-to-one meeting with Putin
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stated that he wants to have direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin. “Sit down with me, and not 30 metres away,” he said, joking about Putin‘s extra long meeting tables. “We are not attacking Russia and we do not plan to attack it. What do you want from us? Leave our land.”
16:55 GMT / 10:55 CST: Russian plans for public executions in Ukraine
According to Bloomberg, intelligence officials have intercepted documents that outline Russia’s tactics for lowering the morale of the Ukrainian people. These tactics include: crackdowns on protests, detention of opponents and potential public executions.
16:35 GMT / 10:35 CST: Concern over power stations
Russian troops are closing in on two key power stations in the south of Ukraine. At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, ordinary civilians are standing in the way to block Russian passage as they know how vital it is.
16:10 GMT / 10:10 CST: Chernihiv death toll hits 22
There was shelling in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv earlier this Thursday, with that Russian attack having killed 22 civilians. There could be more deaths, but this is the number of bodies already recovered from the rubble.
15:40 GMT / 09:40 CST: More EU money for Ukraine
Ukraine is set to receive additional funds from the European Union, with European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis announcing that at least 600m euros will be provided in the month of March.
15:10 GMT / 09:10 CST: More talks take place between Ukraine and Russia
According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak, he and fellow Ukrainian officials have started fresh talks with their Russian counterparts in Belarus. Ukraine’s main priority is for an immediate ceasefire.
14:30 GMT/08:30 CST: Macron’s response to Putin
Earlier we heard from the Kremlin about what Russian president Vladimir Putin said to French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, but now we have heard what Macron said to Putin from the French side.
“There was nothing in what president Putin said that could reassure us,” the French presidential adviser said.
“‘You are lying to yourself’,” Macron told Putin, the official said. “‘It will cost your country dearly, your country will end up isolated, weakened and under sanctions for a very long time.'”
14:00 GMT/08:00 CST: More airstrikes in Ukraine
A Russian airstrike hit two schools and private houses in Ukraine‘s Chernihiv region on Thursday, killing at least nine people, the governor Viacheslav Chaus has confirmed.
13:30 GMT/07:30 CST: Putin’s call with Macron
Russian president Vladimir Putin has told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russia‘s goal of demilitarising and securing a neutral status in Ukraine will be achieved, the Kremlin has said.
13:00 GMT/07:00 CST: Evidence of Russian attacks
Amnesty International have reported at least three Russian attacks in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on February 28, with one including the Russian-manufactured 300mm Smerch rockets with 9N235 cluster munitions.
12:30 GMT/06:30 CST: More peace talks today
A Ukrainian presidential adviser has confirmed that Ukrainian delegation is travelling by helicopter to meet with Russian counterparts for a second round of peace talks.
12:00 GMT/06:00 CST: Foreign fighters arriving in Ukraine
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has confirmed that 16,000 foreign volunteer fighters are on their way to help the country against Russia‘s invasion.
11:30 GMT/05:30 CST: Usmanov’s superyacht seized in Germany
The authorities in Germany have reportedly seized the $600m superyacht which belongs to Uzbek-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov in a Hamburg shipyard.
11:00 GMT/05:00 CST: Mariupol city council condemns Russian attacks
Mariupol city council has claimed that Russia‘s shelling of critical civilian infrastructure has left many without water, heating or power, while they have been prevented from bringing in supplies or evacuating people.
“We are being destroyed as a nation. This is genocide of Ukrainian people,” the council said.
10:30 GMT/04:30 CST: Vitali Klitschko’s update on Kyiv
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, has described the situation in the Ukrainian capital as “difficult but under control”. He said that there were no casualties overnight and that the explosions during the night were Ukrainian air defences striking down incoming Russian missiles.
10:00 GMT/04:00 CST: Germany to help Ukraine
Germany is set to deliver 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, according to reports in the German media on Thursday morning.
09:30 GMT/03:30 CST: One million people have fled Ukraine
The head of the United Nations refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, has confirmed that one million people have left Ukraine to neighbouring countries as a result of Russia’s invasion.
09:00 GMT/03:00 CST: Liberal media outlet in Russia shut down
One of Russia’s last remaining liberal media outlets, Ekho Moskvy radio station, has been dissolved by its board after coming under pressure due to its coverage of the war in Ukraine, its editor said on Thursday.
08:30 GMT/02:30 CST: Russian and Belarusian athletes banned from Winter Paralympic Games
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have confirmed that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games.
08:00 GMT/02:00 CST: Russian advance on Kyiv has made little progress
Russia have made it their goal to try and seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but the United Kingdom’s ministry of defence (MoD) have revealed that Vladimir Putin‘s soldiers have made little progress.
“The main body of the large Russian column advancing on Kyiv remains over 30km from the centre of the city having been delayed by staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion. The column has made little discernible progress in over three days,” read the MoD’s report.
“Despite heavy Russian shelling, the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol remain in Ukrainian hands. Some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson, but the military situation remains unclear.”
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