The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Blasts heard in Kyiv as Russian forces close in

Key updates
'It’s my home, it’s my land’: Ukrainians return from abroad to join battle against Russia
Map: Ukrainian capital a primary target of Russian attacks
U.S. will join E.U. in sanctioning Putin and Lavrov, White House says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainian soldiers in the early hours of Feb. 26, saying, “We have to persevere tonight.” (Video: The Washington Post)
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Updated February 25, 2022 at 10:35 p.m. EST|Published February 25, 2022 at 12:57 a.m. EST
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KYIV, UKRAINE — A barrage of explosions thundered in Kyiv overnight Saturday, hours after the nation’s leader hauntingly predicted a full-scale attack on the capital city, determining the fate of the country.

Shelling in northern Kyiv and a suburb near the city center sounded as Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed near the seat of government. Earlier in the evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his citizens in a video message to prepare for Russians storming Kyiv, saying Ukraine “can’t lose the capital.”

“This night they will begin to storm,” Zelensky said. “We all have to know what awaits us, and we have to withstand. The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”  
'It’s my home, it’s my land’: Ukrainians return from abroad to join battle against Russia
Map: Ukrainian capital a primary target of Russian attacks
U.S. will join E.U. in sanctioning Putin and Lavrov, White House says

Here’s what to know

  • The United Nations failed to adopt a U.S.-backed resolution condemning the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine after Russia vetoed the measure. Beijing’s decision to abstain was seen as an achievement for the United States.
  • The United States plans to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday after E.U. foreign ministers agreed to freeze the assets of Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
  • Putin has called on Ukraine’s armed forces to “take power” from Zelensky and a group in Kyiv that the Russian president described as “neo-Nazis.”
  • Radiation levels at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site in Ukraine remain in a safe range after Russian forces captured the facility Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
  • More than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled the country in less than 48 hours, mostly to Poland and Moldova, according to the United Nations’ high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi.
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Here's what to know:

The United Nations failed to adopt a U.S.-backed resolution condemning the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine after Russia vetoed the measure. Beijing’s decision to abstain was seen as an achievement for the United States.
The United States plans to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday after E.U. foreign ministers agreed to freeze the assets of Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Putin has called on Ukraine’s armed forces to “take power” from Zelensky and a group in Kyiv that the Russian president described as “neo-Nazis.”
Radiation levels at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site in Ukraine remain in a safe range after Russian forces captured the facility Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
More than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled the country in less than 48 hours, mostly to Poland and Moldova, according to the United Nations’ high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi.

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