Ukraine-Russia latest news: Zelensky accuses Moscow of war crimes as Putin launches attack on Kharkiv and Kyiv

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‘We will give you arms’: Zelensky asks people to defend Ukraine during speech

Heavy fighting is underway in Ukraine’s second city after Russian troops entered Kharkiv in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Toxic fumes from an explosion an oil depot in Vasylkiv prompted the Kyiv authorities to ask citizens to stay indoors and keep windows shut, while a gas pipeline outside Kharkiv was set ablaze by Russian troops.

Kyiv appeared relatively calm, although fighting is reportedly taking place just west of the capital, with reports of a bridge blown up potentially slowing Russian progress.

In a move labelled “propaganda” by Kyiv, the Kremlin claimed Russian delegates had arrived in Belarus for peace talks with Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready for discussions, but rejected the offer to hold them in Belarus, calling it an invasion staging ground.

Alleging that Vladimir Putin’s forces were targeting civilians, in an invasion amounting to an act of genocide and “state terrorism”, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had submitted an application against Russia to the International Court of Justice, accusing Moscow of “manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression.”

Key PointsShow latest update 1645961093Nordic countries prepare to shut airspace to Russian planes ahead of possible EU-wide ban

Sweden, Finland and Denmark have said they are preparing to close their airspace to Russian planes, joining a string of European countries taking the same measure.

The moves follow similar closures of airspace to Russia’s aircraft in the UK, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Germany and Iceland have also said they are preparing to do so.

A European Union-wide ban for Russian flights could be part of a fresh package of sanctions on Moscow to be discussed later on Sunday by the bloc’s foreign ministers, an EU official told Reuters.

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 11:24

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Here are some more images from Ukraine this morning, where Russian forces are fighting in the country’s second city, Kharkiv, and to the west of the capital.

A Ukrainian serviceman observes rising smoke from a burned petroleum storage depot near Kyiv

(EPA/ALISA YAKUBOVYCH)

A woman walks past bags in front of the Mayor’s office building during a curfew in Kyiv

(REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

Residents wait in a shelter in Kyiv on Sunday

(Daphne Rousseau/AFP via Getty Images)

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 11:20

1645960031Ukraine has submitted application to the Hague over Russia’s invasion, Zelensky says

Ukraine has submitted an application against Russia to the Hague, president Volodymyr Zelenksy has claimed, following his allegation this morning that Moscow’s invasion amounted to genocide.

“Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the [International Court of Justice],” Mr Zelensky tweeted.

“Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week.”

Earlier today, Mr Zelensky said: “Russia has taken the path of evil and the world should come to depriving it of its UN Security Council seat.”

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 11:07

1645959514Snake Island soldiers who told Russian warship ‘go f**k yourself’ might still be alive

A group of Ukrainian soldiers thought to have died while defending a small island in the Black Sea after telling a Russian warship “go f**k yourself” might still be alive, officials have said.

The 13 border guards had been defending the remote Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a largely uninhabited but strategically important strip of land in the Black Sea, about 186 miles (300km) west of Crimea when a Russian vessel approached on Thursday.

While an earlier statement from Ukraine suggested they had been killed – a claim Russia denied – the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU) said on Saturday: “We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive.

“Preliminary information that border guards may be dead came before the defenders lost contact. We sincerely hope that the boys will return home as soon as possible. Glory to Ukrainian defenders!”

My colleague Matt Mathers has the full story:

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:58

1645959166 Russia has lost more than 4,000 troops, Ukrainian politician claims

Russian forces have lost about 4,300 servicemen in their invasion, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister has claimed – but said that the number was being clarified.

Russian troops had lost some 146 tanks, 27 aircraft and 26 helicopters, Hanna Maliar claimed.

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:52

1645958554Russian ‘peace delegation’ in Belarus ‘means only one thing’, Kyiv says

A Ukrainian presidential aide has suggested that Moscow’s claim this morning that Russian delegates were in Belarus awaiting peace talks with Ukrainian officials can “mean only one thing”.

The Kremlin was reported by Russian media as saying this morning that its delegates had arrived in Gomel, while warning that its military operation would not be suspended during any potential talks.

But Kyiv rejected the move as “propaganda”, saying Moscow knew such a move would be “pointless”.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open for talks in a neutral location – but not Belarus, as Minsk was complicit in the Russian invasion.

“The fact that a Russian delegation arrived in Gomel with a proposal to conduct peace talks from a military point of view means only one thing: they have lost the initiative and are now unable to continue active hostilities,” said presidential aide Oleksiy Aristovych.

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:42

1645958167Ukraine will hold out ‘as long as needed’, Kyiv’s ambassador to the UK says

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, has said he believes his country will hold out for “as long as needed” against Russia, arguing that Kyiv has friends and support from abroad, while Moscow has “miscalculated”.

“They came with 150,000 troops. It’s totally not enough,” he told the BBC’s Sunday Morning program with Sophie Raworth.

Suggesting Russia had believed Ukraine would be an “easy target”, which had proven not to be the case, he added: “The whole nation is against them.”

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:36

1645957864Visas for Ukrainian families of ‘terrified’ UK residents is ‘least UK can do’, Labor MP says

In a column for Independent Voices, Labor MP Jess Phillips argues today that “the very least the UK can do is to work with allies to provide humanitarian assistance and support to those fleeing Ukraine”.

“My constituents should be able to immediately apply for visas for their families to join them here,” Ms Phillips writes.

“The Labor Party has called for the Home Office to place staff in neighboring countries to create reception centres, in order to end the bureaucracy and delay.

“My British Afghan constituents could teach them a thing or two about how dreadful this has been for them. I don’t want my Ukrainian constituents to have the same experience.”

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:31

1645957556Liz Truss ‘absolutely’ supports individual Brits going to fight in Ukraine

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she would “absolutely” support individual Brits going to fight Russian forces in Ukraine, saying people can “make their own decisions”, our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports.

It comes after the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, called on the country’s international “friends” to help them defend the country against the Kremlin’s advances.

As the invasion entered its fourth day, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba added: “Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. ”

While the UK government has ruled out sending British troops to the region, she added ministers were doing “all we can” to supply defensive weapons to the Eastern European country.

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:25

1645956949At least 200,000 Ukrainians have left country, UN says

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko has said neighboring nations to Ukraine have “opened up their hearts and homes” to receive as many Ukrainians as possible.

“That’s easier for immediate evacuation,” he told BBC’s Sunday Morning program with Sophie Raworth, adding that nations further afield will be asked to financially help smaller nations in their efforts.

His comments came as the United Nations refugee agency said the latest count of Ukrainians arriving in neighbors countries now exceeded 200,000 – up from an estimate of at least 150,000 on Saturday.

A UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman said last night that there was a 14km backlog at the Polish border, with waiting times of 40 hours to cross, as temperatures hit -2C.

Andy Gregory27 February 2022 10:15

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