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Russia attacks Ukraine: At least 68 civilians have died in Ukraine, UN says

By Bob D’Angelo and Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Bob D’Angelo and Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Ukraine’s forces, outnumbered and outgunned, continued to put up a ferocious defense to Russia’s invasion on Saturday.

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There was intense fighting in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv as Ukrainian defense forces battled to keep control while Russian forces advanced on the city. Fighting has reportedly spilled into the streets.

Russian forces continue to threaten Ukraine from three sides, launching attacks by land, sea and air.

Here are the latest updates:

UN: At least 240 civilians injured, 68 killed amid intense fighting in Ukraine

Update 10:59 p.m. EST Feb. 26: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed late Saturday that at least 240 civilians have been injured in the intense fighting that has engulfed Ukraine for the past three days, resulting in at least 68 civilian deaths, the BBC reported.

The agency also confirmed that damage to homes and critical infrastructure has left hundreds of people without water and electricity.

Meanwhile, more than 160,000 Ukrainians are now displaced and actively attempting to flee across international borders, the BBC reported.

Artillery fire kills civilian in Kharkiv

Update 10:21 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a nine-story residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by “enemy artillery” on Saturday night, killing one woman, CNN reported.

According to the emergency services agency, about 80 people, most of whom had been sheltering in the basement, were rescued from the extensively damaged building, the network reported.

Invading Russian forces explode Kharkiv gas pipeline

Update 9:23 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press late Saturday that Russian forces have blown up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. The government warned that smoke from the huge explosion could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised people to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze.

Russian aircraft banned from German airspace

Update 8:48 p.m. EST Feb. 26: A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Transport confirmed to CNN late Saturday that a restriction is being prepared to ban Russian aircraft from entering its airspace.

Meanwhile, German airline Lufthansa will also avoid Russian airspace effective immediately due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The airline confirmed to CNN through a spokesperson that it will no longer operate services to Russian destinations.

“The safety of our passengers and crew has utmost priority for us at any time,” Lufthansa said in a news statement sent to the network.

Recap of weapons boosts pledged to Ukraine

Update 8:40 p.m. EST Feb. 26: As Russian soldiers continued their advance toward Ukraine’s capital early Sunday morning, the BBC offered the following roundup of pledges for support extended on Saturday to Ukraine by Western allies:

  • The US State Department vowed to send $350 million in weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems and body armor.
  • The German government pledged to provide 1,000 anti-tank grenade launchers and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles on an emergency basis.
  • The Dutch announced deployment of 50 Panzerfaust-3 anti-tank weapons and 400 rockets.
  • Earlier, NATO began deploying more of its forces to Eastern Europe “to respond quickly to any contingency.”

Update 8:40 p.m. EST Feb. 26: As Russian soldiers continued their advance toward Ukraine’s capital early Sunday morning, the BBC offered the following roundup of pledges for support extended on Saturday to Ukraine by Western allies:

· The US State Department vowed to send $350 million in weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems and body armor.

· The German government pledged to provide 1,000 anti-tank grenade launchers and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles on an emergency basis.

· The Dutch announced deployment of 50 Panzerfaust-3 anti-tank weapons and 400 rockets.

· Earlier, NATO began deploying more of its forces to Eastern Europe “to respond quickly to any contingency.”

Snake Island defenders may have survived attack

Update 8:24 p.m. EST Feb. 26: The 13 Ukrainian soldiers presumed dead after defending the Black Sea’s Snake Island from air and sea bombardment by Russian forces on Thursday may still be alive, The Guardian reported.

Ukrainian officials originally announced that the 13 border guards who defended the roughly 40-acre rocky island owned by Ukraine died in Thursday’s assault.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, however, recently issued the following statement, obtained by The Guardian:

“We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive. After receiving information about their possible location, the DPSU together with the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting work on identifying our soldiers.”

‘The night will be difficult here,’ mayor of Vasylkiv says

Update 8:14 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Natalia Balasynovych, mayor of Vasylkiv recorded a Facebook message for residents after explosions rocked the Ukrainian town, CNN reported.

“You can see what is going on, you can see the fire -- unfortunately, this is the petroleum storage depot in Kriachky village. The enemy wants to destroy everything around, but he will not be successful. You’ve seen that during the day there was heavy shelling from ballistic missiles. Our airfield was shelled as well, but we got it, it’s under control of Ukraine,” Balasynovych said, adding, “The night will be difficult here, as well as in Kyiv, but we will stand our ground and we will win, because God is with us.”

Advancing Russian forces face fierce fight in Ukraine

Update 7:52 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Kyiv remained under Ukrainian control early Sunday as Russian forces advancing toward the country’s capital encountered fierce resistance as the fourth consecutive day of fighting began.

After a series of predawn explosions lit up the skies south of Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that one of the blasts occurred near the Zhuliany airport.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Vasylkiv, about 25 miles south of Kyiv, said an oil depot there was hit, the AP reported.

