Attacks across Ukraine as dozens die in Russian invasion

As deadly combat neared the outskirts of Kyiv, invading Russian soldiers pushed farther into Ukraine, prompting the West to respond with harsh sanctions.

After President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale ground invasion and air assault on Ukraine on Thursday, Russian missiles and mortars rained down on Ukrainian cities, forcing citizens to seek cover in subway systems and displacing 100,000 people.

After the first day of battle, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 137 “heroes” had been murdered across Ukraine, mobilizing conscripts and reservists across the country to fight.

The US sought to slap penalties on Russian elites and banks, but emphasized that US military would not travel to eastern Europe to fight in Ukraine, instead defending “every inch” of NATO territory.

In a later address, Zelensky said there was now a “new iron barrier” between Russia and the rest of the world, similar to the Cold War, and that his country had been “left alone.”

“Who is willing to join us in the fight? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone.”

The IAEA nuclear watchdog called for “caution” after Ukraine said Russian forces had seized the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which is still extensively damaged with radioactive material after a deadly 1986 disaster.

Russian paratroopers wrested control of the crucial Gostomel airfield, on the fringes of Kyiv’s northwestern suburbs, after swooping in with helicopters and jets from Belarus, witnesses told AFP.

“The helicopters arrived, and the combat began. They were using machine guns, grenade launchers, and other weapons “Sergiy Storozhuk, a local, stated.

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