February 26, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it is now a "crucial moment" to decide on his country's membership in the European Union, in a tweet on Saturday.

"It is a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine's membership in the #EU. Discussed with @eucopresident further effective assistance and the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their free future," a tweet on his verified Twitter page said.

Defiant words: Earlier Saturday as the battle for Kyiv continued, Zelensky took to the social media platform a number of times to post updates.

In one 40-second video titled "do not believe the fakes," the president said: "I am here. We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this.

"That is it. That's all I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine," he added.

In a separate tweet on Saturday morning, he also said: "A new day on the diplomatic frontline began with a conversation with @EmmanuelMacron. Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working!"

French support: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday warned that the war in Ukraine and the crisis around it “will last” as he predicted impacts on food markets. 

"If I can tell you one thing this morning, it is that this war will last," Macron told France's annual agriculture fair.

"This crisis will last, this war will last and all the crises that come with it will have lasting consequences," Macron added, warning: "We must be prepared.

“French and Europeans, we will be there,” he said, “to build short and medium-term responses to try and fully secure our energy.”

The president said that the crisis’ “impact on our lives” will also extend to the world of farmers and food, without providing further details. 

Olga lives in the Left Bank part of Kyiv, the area of the city that is to the east of Dnieper. 

Her little son Vadim, a kindergartener, is sleeping in the bathroom these days, the safest place in the apartment. 

“I sit next to him and caress him when he is not happy with something in his dream,” she said. “We are not going to the shelter, it does not guarantee 100% safety, and it can affect the psychology of a child. At home, he sleeps well, eats and thinks it's all fun,” she said. 

Olga described hearing many explosions between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Saturday morning that sounded like they were coming from the north.

“It's calm now, she said on Saturday morning. “Finally, I can take a nap.”

Oleksandra Ochman contributed to this report.

Russia's defense ministry said Saturday it launched cruise missile strikes overnight against targets in Ukraine — but claimed it exclusively targeted military infrastructure, as videos emerged of a residential high-rise near Kyiv that was struck by a missile or rocket fire.

Scenes on the ground: CNN and other international news outlets have seen and documented damage to civilian infrastructure around Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. 

Images on Saturday morning showed severe damage to the outside of an apartment building in western Kyiv, with the outer walls blown out entirely for several apartment units. Emergency workers are on the scene, helping to evacuate residents. The extent of casualties is not yet clear.

The Russian ministry statement also claimed units of the Russian armed forces had taken control over the city of Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine. CNN on Thursday verified and geolocated footage circulating on social media of a massive explosion at Melitopol Airport. 

As fighting in Kyiv intensified on Saturday, a top Chinese diplomat defended China's long-held position on protecting national sovereignty -- adding that it "applies equally to the Ukraine issue."

Liu previously served as the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The UN Security Council vote: Liu's comments are especially striking as China had been one of the three countries that abstained from voting for a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine, at a Friday night meeting.

India and the UAE also abstained from voting, while Russia used its veto power as a permanent seat on the council to block the measure. After the vote, 50 countries released a joint statement accusing Russia of abusing its veto power.

China's position on Ukraine: Over the last few days, as other countries moved to punish Russia and President Vladimir Putin, China has avoided condemning the invasion, instead calling for peace and diplomacy -- and pointing the finger at the US instead for "fueling fires."

Any action from the Security Council "should be truly conducive to defusing the crisis, rather than adding fuel to fire," said China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun on Friday.

Volodymyr Zelensky approached a lectern under bright lights, preparing to deliver a message to the Ukrainian people.

"Today I will start with long-awaited words, which I wish to announce with pride," he said.

"Finally," he continued. "Ukraine is United ... This is our victory."

The speech was fiction: It is from the closing scene of "Servant of the People," a satirical TV show about a down-on-his-luck high-school teacher, played by Zelensky, who is thrust into the Ukrainian presidency after his rant about corruption goes viral.

The series didn't just make Zelensky a star. It eventually served as the springboard for his real-life presidential campaign. In April 2019, within a month of the show's finale, the comedian-turned politician was elected Ukraine's President.

Zelensky again found himself in front of a lectern Friday, but the picture he outlined in the show's final moments has never felt further away as Russia's war of aggression moved closer to the capital.

The battle for Kyiv continued to rage Friday. Explosions lit up the sky as the Kremlin targeted the city with missile strikes before dawn, forcing people into air raid shelters.

In his Friday morning televised address, the Ukrainian President struck a defiant tone and praised the country's armed forces for "brilliantly defending the country."

Read the full story here.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry has released images of the apartment building in Kyiv that was damaged early Saturday, which show emergency workers helping evacuate residents.

The photos show several apartment units blown out entirely, their outer walls and windows missing -- a gaping hole in the building's side.

The sidewalk below the building is littered with debris. Some windows on the bottom few floors appear smashed, with similar damage on adjacent low rooftops.

One photo shows two emergency responders carrying a woman away from the scene, with other workers running in the background.

War arrived on the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday, as the country's military battled to hold back advancing Russian troops in multiple locations, forcing residents to seek shelter amid the sound of explosions and gunfire.

If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:

The residents of Kyiv lived through yet another terrifying night as Russian forces entered the city limits.

While the previous two nights were marked by the sounds of sporadic explosions coming from further away, Friday night was different.

There were bursts of small arms fire, orange lines of fire going up into the sky. Gunfire could be heard near the city center. At dawn, a fire broke in western Kyiv after an apartment building was struck by missile or rocket 

The city remained dark with curtains drawn and lights off, an attempt to become invisible to the enemy. 

As the sun rose, Ukrainian Interior Ministry issued a warning to the people of Kyiv, saying active fighting was taking place on the streets of the capital city, although there was no sign of conflict yet in the city center.

Residents were told to stay indoors and away from the windows, an advice they followed diligently. There was not a soul in the streets around the city center as morning arrived, in contrast to the bustling streets just a few days ago. Many had spent the night in subway stations and underground garages, seeking safe havens from any potential explosions. 

As Russian troops close in on the city, the opportunities to escape the violence are getting fewer and far between. On Friday night, the Ukrainian Railway Company put out several special evacuation trains to the west, saying women, children and those with limited mobility would be given priority.

The passengers were told not to be alarmed if the lights go off. “The less the train looks like a garland, the safer the journey,” the company said.

A residential building near Kyiv's second airport was struck by a missile or rocket fire early Saturday, with images from the scene showing a large impact some ten floors up.

The outer walls of several apartment units appear blown out entirely, the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose. Smoke is still hanging in the air.

The cause of the strike is unclear. 

Emergency services are at the scene, but the extent of casualties is unknown, said Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.

In a tweet Saturday morning, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba shared a photo of the damaged building. "Kyiv, our splendid, peaceful city, survived another night under attacks by Russian ground forces, missiles," he wrote. "I demand the world: fully isolate Russia, expel ambassadors, oil embargo, ruin its economy. Stop Russian war criminals!"