To date, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have fled for Poland, Moldova and other neighboring countries, and the United Nations warned the number could increase to 4 million if fighting escalates.

Map shows Russian advancement into Ukraine

Update 7:35 p.m. EST Feb. 26: By 7:30 p.m. EST Saturday, Russian troops had moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east. Unanticipated resistance in Kyiv, however, has thwarted Russia’s advances from the south, The Washington Post reported, providing the map below:

Russian activity in Ukraine By 7:30 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, Russian troops had moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east. The Washington Post created this illustrated map. (The Washington Post)

Elon Musk activates SpaceX’s Starlink satellites over Ukraine

Update 7:25 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Elon Musk confirmed via Twitter Saturday evening that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are now active over Ukraine.

Musk’s action was in direct response to a direct plea from Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation.

Russia claims explosion at strategic Ukrainian dam

Update 7:02 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Video verified by The Washington Post late Saturday captured a large explosion at a strategic Ukrainian dam along the Northern Crimean Canal that had stoked increasing water rights tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

Although it is unclear who originally filmed the video, Russian media shared it widely, claiming responsibility for the destruction, the Post reported.

Per the newspaper: “The first frames of the video show the bridge crossing the river had already fallen by the time of the explosion. Recent images show the bridge was intact as recently as January. Then, a large cloud of black and grey dust envelops the area. Rubble showers down into the river.”

Explosions light up Ukraine sky

Update @ 6:46 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Two large explosions illuminated the early Sunday morning sky just southwest of Kyiv, with at least one blast appearing to detonate about 12 miles from the capital city’s center, CNN reported.

The explosions followed air-raid sirens that closed the third consecutive day in which Ukrainian troops and volunteers held their capital in the face of a Russian invasion.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued in the northern city of Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, while there was “less resistance in the south,” a US official told CNN.

Ukrainian official implores ‘IT army’ to storm ‘cyber front’

Update 6:27 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted Saturday that Kyiv was “creating an IT army” to “continue to fight on the cyber front” as Russian forces continue bombarding Ukraine.

Specifically, Fedorov tweeted a link to a channel on the messaging app Telegram encouraging hackers to conduct cyberattacks on key Russian energy and financial firms.

According to CNN, the proposed target list includes natural gas giant Gazprom and big Russian banks Sberbank and VTB. The Biden administration sanctioned the two banks on Thursday over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An English translation of the Telegram channel promoted by Fedorov appealed to “all IT specialists from other countries,” the network reported.

Ohio gov bans sale, production of Russian vodka

Update 6:07 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has banned the production and sale of all vodka made by Russian Standard, WHIO reported.

DeWine also declared Feb. 27 a statewide Day of Prayer for the people of Ukraine, the TV station reported.

Russian Standard – sold in Ohio under the brand names Green Mark Vodka and Russian Standard Vodka – is the only Russian-owned vodka distillery with vodka sold in Ohio, WHIO reported.

According to a news release issued by DeWine’s office, all other vodka brands sold in Ohio are purchased from distilleries not located in Russia and will remain on shelves.

There are currently about 6,400 bottles of Russian Standard vodka for sale in Ohio’s more than 400 liquor agencies, the TV station reported, citing the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

US, EU announce expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT

Update 5:40 p.m. EST Feb. 26: The Biden administration and the European Union reached a preliminary agreement to bar Russian companies, oligarchs and government officials subject to sanctions from using the SWIFT system, essentially barring them from international financial transactions, The New York Times reported.

The move will not interfere with gas deliveries to European nations.

SWIFT -- the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication -- is the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, and pledged efforts to “collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for (Vladimir) Putin.”

>> What is SWIFT and what happens if the Russians are cut off from it?

While it is used to process transactions, it does not move or hold money and securities. SWIFT uses standardized codes for instructions that enable banks to process payments quickly.

The U.S. and EU are backing the expulsion of “selected Russian banks,” according to CNN.

The European Commission said the EU, the U.S. and Canada would create a “transatlantic task force,” the Times reported. The group would identify oligarchs’ and their families’ assets and make sure they can’t access them, according to the newspaper.

Child killed when Russian artillery fire strikes Kyiv hospital

Update 4:29 p.m. EST Feb. 26: A missile fired from Russian artillery struck a children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing one child, wounding two others and wounding two adults, The New York Times reported, citing a local Ukrainian news outlet, TSN.

The facility, Okhmadyt, is a children’s cancer hospital, The Kiev Independent reported.

Macron says France will impose financial sanctions on Russia

Update 4:03 p.m. EST Feb. 26: French President Emmanuel Macron decided Saturday evening to impose new financial and economic sanctions on Russia, The New York Times reported. According to a statement from the president’s office, the sanctions include freezing some Russian figures’ financial assets in the country.

