Ukraine conflict: Putin troops overcome strategically important point - but according to the USA, the Russian invasion is paralysed

Created: 02/26/2022, 06:17

By: Klaus-Maria Mehr, Andreas Schmid, Felix Durach

Numerous deaths and injuries have already been reported in the Ukraine conflict.

In the meantime, the war has apparently also reached Kiev.

News ticker.

• The Russia-Ukraine conflict * has escalated: Putin's troops are now reaching Kiev

  (see update from February 25, 10:05 a.m.).

  Russian troops are blocking the Ukrainian capital from the west

  (see update of February 25, 2:20 p.m.).

• Several dead: Both sides give new numbers of victims

  (see update from February 25, 3:50 p.m.)

  .

• According to the US, Russia's invasion has "lost momentum"

  (see update of February 25, 5:55 p.m.)

  .

• This

  news ticker about the events in Ukraine

  has ended.

  All information on the Ukraine war can be found in our new news ticker and on our topic page on the Ukraine conflict*.

Update from February 25, 6:42 p.m

.: According to its own statements, Russia has put a total of 211 Ukrainian military objects “out of action”.

This was announced by Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Friday evening in Moscow.

Such statements cannot be verified independently.

According to Konashenkov, six Ukrainian fighter jets, one helicopter and five drones were also shot down.

67 tanks were also destroyed.

The military spokesman also said the Russians had seized weapons that had been made available to Ukraine from the West in recent months, including American anti-tank missiles.

Konashenkov spoke of "trophies".

Konashenkov also said that separatist fighters from the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk have now advanced 25 kilometers into an area previously controlled by Ukrainian government troops.

Luhansk fighters advanced 21 kilometers further with Russian support.

Ukraine conflict: Russian troops cross Dnipro river

Update from February 25, 6:20 p.m

.: After heavy fighting, Russian troops crossed the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.

This means that they now have access to the strategically important city of Cherson, the regional administration announced on Friday.

The city with almost 300,000 inhabitants plays an important role in protecting the port city of Odessa in the southwest of the country.

Previously, there had been reports that the Russian invasion of the Ukraine conflict was slowing down

.

Ukraine conflict: US says Russia invasion has “lost momentum”

Update from February 25, 5:55 p.m

.: Russia's invasion of the Ukraine conflict is apparently taking place more slowly than planned.

Russia has made less progress than expected, reports US broadcaster Fox News, citing a US adviser.

"The Russians have lost a bit of their momentum," said an unnamed US defense official.

“No population centers were captured.

Russia has not yet achieved air superiority.”

The official pointed out that Ukraine's air and missile defenses are still functioning, albeit in a weakened form.

"We anticipate that Russian forces will face greater resistance than they anticipated," the official added.

The Ukrainian command and control structure is intact.

Tagesschau24 also took up the reports and referred to US experts, but without naming names.

Update from February 25, 5:10 p.m .:

The Russian military said on Friday afternoon that they had managed to take control of the strategically important Hostomel airfield on the outskirts of the capital Kiev.

According to the official statement, more than 200 helicopters were involved in the operation that led to the capture of the airfield.

In the statement, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claims that the Ukrainian leadership is deliberately placing anti-aircraft systems in residential areas to provoke return fire on civilians.

Konashenkov continued to call on the Ukrainian people to rise up against their "terrorist" government.

President Putin had previously made similar requests and allegations in a video message.

Ukraine conflict: Kiev "in defense mode" - new casualties announced

Update from February 25, 3:50 p.m.:

According to the Ukrainian military, more than 1,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the Russian invasion began on Thursday.

"Russian mothers are sending their sons to certain death because the Ukrainian armed forces are holding the lines and will defend their country against the occupiers," the statement said.

Loss information is currently difficult to verify from independent sources and should be treated with caution.

The Russian Defense Ministry had previously stated that it had not suffered any casualties during the march on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

In this photo released by the press service of the Ukrainian police, firefighters clear the damage to a building after a rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital.

Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of Kiev.

© Uncredited/Ukrainian Police Department Press Service/AP/dpa

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Ukraine's Unian news agency that the city was "in defense mode." "The situation is difficult, but we believe in and support our armed forces," Klitschko continued.

Ukraine conflict: Russian forces blockade Kiev from the west

Update from February 25, 2:20 p.m .:

The Russian armed forces blocked the Ukrainian capital Kiev from the west.

