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4 hours ago
More than 150,000 people have fled Ukraine, says UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Saturday that more than 150,000 people have been forced to flee Russian violence in Ukraine.
"More than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have now crossed into neighboring countries, half of them to Poland and many to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and beyond," he said.
"Displacement in Ukraine is also growing, but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid," Grandi said in a tweet on Saturday.
Refugees from Ukraine enter Przemysl, Poland, after crossing the border on Saturday.
(Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance/Getty Images)
5 hours ago
Ukrainians defy Russia's attack as battle enters day four
Massive explosions lit up the night sky near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Sunday as Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attempts to take control of the historic city.
Two large explosions appeared to have occurred around Vasylkiv, a small town with a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks, about 30 kilometers or south of Kyiv.
The blasts come as Ukrainian forces engage in fierce fighting with Russian troops in several cities across the country, as ordinary Ukrainians and reservists join forces to defend their homes and families against Russian violence.
War crimes accusations:
Concerns are now mounting that Russia may seek to deploy indiscriminate battlefield weaponry in civilian areas in a desperate attempt to crush Ukrainian resistance.
On Saturday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal accused Russia of war crimes, saying Russian forces bombed kindergartens, residential blocks and "buses with children."
Although Russia has claimed that it is not targeting civilian infrastructure, a growing body of evidence on the ground suggests otherwise.
Civilian deaths:
Ukraine has reported multiple civilian deaths, including a six-year-old boy who was killed in intense gunfire in a western district of Kyiv on Saturday night, according to a local hospital.
A woman has died after a nine-story residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by "enemy artillery" on Saturday night, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
And on Saturday, a large residential apartment block in western Kyiv was hit by what a Ukrainian government minister described as a Russian missile, as city residents were forced to seek shelter after a terrifying night peppered with of gunshots and explosions.
Michael Kofman, director of the research program at the Russia Studies Program at CNA, a Washington-based think tank, tweeted: “I think today we have seen a shift in Russian targets toward critical civilian infrastructure, increased use of MLRS and artillery in suburban areas.
Unfortunately, my concern is starting to materialize that this is going to get much uglier and affect civilians," he said.
6 hours ago
What you should know about the situation in Ukraine this Sunday
Ukraine's highly motivated and outgunned forces held their capital Kyiv against Russian attack for a fourth day on Sunday as battles raged across the country as defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to defend their country against the invading forces.
If you just joined this minute by minute, here's what you need to know:
Civilian deaths:
Heavy gunfire in a western district of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killed a six-year-old boy on Saturday night and wounded several others, according to a local hospital.
Separately, Ukraine's state emergency service said a nine-story residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by "enemy artillery" on Saturday night, killing a woman.
On the ground:
Two large explosions lit up the night sky southwest of Kyiv early Sunday.
They appear to have been around Vasylkiv, about 30 kilometers south of Kyiv, a city with a large military airfield and multiple fuel tanks.
Shortly afterward, CNN verified video of a fire in an oil storage area at Vasylkiv Air Base, southwest of the air base's main runway.
Russian banks kicked out of SWIFT:
The White House, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Canada said they support the kicking out of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the highly secure network that connects thousands of institutions around the world, and pledged efforts to "collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin."
Banned Russian planes:
Germany ordered a ban on Russian planes entering the country's airspace, according to German Transport Minister Volker Wissing.
It joins Estonia, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia in banning Russian airlines from their airspace.
Targeting civilian infrastructure:
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said he condemns "very strongly" Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Despite Russian denials, reports of apartment buildings and kindergartens bombed, civilians killed and rockets found in residential streets have been coming in since the beginning of the offensive.
Protests around the world:
Cities around the world have seen demonstrations in support of Ukraine this weekend, including in St. Petersburg, Washington DC, Barcelona, New York, Brussels, Millan, Tbilisi, and London.
Meanwhile, nearly 2,700 people have been detained at anti-war protests in Russia since Thursday, the independent protest monitoring site OVD-Info said.
Military aid to Ukraine:
Germany will deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine in a major policy shift after resisting earlier calls from Kyiv for defensive weaponry.
And the US authorized $350 million in new US military assistance to Ukraine, including "anti-armor and anti-aircraft systems, small arms and ammunition of various calibers," a Biden administration official said.
7 hours ago
Lithuanian military aid reaches Ukraine
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry said in a tweet early Sunday that military aid from the Baltic country had reached Ukraine.
"Lithuanian military aid shipment has arrived in Ukraine. Lithuania will continue to provide support to our dear friend Ukraine!" the tweet read.
7 hours ago
Inside the battle for Kyiv
Russia launched a brutal and unprovoked military attack on Ukraine.
Now the outgunned Ukrainian forces are fighting to keep the capital, Kyiv, and the country's independence.
CNN follows how the invasion unfolded, from the first explosions near the capital in the early hours before dawn Thursday, to residents facing a harrowing decision to flee their homes, to Ukrainians surveying the damage from the alleged Russian air strikes as they prepared for conflict.
Interactive: Inside the Battle for Kyiv
Russia advances slower than expected 5:10