Explosions over Kyiv as Ukraine faces Russian advance

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Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with the international community to do more, saying the sanctions announced so far were not enough.

Air raid sirens wailed over the city of three million people, where some were sheltering in underground metro stations, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion that has shocked the world. A Ukrainian official said a Russian plane had been shot down and crashed into a building.

An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities in Ukraine. Dozens have been reported killed. Russian troops seized Chornobyl, the former nuclear power plant north of Kyiv, as they advanced on the city from Belarus.

In a hotel in the city centre, guests were directed to a makeshift basement shelter, lined with piles of mattresses and bottles of water. Workers — all local university students — served tea and cookies. Some people ducked out to a courtyard to smoke or get fresh air.

"We're all scared and worried. We don't know what to do then, what's going to happen in a few days," said one of the workers, Lucy Vashaka, 20.

A senior Ukrainian defence official warned that Russian forces would enter areas just outside the capital later Friday after officials said Kyiv and other locations had been struck by Russian missiles in the early hours of the morning.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar added that Ukrainian army units were defending positions on four fronts, despite being outnumbered.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kyiv and topple the government, which Putin regards as a puppet of the United States.

Zelensky, who in a statement posted online talked about the terrible explosions over Kyiv, said he understood Russian troops were coming for him but vowed to stay in the city.

"[The] enemy has marked me down as the No. 1 target," Zelensky said in a video message. "My family is the No. 2 target. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.

"I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine."

In his remarks, the Ukrainian leader warned that military and civilians were under Russian attack. He urged citizens to help one another and "stop the enemy wherever you see it."

Ukraine, he said, is defending its country alone with powerful forces watching from a distance.