This was announced by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday afternoon.

The strategically important Hostomel airfield northwest of the metropolis was also taken by Russian troops.

According to Russian information, 200 Ukrainians were "neutralized".

According to the reports, there were no own losses.

The actions were not initially confirmed by the Ukrainian side.

As fighting rages on in Ukraine, the Russian government has shown a willingness to negotiate for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine began.

But only if the Ukrainian armed forces laid down their arms.

Ukraine conflict: Fighting for Mariupol - 35 civilians injured

Update from February 25, 1:50 p.m .:

According to official information, 35 civilians were injured in an attack on the city of Mariupol on the Black Sea, nine of them seriously.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko told the Unian news agency that pro-Russian separatists had also shelled civilian buildings.

In the meantime, however, the situation in Mariupol is said to be under control.

The port city in the administrative district of Donetsk is of great strategic importance.

A first advance on the city could apparently be prevented.

Update from February 25, 12:45 p.m .:

Russia took over the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant * in the Ukraine war.

We explain what could be behind it at

Ukraine conflict: US intelligence estimates - Kiev could fall in a few days

Update from February 25, 12:20 p.m .:

According to a CNN report, US intelligence officials are concerned that the Ukrainian capital of Kiev could come under Russian control within a few days.

The information is based on two anonymous sources.

Accordingly, the original US assessment remains that the city could be overrun within one to four days after a Russian attack.

Officials didn't seem to want to say whether the officials believe that Kiev will fall.

Current Russia-Ukraine conflict: Residents of Kiev should avoid parts of the city

Update from February 25, 11:57 a.m .:

Residents of Kiev should currently avoid the north-west of the city and not stay there on the street.

The authorities of the Ukrainian capital called for this.

"In connection with the approach of active hostilities, residents of the Obolon district are asked not to go outside," the request read.

This map shows the territories already conquered in the Ukraine war.

Update from February 25, 11:35 a.m .:

The government in Kiev has distributed around 18,000 weapons and ammunition to reservists in the region around the capital to ward off a Russian attack.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had already arranged for men between the ages of 18 and 60 to no longer be allowed to leave the country to help with the defense.

Ukraine has also announced that Russia will launch an attack on the Ukrainian capital from two sides.

Since Russian troops were pushed back in the north-east of the city, attempts were now being made to cut a path to Kiev from the east via the city of Konotop.

Regime change, world war, fall of Putin: We explain other possible scenarios in the Ukraine war here at

*.

Ukraine war: Russian troops in front of Kiev - fear in the streets

Take to the streets with Ukrainian flags, film the Russian occupiers.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense

Update from February 25, 10:57 am:

In the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, there is fear on the streets in view of an expected Russian advance in the Ukraine war.

A correspondent for the German Press Agency reported that patrols armed with assault rifles were on the move in the city center.

Streets and squares were empty.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense called on the population to block Russian military vehicles everywhere.

“Come out onto the streets with Ukrainian flags, film the Russian occupiers.

Show them that they are not wanted here, that everyone will resist them," it said in an emotional appeal.

However, the residents should stay away from hostilities so that the Ukrainian military can “do their job”.

According to other media reports, shots have already been fired in this Ukraine conflict,

Ukraine conflict: A plane wreck between houses in Kiev.

© GENYA SAVILOV / AFP

Update from February 25, 10:49 a.m .: According to

information, there are heavy battles on some streets in Kiev.

Accordingly, Russian and Ukrainian troops are facing each other in a northern district.

Infantry fighting vehicles may be deployed on the Ukrainian side, and Russian ground troops have marched into the city.

Such information cannot be independently verified at this time.

Update from February 25, 10:38 a.m .:

Several media reports, citing the AP news agency, that shots were heard near the government headquarters in Kiev.

Current Ukraine conflict: the population should protect themselves with Molotov cocktails

Update from February 25, 10:29 a.m .:

What does Vladimir Putin want to achieve with the Ukraine war?

An expert sees three possible targets - and a "great danger".

Update from February 25, 10:05 a.m .:

The Ministry of Defense in Ukraine announced on Twitter that citizens in Obolon, north of Kiev, should not leave their homes.

In addition, they are supposed to defend themselves against the Russian troops with Molotov cocktails.

According to the information, the first Russian units have advanced into the capital Kiev.

