Fighting on streets of Ukraine capital, residential buildings targeted

On Day 3 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow on Saturday said it is bombarding Ukraine’s military infrastructure “with long-range precision weapons using air- and sea-launched cruise missiles”. The Russian forces have captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, reported news agency Reuters.

The capital city of Kyiv is facing a major threat, as frequent artillery blasts could be heard in the early hours. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to stand up to the invasion, while the European Union and the United States refuse to send troops. A UN emergency meeting saw a series of sharp remarks against the Kremlin as Russia vetoed a resolution to call back its troops,

Here are the latest updates on how far along the Russian forces are in Ukraine:

Russian forces have closed in on Ukraine’s capital in an apparent encircling movement after a barrage of air attacks on cities and military bases around the country. Kyiv saw fighting on streets, reports said, in signs of worrying escalation. Residential buidlings were also targeted.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a missile slammed into a high-rise building on the southwestern outskirts of Kyiv near Zhuliany airport on Saturday. The Russian airborne forces landed near the city overnight and tried to seize the base in Vasylkiv, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Kyiv, its mayor Natalia Balansynovych said. She also said that fierce fighting is underway in the central street of the city.

Small groups of Russian forces also, but failed to make any gains, according to the Ukrainian military. Russia is yet to release a statement.

At the southern border, intense fighting is underway in Kherson just north of Crimea, and in the Black Sea ports of Mykolaiv, Odesa and around Mariupol.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Russia considers it a priority to seize the south, but it has failed to make any significant gains, according to the Reuters’ report.