LAST UPDATE | 25 Feb 2022
UKRAINIAN FORCES ARE reportedly fighting Russian troops near the capital on the second day of a conflict that has claimed dozens of lives, as the EU approved sanctions targeting President Vladimir Putin.
Small arms fire and explosions were heard in the city’s northern district of Obolonsky as what appeared to be an advance party of Russia’s invasion force left a trail of destruction.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied Western warnings to unleash a full-scale invasion on Thursday that displaced at least 100,000 people and prompted condemnation from around the world.
Meanwhile, the EU has agreed to freeze Putin’s assets in an escalation of sanctions.
If you’re just catching up on what’s been happening throughout the day, here’s the latest:
And if you want to know more, take a look back at our earlier liveblog.
AFP is reporting small arms fire and explosions were heard in Kyiv’s northern district of Obolonsky as what appeared to be an advance party of Russia’s invasion force left a trail of destruction.
The Ukrainian defence ministry has told civilians to resist.
“We urge citizens to inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails, and neutralise the enemy,” it said.
Ukraine said 137 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed since Russia began its air and ground assault yesterday.
Despite earlier saying he was ready to negotiate with Ukraine, President Putin has in his most recent comments called on Ukraine’s army to remove leadership in Kyiv.
The Russian president also repeated unfounded comments about his troops fighting “terrorists” in Ukraine.
Kyiv residents have been, since early this morning, trying to get out of the city as Russian troops advanced:
Thousands of Ukrainians rushed to train station as Russian soldiers are advancing towards the Kyiv city center pic.twitter.com/jEp0OEOxqg
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 25, 2022
People of all nationalities, currently in Kyiv scramble to get on trains leaving the city. pic.twitter.com/A5DvArFTPV
— Justin Yau (@PDocumentarians) February 25, 2022
Some breaking news: The International Olympic Committee has urged all international sports federations to cancel their forthcoming events in Russia.
“They should take the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarussian governments into account and give the safety and security of the athletes absolute priority,” the IOC said in a statement.
Our reporter Rónán Duffy is at the Russian Embassy in Dublin where a large protest is taking place.
Moldovan @MariusMarsejnii who spoke at yesterday's demonstration at Leinster House now speaking at Russian Embassy pic.twitter.com/2uOqDKFATo
— Rónán Duffy (@ronanduffy_) February 25, 2022
The head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has said 18,000 assault rifles have been distributed to volunteers.
The focus internationally is on what’s happening around Kyiv – and what’s going to happen there over the course of this evening.
However, there is fighting in several other parts of the country:
A map of military actions at the moment. pic.twitter.com/29caQRWLJt
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 25, 2022
Kherson regional administration reports that Russian forces have broken through Ukrainian defenses near the city #Ukraine
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 25, 2022
#Russia continues bloody shelling at residential areas. In Sumy region they fired multiple rocket launchers at houses, shelter and kindergarten. There are heavily injured kids – Head of Sumy Region. Admin.
— Maria Zolkina (@Mariia_Zolkina) February 25, 2022
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has just issued an intelligence update on the Ukraine situation stating:
US media is now quoting officials who say Russian forces have launched an amphibious assault (from the sea) west of Mariupol, which is in the south-east of the country.
Officials have also said Russian forces have launched more than 200 missiles, with soem hitting civilian residential areas.
As international leaders continue to announce sanctions – and consider more - The Czech Republic and Poland have each now said they will close their airspace starting from midnight to flights by Russian carriers.
A similar decision was also taken by the UK government, which on Thursday banned Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot from flying over Britain. Moscow responded today by banning all UK-linked planes, including transiting flights, from Russian airspace.
Moldova has closed its airspace entirely, with all flights being directed to other airports.
In a statement this afternoon, Amnesty International said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been “marked by indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals”.
It pointed out that indiscriminate attacks violate international humanitarian law (the laws of war) and can constitute as war crimes.
“Our research verifies violations in international humanitarian law. Our Crisis Evidence Lab analysed digital evidence of three attacks carried out in Vuhledar, Kharkiv and Uman in the early hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.”
You’ll find more from Amnesty International here.
Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has called for significant strengthening of EU sanctions on Russia, including the expulsion of the Russian Ambassador to Ireland.
Speaking this afternoon, McDonald said;
It is clear that significantly strengthened sanctions on Russia are needed. The situation has now reached a point where this must include the expulsion of the Russian Ambassador to Ireland.