Russian "saboteurs" were staying in the Obolon district of Kiev, the agency said on Facebook on Friday.

Such information cannot currently be independently verified.

According to Russia, a total of 118 Ukrainian military objects have been "out of action", including eleven military airports.

This was announced by Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Friday in Moscow.

Such statements cannot be independently verified.

According to Konashenkov, five Ukrainian fighter jets, a helicopter and five drones were also shot down.

This map illustrates where the Ukraine war is raging.

Ukraine war: Tank attacks on Kiev possible on Friday

Update from February 25, 9:12 a.m .:

During the day there could be tank attacks on the capital Kiev.

"Today will be the hardest day," says Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, according to

.

Russia apparently plans to break through to Kiev with tanks from Ivankiv and Chernihiv.

Anti-tank missiles are ready.

Russian T-72 tanks rolled through Ukraine on Thursday (February 24).

© Konstantin Mihalchevskiy/Imago

Ukraine conflict: Russian military on the way to Kiev

Update from February 25, 8.45 a.m .:

The Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine is said to have announced that the Russian military had confiscated two vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces.

writes

on Twitter.

According to them, they dressed in Ukrainian uniforms and moved to the center of Kiev.

They are apparently followed by a convoy of Russian military trucks.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army says it is fighting advancing Russian troops north of the capital Kiev.

As the Ukrainian armed forces announced on Facebook on Friday, there was fighting in the towns of Dymer, which is around 45 kilometers north of Kiev, and Ivankiv, around 80 kilometers north of the capital.

"A large number of enemy tanks had arrived there".

You can read Germany's reactions to the Ukraine war in our current news ticker.

Ukraine conflict: Zelenskyj makes serious allegations against Russia's army

Update from February 25, 7:20 a.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has accused the Russian army of also targeting civilian areas in its attacks.

At the same time, on Friday morning, the head of state praised the Ukrainians for their "heroism" in the face of the Russian advance.

Russia must "talk" with Ukraine "sooner or later" to end the fighting, he said.

So far Zelenskyy seems not to have reached Putin - but Macron spoke with the Russian President.

Russia attacks Ukraine: Heavy fighting reported in Kiev region

Update from February 25, 6.45 a.m .:

According to the General Staff, Ukrainian troops are fighting fierce battles with Russian attackers in the Kiev region.

In Ivankiv, about 80 kilometers northwest of the Ukrainian capital, paratroopers met an "overwhelming" number of Russian troops advancing in armored vehicles.

A bridge had been destroyed.

The general staff also announced that fighting was also going on at the strategically important Hostomel airfield northwest of Kiev.

Ukrainian troops also held their ground there.

In addition, there are Russian airstrikes in several cities.

The sirens wailed again in Kiev, as a correspondent for the German Press Agency reported.

The city administration called on all citizens to get as safe as possible.

The city's subway stations, which have a population of about 2.8 million, served as shelters.

Police officers inspected an area after a Russian attack in Kiev on February 24.

© Emilio Morenatti/dpa

Ukraine war: Several dead and injured on Friday night

Update from February 25, 5.40 a.m

.: The Ukrainian border guard has reported fatalities from rocket fire at one of its posts in the south of the country on the Azov Sea.

The authorities said on Facebook that there were several dead and injured in the Ukraine war on Friday night.

The town of Primorskyj Posad is located on the coast between the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia, and the eastern Ukrainian separatist area.

The Ukrainian military assumes that the Russian army wants to capture a corridor between the two areas.

We explain what the Ukraine conflict with Russia is all about*.

In addition, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba

tweeted on Friday night: "Terrible Russian rocket attacks on Kiev."

was attacked by Nazi Germany.” Despite the massive attacks, the minister was demonstratively optimistic: “Ukraine has defeated this evil and will defeat it.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits a position of the Ukrainian army.

© Ukrainian President's Office/imago-images

Ukraine conflict current: explosions in Kiev - debris of a rocket hit

Update from February 25, 4.43 a.m .:

Several explosions shook the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Friday night (February 25).

This was reported by the Unian agency.

Among other things, a multi-storey residential building on the east bank of the Dnipro River was hit, where fire broke out.

The city administration announced on Telegram that debris from a rocket had hit there.

Three people were injured.

There, Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down a Russian aircraft, wrote an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister.

