Latest on Ukraine crisis:

Latest on Ukraine crisis:

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

Russian forces would enter areas just outside Kyiv later on Friday even though Ukrainian units were defending positions on four fronts despite being outnumbered, a top Ukrainian defence official said.

Ukraine's nuclear agency said it was recording increased radiation levels from the site of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which has been captured by Russian forces.

Russia intends to take the whole of Ukraine but its army failed to deliver on the first day of its invasion, Britain's defence secretary said.

Britain would like to cut off Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payments system, the defence secretary said. France's finance minister said it would be a "last resort".

Ukrainian forces downed an aircraft over Kyiv, which then crashed into a residential building, a government adviser said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his aim was to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine. He said any hindrance would be met by "such consequences that you have never encountered in your history".

The United States, Britain, Canada, the EU, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and others unveiled sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, military exports and members of Putin's inner circle.

Russia banned British airlines from landing at its airports or crossing its airspace after Britain banned flights of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot.

Protests in Russia 🇷🇺 

Russians shocked by the invasion turned out by the thousands for street protests in Moscow and other cities. They signed open letters and online petitions demanding the Kremlin halt the assault. One petition garnered 330,000 signatures by the end of the day. The crackdown was swift. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow.

#amebonewshub