The sanctions announced to date against the Russian Federation and the oligarch elites close to President Putin are having no effect in deterring the invasion of Ukraine. They are simply insufficient to persuade Putin to reverse course.
In the latest statement coming from the Kremlin, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that after Russian and Ukrainian officials had discussed Minsk as a possible venue for talks, Ukrainian officials said they were unwilling to travel to the Belarusian capital and would prefer to meet in Nato member Poland.
Meanwhile Russia’s membership of the Council of Europe has been suspended.
Permanent representatives of its 47 member states “agreed to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Council of Europe,” invoking Article 8 of its statute, the body said in a statement.
Some breaking news: The European Broadcasting Union has announced that Russia will not be allowed to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
In a statement the EBU said the decision reflects concerns that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry would “bring the competition into disrepute”.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has said more than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in less than 48 hours, with the majority going to Poland and Moldova.
“Heartfelt thanks to governments and people of countries keeping their borders open and welcoming refugees,” he said.
Our reporter Rónán Duffy has more from the protest outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin:
The crowd sang and chanted slogans opposed to the Russian invasion. Chants included: ‘Military help, for Ukraine’ and ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’ in the direction of the embassy.
Several speakers used a megaphone to call for military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine from the international community. One speaker used a slogan seeking air support for the Ukrainian military: “Shelter the skies and we will handle the rest.”
You can read more about the protest here.
AFP is reporting the European Central Bank has said it is eady to support price and financial stability in the eurozone if needed during the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
“We will evaluate the impact of rising energy prices which are likely in the short term to increase inflation,” ECB chief Christine Lagarde said.
ITV news editor Emma Burrows has been given a document from the Russian Ministry of Health which shows it is preparing for a major medical emergency:
EXCLUSIVE: I have been given a copy of document issued today by Russian Ministry of Health. It indicates Russia is anticipating a massive medical emergency & has ordered health organisations to immediately identify medical staff ready to relocate & work. pic.twitter.com/iwl7NwqbZ8
— Emma Burrows (@EJ_Burrows) February 25, 2022
Freelance reporter Olga Tokariuk has said for those trying to get west from Kyiv it is a “desperate effort” and those without their own car are left with few options.
I'm in a safe location now, but my heart is breaking for my friends with kids who are desperately looking for ways to flee Kyiv, as the city is bombed by Russia. There are hundreds of thousands people in this situation now
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) February 25, 2022
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to catch up with the news today, here are some of the main points:
Ukraine’s president has posted a new video from Kyiv with his top aides and the Prime Minister:
Zelensky posts a video with top aides + his prime minister, apparently from above ground in Kyiv.
— Felix Light (@felix_light) February 25, 2022
“We are all here, our soldiers are here … we are defending our independence” pic.twitter.com/CX7s7Rq0ED
There has been heavy fighting today in Kharviv, located in the northeast of Ukraine, with multiple reports of artillery and gunfire throughout the day.
There are also reports of a very large fire on the outskirts of the city this evening
Three Ireland has said that all charges for calls and texts from Ireland to Ukraine will be credited back to accounts.
In a tweet, they added that all roaming charges anywhere in Ukraine will be dropped as part of efforts to allow people to contact loved ones in Ukrainbe.
For our customers in Ukraine or those contacting loved ones from Ireland, we're here to help in any way we can.
— Three Ireland (@ThreeIreland) February 25, 2022
We have removed roaming charges anywhere in Ukraine, and charges associated with calls and texts from Ireland to Ukraine will be credited back to your account.
Queues for petrol are being reported in Ukraine this evening, with cars stretching down the road at forecourts.
Limits on the amount of petrol or diesel that can be bought have also been reported.
Lines for gas in Ukraine stretch down the road. And they don’t let you fill your tank - 20 liter (5 gallon) limit. pic.twitter.com/sX7oHmQG78
— Eleanor Beardsley (@ElBeardsley) February 25, 2022
Flights to Dublin by Russian airline Aeroflot have been cancelled.
In a statement to AFP this evening, it said that it was suspending both flights to London and Dublin following sanctions issued by the UK against the Russian airline.
“Due to restrictions imposed by the UK authorities, Aeroflot is suspending all flights to London and Dublin until May 23, 2022,” said Aeroflot.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is currently holding a press conference following a virtual summit, where he confirmed that additional air defence systems would be sent to Ukraine, as well as additional weapons.