Update from February 25, 3:43 a.m .:

A reporter team from the US news channel CNN reported three explosions in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Apparently, the capital of Ukraine was fired with rockets, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister told reporters.

"Attacks on Kiev with cruise missiles or ballistic missiles continued."

Ukraine War: Confrontation on Snake Island

Update from February 25, 2:57 a.m .:

According to information from the US news broadcaster CNN, an audio recording from Ukraine has appeared, which is an argument between Ukrainian soldiers and a Russian officer.

Specifically, the recording should come from Snake Island in the Black Sea, which Russia took on Thursday (February 24).

All Ukrainian defenders of the island were killed, reported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the audio recording, the Russian officer said, "This is a Russian warship.

I suggest that you lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed.

Otherwise we will open fire.” A Ukrainian soldier replied: “Russian warship, fuck off.”  

Ukraine conflict: Russian army mostly engaged

Update from February 25, 2 a.m.:

According to the Ukrainian general staff, the Russian army has advanced into Ukraine with a large part of its troops.

A military spokesman told the German Press Agency of 60 tactical battalion groups, which are fast combat troops with 600 to 1000 soldiers.

According to the information, the Russian army has assembled around 90 such groups.

Russia is concentrating on the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

The main goal is to blockade the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Update from February 25, 12:47 a.m .:

According to information from the news channel CNN, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj believes that Russian sabotage groups have penetrated the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

He added: "According to our information, the enemy has marked me as target #1 and my family as target #2.

They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.”

Ukraine-Russia conflict at night: President orders general mobilization

Update from February 25, 00:27:

The Russian invasion killed more than 130 people on the Ukrainian side, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Today we lost 137 of our heroes, our citizens.

Military and civilians,” said the President of Ukraine in a video speech on Friday night (February 25, 2022).

In addition, 316 people were injured in the fighting.

Update from February 24, 11:42 p.m .:

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj ordered general mobilization.

Because of Russia's "military aggression," reservists and conscripts from across the country would be called to arms within 90 days, according to a decree published on Thursday evening.

Russia had launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine in the morning, invading from multiple sides.

Ukraine War: Fighting continues in the country - Ghostly silence in Kiev

Update from February 24, 11:33 p.m .:

While the fighting in many places in Ukraine continues through the night, it is eerily quiet in the capital Kiev in the north-west of the country.

There is martial law and a curfew.

That's why there are hardly any cars driving over the otherwise very busy Maidan, Independence Square in the center of Kiev, symbol and center of the Orange Revolution in 2004, when the Ukrainians successfully defended themselves against electoral fraud.

Likewise in 2014 the stage for the Euromaidan protests.

The Maidan, usually noisy, lively and full of European flags.

Now completely empty, dead, as documented by this live cam.

Many fled Kiev during the day today.

Those who stayed are now sitting at home, waiting in agonizing uncertainty for Putin's next step.

Will the Russian military take Kiev again that night?

How many troops have already gathered around the metropolis?

Does Ukraine even have a chance to resist a full-scale invasion?

Ukraine conflict: 100,000 people fleeing - 137 dead

Update from February 24, 11:01 p.m.:

The Russian invasion killed 137 people on the Ukrainian side, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In addition, 316 people were injured in the fighting, said Selenskyj in a video speech on Friday night.

The UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) speaks of 100,000 Ukrainians who are already fleeing within the country.

"There has clearly been significant displacement within the country and there is movement towards borders and abroad," a UNHCR spokeswoman said in Geneva on Thursday evening.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu tweeted in the evening that more than 4,000 people crossed the border from Ukraine on Thursday.

"Our borders are open to people from Ukraine who need safe residence or want to transit,"

writes Sandu on Twitter.

Moldova is considered one of the poorest countries in Europe.

Ukraine conflict: Men between 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country

Update from February 24, 10:45 p.m .:

Meanwhile, there are dramatic effects for all refugees in Ukraine: Due to the imposed state of emergency, according to Ukrainian authorities, male Ukrainian citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country.

They will not be allowed across the border, said the head of the Ukrainian customs authority in Lviv, Danil Menshikov, on Facebook on Thursday evening.

He asked people not to panic and not try to cross the border on their own.

Ukraine conflict: where is the Russian army?

Situation still confusing - reference to strategy

February 24 update, 10:23 p.m.:

Did the Ukrainian military underestimate Putin's determination?

