Russian invasion of Ukraine: Attack on Kyiv – what you missed overnight

Echoes of the London Blitz as Ukrainians take cover from heavy shelling in Kyiv

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was rocked by explosions in the early hours of Friday morning, as the Russian President Vladimir Putin pressed on with his full-scale invasion.

A Ukrainian aircraft was reportedly shot down by the Russian air defence, lighting up the night sky before falling over a densely populated part of the city’s suburbs.

On Thursday night, Ukranians in cities across the country spent their first night under the shadow of war, sleeping in bunkers and in basements. …

Russia is believed to have deployed S-400 air defence systems in neighbouring southern Belarus as well as Su-35S fighters, which could be capable of shooting down aircraft over Kyiv.

Security experts said the development was worrying as it suggested Ukraine had lost control of the skies over its capital.

“Horrific Russian rocket strikes on Kyiv,” tweeted Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. “Last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany. Ukraine defeated that evil and will defeat this one. Stop Putin. Isolate Russia. Sever all ties. Kick Russia out of everywhere.”