Stoltenberg has also said that Ukrainian forces are putting up a resistance to Russian attackers moving in across the country.
“It is still a fluid situation. What we have seen is that the Ukrainian forces are fighting bravely and are actually able to inflict damage on the invading Russian forces,” Stoltenberg said after a video summit of NATO leaders, according to AFP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he spoke with US President Joe Biden about military aid and sanctions this evening.
“Strengthening sanctions, concrete defence assistance and an anti-war coalition have just been discussed” with Biden, Zelensky wrote on Twitter, adding that Ukraine was “grateful” for “strong” American support.
Strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an anti-war coalition have just been discussed with @POTUS. Grateful to 🇺🇸 for the strong support to 🇺🇦!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022
Pope Francis has tweeted condemning the invasion of Ukraine, describing war as “a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation”.
#PrayTogether #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/WUyGuMLYzG
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 25, 2022
The World Health Organisation is “deeply worried” about the fate of civilians in Ukraine, the UN agency’s European head has told AFP.
“I am deeply worried about the safety, health, and well-being of civilians in Ukraine. I am also concerned that the significant progress made in strengthening the health system in Ukraine in recent years could be derailed,” said Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe director.
“The immediate health risks relate to casualties, as we receive reports of fighting and shelling from across the country. Hospitals will urgently need emergency supplies, including medicines, along with trauma and surgery kits,” Kluge added.
At present, the WHO is packing life-saving surgical kits in Dubai for transport into Ukraine, potentially through Poland.
Poland's PM has confirmed that "the Polish border is open for all Ukrainians, even those without a valid ID document."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 25, 2022
He has even said that they are 'welcome to bring their pets with them'.https://t.co/X3flQUBL0r
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/pPjfRhcKpA
Facebook’s parent company Meta said that Russia will be hitting its services with restrictions after the social media giant refused authorities’ order to stop fact-checkers and content warning labels on its platforms.
“Ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organise for action,” Meta’s Nick Clegg said in a statement. “We want to continue to make their voices heard.”
Ordinary Russians are using @Meta's apps to express themselves and organize for action. We want them to continue to make their voices heard, share what’s happening, and organize through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. pic.twitter.com/FjTovgslCe
— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) February 25, 2022
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has branded Vladimir Putin the “Hitler of the 21st century”.
Speaking to RTÉ’s DriveTime, the Tánaiste acknowledged that sanctions such as the potential banning of Russia from the Swift payment network would have economic implications for Ireland. But he said those consequences needed to be accepted given the situation in Ukraine.
“I don’t think we’re in that space where we can be concerned about the economic impact on Ireland when a democratic country in the European Union is being invaded and the attempt is being made to overthrow a democratic government there,” he told RTÉ Radio One.
Varadkar added: “The last time I can think of that happening in Europe is in the 1930s and I think we should see this conflict in that context. We knew that Putin was a bad man, we’ve known that for a long time now, but we didn’t think that he would be the Hitler of the 21st century and I think he’s putting himself into that space.”
Russia’s Ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov has addressed the widespread calls for his expulsion
In an interview with RTÉ’s David McCullagh, Filatov said: “That’s a good question, you might ask that of your government, it’s up to them.”
RTÉ Six One interview with Russia’s Ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov | Live updates: https://t.co/65zqcDbQ9X pic.twitter.com/1y7QfJUkh7
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 25, 2022
You might remember earlier today, the Helix Theatre in Dublin cancelled a performance of Swan Lake by the Royal Moscow ballet this evening “in solidarity” with Ukraine. The company, made up of different nationalities, said it is in no way funded or sponsored by the Russian government.
In a similar move, London’s Royal Opera House has announced this evening that it is cancelling a season of performances by Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Ballet.
AFP reported earlier that in Germany, acclaimed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev was told to speak out against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or risk losing his job as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic.
Kildare South TD Cathal Berry, who is a former officer in the Irish Defence Forces, has suggested Ireland send its short-range anti-air weapon systems and anti-tank missiles to Ukrainian forces.
“I know some people who need them more than we do right now,” Berry tweeted.
🇮🇪 has dozens of Javelin anti-tank missiles & hundreds of disposable SRAAWs.
— Cathal Berry TD (@BerryCathal) February 25, 2022
I know some people who need them more than we do right now.