In any case, hardly anyone expected a total pincer attack on Ukrainian territory by Putin's Russia.

On the contrary, most observers suspected an invasion of the eastern separatist areas already controlled by pro-Russian groups - probably also by the Ukrainian army.

The front line there is at least the only one from which the Ukrainian army - at least - reports holding positions.

Die Situation im Einsatzgebiet Donezk sei angespannt, werde aber von der Armee kontrolliert, heißt es in einem Bericht der ukrainischen Armee am Donnerstagabend. Der Beschuss durch Russland dauere an. Trotz umfangreicher Angriffe sei es „dem Feind“ nicht gelungen, aus dem Osten tief in die Ukraine vorzudringen. Alle wichtigen Siedlungen und wichtige Infrastruktur halte man weiter. Nach aktuellem Stand seien keine weiteren Versuche des Durchbruchs durch „den Feind“ registriert worden. An manchen Orten sei die Feueraktivität zurückgegangen.

Ganz anders die Lage im Westen der Ukraine. Nördlich und südlich der Hauptstadt Kiew wird immer wieder von einem schnellen Vorrücken und Erfolgen der russischen Armee berichtet. Tschernobyl inklusive der stillgelegten Reaktoranlage wurde eingenommen. Es gibt Berichte von russischen Bodentruppen, die von der Schwarzmeerküste vorrücken und Falschirmjäger, die nahe Kiew landen.

Update from February 24, 9:45 p.m .:

According to Russian government information, a Russian transport plane with military equipment on board crashed near the border with Ukraine.

The Antonov An-26 crashed in the Voronezh region in southern Russia on Thursday, Russian news agencies quoted a statement from the Defense Ministry as saying on Thursday.

The crew died in the process.

It was not disclosed how many crew members were on board.

Apparently overwhelming: Russian tanks, here in the north of the Crimean Peninsula on Thursday morning.

© Konstantin Mihalchevskiy/Imago

Update vom 24. Februar, 21.22 Uhr: Kiew ist von russischen Truppen umzingelt, wieder sind Explosionen in Kiew zu hören. Putins Armee steht offenbar kurz vor der ukrainischen Hauptstadt. Die BBC meldet, dass russische Fallschirmspringer 40 Kilometer von Kiew entfernt abspringen. Westliche Geheimdienste gehen von einer Eroberung Kiews noch in dieser Nacht aus. Trotzdem müssen alle Informationen aus der Ukraine freilich immer mit Vorsicht behandelt werden. Verifizieren lässt sich aktuell nichts.

Ukraine-Konflikt: Russland steht kurz vor Kiew - Erboberung wohl Frage von Stunden

Update from February 24, 8:33 p.m .:

Our editors are currently in contact with a Ukrainian whose friends are fighting in the National Guard.

She herself is currently fleeing the city of Kiev in a car.

Because her contacts in the military let her know that she should leave the city within the next hour and a half.

They assume that Kiev is being bombed and will soon be in Russian hands.

It could only be a few hours until then.

Here is the whole on-site report on day 1 of the Ukraine war.*

Traffic jam in a surrounded city: Long columns of cars heading out of town in Kiev.

The capital of Ukraine will probably fall tonight.

© Sergey Starostenko/dpa

Ukraine conflict: Secret service officials: Russia has gained "complete air sovereignty" over Ukraine

Update vom 24. Februar, 20.24 Uhr: Russland hat mit seinem Großangriff auf die Ukraine nach Angaben eines westlichen Geheimdienstvertreters die „vollständige Lufthoheit“ über die Ukraine erlangt. Die Ukraine verfüge nun über keinerlei Luftabwehrkapazitäten mehr, sagte der Geheimdienstvertreter am Donnerstag in Brüssel: „Sie haben keine Luftwaffe mehr, um sich zu schützen.“

Nun nehme die russische Armee die Hauptstadt Kiew ins Visier, sagte der Geheimdienstvertreter weiter. „Viel wird davon abhängen, welchen Widerstand die Ukrainer leisten können. Aber ich gehe davon aus, dass die Russen in den kommenden Stunden versuchen werden, eine überwältigende Macht um die Hauptstadt zusammenzuziehen.“

Update vom 24. Februar, 20.08 Uhr: Die OSZE evakuiert alle Mitarbeiter aus der Ukraine „so schnell wie möglich“, verkündet soeben OSZE-Generalsekretärin Helga Maria Schmid. Dieser Schritt sei aufgrund der andauernden Kämpfe und der sich weiter verschlimmernden Sicherheitslage nötig geworden, so Schmid weiter in einem aktuellen Statement.

