Kyiv rocked by explosions as Russian tanks close in | First Thing
The UN refugee agency predicts that 4m people may flee Ukraine if the situation continues to worsen. Plus, big oil is all talk and no action on clean energy
Good morning.
Ukrainians are being urged to resist as Russian tanks close in on Kyiv, in a day which could become the hardest day in the war, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister has said. Explosions and gunfire have been heard in the Obolonskyi area, a northern district of Kyiv, as invading Russian forces approached.
The UN refugee agency has predicted that 4 million people may flee Ukraine if the situation escalates further".
The death toll in Ukraine has risen to 137 people, while 316 had been wounded by Russia's invasion and attacks, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in an address late on Thursday.
All men aged 18-60 have been forbidden from leaving Ukraine as the military mobilises, with Zelenskiy declaring martial law.
Russian forces have taken the city of Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine. The city is about 200km west of the Russian border.
Kyiv was shaken by explosions in the early hours of Friday, with Ukraine claiming it had shot down a Russian military aircraft over the city. The interior ministry said a residential tower block had been set alight by the falling debris.
Cars queued for up to 15 hours as thousands attempted to flee Ukraine into Hungary and Poland. Fuel is in short supply, with a 20-litre fuel restriction imposed at six petrol stations and huge queues. Internal flights have been suspended.
Thousands of Russians have protested against the war in dozens of cities including Moscow and St Petersburg, with police arresting at least 1,702 in 53 cities.
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