If they lose this battle it’s not the words of their enemy they will remember, but the silence of their friends…
Your thoughts?@UKRinIRL pic.twitter.com/jbO0UjTKIX
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said he and fellow EU Foreign Ministers have decided as a bloc not to expel Russian ambassadors but “this and other possible diplomatic measures remain on the table”.
Following today’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were added to the EU’s sanctions list.
In a statement this evening, Coveney said he made the case for the inclusion of SWIFT in a further package of sanctions which is expected to be agreed upon in the coming days. Around 300 Russian banks use SWIFT.
Ukraine has lobbied fiercely for a SWIFT ban on Russia, but Germany and Italy– which rely on SWIFT to pay for Russian natural gas deliveries – are hesitant.
Here’s a brief rundown of today’s developments:
The United States has dismissed Russia’s offer of talks with Ukraine as not serious and called on Moscow to show its commitment to diplomacy by withdrawing troops from the country.
After invading Ukraine, “now we see Moscow suggesting diplomacy take place at the barrel of a gun. This is not real diplomacy,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Live now! @StateDeptSpox Ned Price briefs reporters from the State Department. Also streaming live on https://t.co/58Uc9lIgDz and https://t.co/Fbj9DtJvjB. https://t.co/DvXTbnWNcG
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 25, 2022
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the US will follow the EU and UK and place sanctions on Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov.
Psaki is currently hosting a press briefing:
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he has extended a flight ban meaning “no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace, or touchdown – effective immediately”.
Putin’s actions are unlawful and anyone benefitting from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is not welcome here. I’ve strengthened our ban in the UK so that no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace, or touchdown – effective immediately.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 25, 2022
White House press secretary Jen Psaki says that a travel ban would be part of the US sanctions. She added that Russia “going after” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be a “horrific act” as Putin called for him to be overthrown.
Western sanctions against Putin and Lavrov are a sign of the West’s “impotency”, a Russian foreign ministry official has said.
“Sanctions against the president and the foreign minister of a country are an example and a demonstration of the complete impotence of the foreign policy” of the West, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russian television.
She added that Moscow’s relations with the West were close to a “point of no return”: “We have reached the line after which the point of no return begins.”
UK Prime Minister has addressed a message directly to the people of Russia, saying in Russian: “I do not believe this war is in your name.”
Johnson also spoke Ukrainian after urging an end to the conflict “because the world needs a free and sovereign Ukraine”.
He said: “The scenes unfolding in the streets and fields of Ukraine are nothing short of a tragedy.
“Brave young soldiers and innocent civilians are being cut down, tanks are rumbling through towns and cities, missiles raining indiscriminately from the skies. It’s a generation or more since we witnessed such bloodshed in Europe. We hoped we would never have to see such sights again.”
To the people of Ukraine: Slava Ukraini.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 25, 2022
To the people of Russia: I do not believe this war is in your name.
This crisis, this tragedy, can and must come to an end. Because the world needs a free and sovereign Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ijbAAb8G67
Hundreds of people gathered in Belfast this evening to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian nationals were among the crowd that gathered outside City Hall for the demonstration and vigil.
Several Ukrainians who live in Northern Ireland addressed the event. One told the crowd: “This meeting was created just to join everybody and show that people don’t war, Ukrainians don’t want war.”
The protest also heard calls from Amnesty International for the Stormont authorities to “step up” plans to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict.
Similar protests took place in Dublin and other cities around the world:
Canada has announced that it will move to freeze the assets of Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following the European Union, UK and US in directly sanctioning top Russian leadership.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he supports barring Russia from the SWIFT banking system, and that discussions are ongoing with European allies “who are reflecting on this very carefully”.
The UN Security Council is set to vote tonight on a resolution that would condemn Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine “in the strongest terms”, and demand an immediate halt to Russia’s invasion and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.
The vote is not expected to pass given Russia has a veto but all eyes are on how China will vote, or whether it will abstain.
Sky News reporter Mark Stone says sources on the council are confident China will abstain which would be a blow to Russia.
Hearing that western diplomats at the Security Council are increasingly confident that they have peeled China away from Russia in the imminent vote, persuading Beijing to abstain rather than vote against the resolution. In the quest to isolate Russia this would be significant.
— Mark Stone (@Stone_SkyNews) February 25, 2022
With reporting from PA and AFP.
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