Ukraine-Konflikt: OSZE verkündet Abzug ihrer Mitarbeiter „so schnell wie möglich“

Der Abzug der aktuellen OSZE-Mission aus der Ukraine hat historische Dimensionen. Die OSZE (Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa) hat die Friedenssicherung in Europa als oberstes Ziel. Die Mission in der Ukraine beobachtete in allen Regionen des Landes den Konflikt zwischen prorussischen Separatisten und ukrainischer Armee. Die Zustimmung zu der Mission seitens Russland wurde damals von allen Beobachtern als wichtigen Schritt der Entspannung gewertet nach der Annexion der Krim-Halbinsel. Gleichzeitig wird die Lage in der Ukraine mit dem OSZE-Abzug deutlich unübersichtlicher. Die Beobachter hatten bis gestern glaubhafte, unparteiische Berichte aus den Konfliktregionen geliefert. Damit ist es jetzt vorbei.

Ukraine-Konflikt: Putin kreist Kiew offenbar ein

Update vom 24. Februar, 19.55 Uhr: Während Biden in die Kamera spricht, geht die russische Offensive in der Ukraine weiter. Aus dem Ukraine-Konflikt ist heute ein Ukraine-Krieg geworden. Wie lange dieser dauert, ist eine ganz andere Frage. Nach den von beiden Seiten gemeldeten Gebietsgewinnen der russischen Armee vielleicht gar nicht so lange. Putin lässt mit seiner Armee ganz offenbar die ukrainische Hauptstadt Kiew von allen Seiten einkreisen. Immer wieder gibt es Meldungen von durch russische Bodentruppen eingenommene Gebiete. Meldungen von starker, oder sogar erfolgreicher Gegenwehr seitens ukrainischer Truppen haben eher Seltenheitswert.

Update vom 24. Februar, 19.45 Uhr: Biden spricht jetzt. Hier im Video.

Update from February 24, 7:22 p.m

.: Meanwhile, another explosion can be heard in Kiev.

Otherwise, the streets are quiet.

There was also no new bomb alarm in the capital in the evening.

Ukraine conflict: Putin invasion - Russian troops capture Chernobyl

Update from February 24, 7:01 p.m .:

According to the AFP news agency, Russia has taken control of Chernobyl.

Previously, Ukrainian and Russian units fought each other around the former reactor facility.

Russia controls the exclusion zone and all facilities of the nuclear ruins, says Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

According to Ukraine, Russian troops have now taken control of the Chernobyl disaster reactor (archive image).

Before that there had been fierce fighting.

© Efrem Lukatsky/dpa

Update vom 24. Februar, 18.53 Uhr: Der Einmarsch Russlands in die Ukraine dauert nach Angaben aus Moskau an. „Die Spezialmilitäroperation wird fortgesetzt“, sagte der Sprecher des Verteidigungsministeriums, Igor Konaschenkow, am Donnerstag nach Angaben der Agentur Interfax in Moskau. Nach seinen Angaben rückten die Separatistenkämpfer der Gebiete Donezk und Luhansk sechs bis acht Kilometer in ukrainisches Gebiet vor. Die russische Armee habe dabei unterstützt.

Der Sprecher bestätigte die Eroberung des wichtigen Nord-Krim-Kanals. Dadurch sei die Wasserstraße „entsperrt“ und die Wasserversorgung der Schwarzmeer-Halbinsel Krim wieder hergestellt worden. Dabei seien auch russische Fallschirmjäger zum Einsatz gekommen. Nach der Annexion der ukrainischen Halbinsel 2014 durch Russland hatte die Ukraine den für die Wasserversorgung wichtigen Kanal gesperrt.

Update vom 24. Februar, 18.22 Uhr: In etwa einer Stunde will US-Präsident Joe Biden vor die Kameras treten und Amerikas Reaktionen auf Putins Einmarsch in die Ukraine schildern. Hier verfolgen Sie Bidens Statement zur Ukraine live in Video und Ticker. Zuvor traf sich Biden mit den G7-Ländern, um weitere Sanktionen zu besprechen.

Ukraine-Konflikt: Putin im russischen Fernsehen: „Man hat uns keine andere Wahl gelassen“

Parallel tritt Putin vor die Kamera. Er lässt sich mit Geschäftsleuten in Moskau filmen. Zu dem von ihm provozierten Krieg in der Ukraine, sagt Putin: Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat den Angriff auf die Ukraine als absolut notwendige Maßnahme für die Landesverteidigung bezeichnet. „Was hier geschieht, ist eine erzwungene Aktion“, sagte Putin am Donnerstagabend bei einem im Fernsehen übertragenen Treffen mit russischen Geschäftsleuten in Moskau. „Man hat uns keine andere Wahl gelassen.“

Kiew/Moskau, 24. Februar, 17.33 Uhr: Der Ukraine-Konflikt ist am Donnerstag eskaliert. Der Krieg hat begonnen. Russland ist in die Ukraine einmarschiert. Wie die ukrainische Polizei meldete, erstrecken sich die Gefechte mittlerweile nahezu auf das gesamte Land. Der Ukraine-Konflikt* kommt auch in Tschernobyl zum Tragen.

Ukraine-Konflikt: Kämpfe mit russischen Truppen nahe Atommüll-Lager in Tschernobyl

Die Kämpfe in der Ukraine erstrecken sich nach Angaben der Regierung in Kiew auch auf das Gebiet des zerstörten Atomreaktors von Tschernobyl. Nahe dem Atommülllager gebe es Gefechte zwischen ukrainischen und russischen Verbänden, teilte ein Vertreter des Innenministeriums in Kiew mit. Russische Truppen seien von Belarus aus in das nordukrainische Gebiet eingedrungen, die an dem Atommülllager stationierten Soldaten der ukrainischen Nationalgarde leisteten „hartnäckigen Widerstand“ gegen den Angriff.

„Russische Besatzungskräfte versuchen, das Atomkraftwerk Tschernobyl zu erobern“, twitterte Selenskyj am Donnerstag. „Unsere Verteidiger geben ihre Leben dafür, dass sich die Tragödie von 1986 nicht wiederholt.“ Der Staatschef betonte: „Das ist eine Kriegserklärung gegen ganz Europa.“ Das Unglück von Tschernobyl am 26. April 1986 gilt als die größte Katastrophe in der zivilen Nutzung der Atomkraft. Hunderttausende wurden zwangsumgesiedelt. Damals gehörte die Ukraine noch zur Sowjetunion. 

Ukraine-Konflikt: Luftalarm in Kiew - Menschen sollen in Luftschutzbunker

In der ukrainischen Hauptstadt wurde Luftalarm ausgelöst. Die Verwaltung rief am Donnerstagnachmittag alle Bürgerinnen und Bürger auf, sich möglichst in Luftschutzbunkern in Sicherheit zu bringen. Kiew hat etwa 2,8 Millionen Einwohner, die gesamte Ukraine 45 Millionen. Am Morgen waren bereits testweise die Luftschutzsirenen zu hören gewesen. In der Ukraine gilt landesweit seit 5.30 Uhr (4.30 Uhr MEZ) auf Erlass von Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj* das Kriegsrecht, vorerst für 30 Tage. Kiews Bürgermeister Vitali Klitschko* verhängte eine Sperrstunde.

According to the country's army, there is fierce fighting with Russian troops for a military base near Kiev.

As the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zalushny announced on Facebook, there was fighting over the Hostomel military airport in the north of the capital.

Combat helicopters were apparently also deployed in the area.

In this photo released by the press service of the Police Department of Ukraine, Russian military helicopters appear to be flying over the outskirts of Kiev as smoke billows over houses.

The Ukraine conflict escalates.

© Uncredited/Ukrainian Police Department Press Service via AP/dpa

Ukraine conflict: official reports of deaths

Russian President Vladimir Putin* had ordered the invasion of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions during the night.

At noon, the authorities in Ukraine reported Russian attacks from different directions.

By 12 p.m. (CET), Russia had carried out more than 30 attacks with aircraft, artillery and cruise missiles “on Ukrainian civilian and military infrastructure”, the General Staff said.

There are official reports of deaths on both sides.

At least 18 people died in a rocket attack in the Odessa region.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, "nearly 50 Russian soldiers were killed in the Shchastya area."