France will also send additional defense equipment and fuel supply to Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers will meet to discuss ‘further measures’ to aid Ukraine

Update 3:30 p.m. EST Feb. 26: European Union foreign ministers will meet Sunday afternoon by video conference to “adopt further measures in support of Ukraine,” the bloc’s top diplomat tweeted.

“I will propose a package of emergency assistance for the Ukrainian armed forces, to support them in their heroic fight,” I will propose a package of emergency assistance for the Ukrainian armed forces, to support them in their heroic fight, EU Vice President Josep Borrell Fontelles wrote on Twitter.

Lithuania closes airspace to Russian planes

Update 3:22 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Lithuania joined Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia in closing its airspace to Russian planes, Reuters and The New York Times reported.

Lithuania is the shortest route from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad, a city located on the Baltic Sea that is sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland, according to Reuters.

The ban forces Russian flights to take a longer detour, the news outlet reported,

“No flights for aggressor planes in the freedom sky,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte tweeted.

UK foreign secretary to Russian oligarchs: ‘We will come after you’

Update 3:03 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Liz Truss, the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary, said she has drawn up a new hit list of Russian oligarchs to be sanctioned, according to The Sunday Times of London.

Truss said that more of Russia’s millionaires, who are linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime, will be targeted with restrictions over the coming weeks, according to the BBC.

“We will come after you,” Truss told The Sunday Times. “There will be nowhere left to hide.”

Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich hands club over to trustees

Update 2:53 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Premier League’s Chelsea FC team, said he was “giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC,” The New York Times and CNN reported.

“During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities,” Abramovich said in a statement. “I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.

In his statement, Abramovich did not specifically mention whether his decision was made due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Times reported.

YouTube blocks Russian state-owned media ads

Update 2:43 p.m. EST Feb. 26: YouTube said that it was suspending RT and other Russian state-sponsored media from selling advertising on its channels, The New York Times reported. The company, owned by Google, also said it would limit recommendations to videos posted by those channels.

The move follows actions by Meta and Twitter to block Russian state media from generating ad revenue on social media, the newspaper reported.

Czech Republic, Netherlands, Portugal sending assistance

Update 2:08 p.m. EST Feb. 26: The Czech Republic and the Netherlands pledged to send weapons to Ukraine, while Portugal said it will send troop reinforcements to the eastern European nations, CNN reported.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted that his country will send a “shipment of weapons to Ukraine” worth more than $8.5 million to a “place of Ukrainians choice.”

“The government has approved a shipment of weapons to Ukraine. We are sending machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles and pistols and their corresponding ammunition valued at CZK 188 million,” Fiala added. “We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine>”

Netherlands officials said it would send 200 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine, and “other defense material (is) already on its way,” Geoffrey van Leeuwen, the prime minister’s foreign affairs and defense adviser, tweeted Saturday.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that troops would be heading to Ukraine to help secure its borders.

“(This) is a war against the freedom of self-determination of a democratic country and therefore it is also a war against the freedom of self-determination and against democracy,” Costa said.

Zelenskyy welcomes moderating offers by Turkey, Azerbaijan

Update 1:47 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he welcomed offers by two countries to open talks with Russia, The Associated Press reported.

In a video message Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev offered to help organize talks and that “we can only welcome that.”

Germany sending weapons to Ukraine

Update 1:29 p.m. EST Feb. 26: German officials confirmed that the country is sending 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 “Stinger” surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, the BBC reported.

I”n this situation, it is our duty to do our utmost to support Ukraine in defending itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army,” Chancellor Olof Scholz said in a statement. In this situation, it is our duty to do our utmost to support Ukraine in defending itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army,”

Ukrainians try to block Russian tanks

Update 1:11 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukrainian civilians remain defiant in the face of Russian attacks on their country.

Video from Bakhmach, Ukraine, shows Ukrainian citizens standing in front of a Russian tank in an attempt to stop its forward progress, CNN reported.

Bakhmach is 110 miles northwest of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

CNN and The New York Times have confirmed the authenticity and location of the video.

Civilians threw bicycles under tanks in an effort to impede them, and then a man steps in front of one of the armored vehicles.

The man jumped on top of the tank, which continued to move forward, CNN reported. The tank stopped and the man kneeled in front of it, the news organization reported.

Bystanders then pulled the man away from the vehicle, which began moving forward again.

Germany OKs export of 400 RPGs by Netherlands to Ukraine

Update 12:27 p.m. EST Feb. 26: Germany has approved the delivery of 400 rocket-propelled grenades to Ukraine by the Netherlands, according to Reuters. The decision marks a policy shift in Germany, the news organization reported.

“The approval has been confirmed by the chancellery,” a spokesperson for the defense ministry said Saturday.

The RPGs come from the stocks of the German military, according to Reuters.

Germany has a policy of not exporting weapons to war zones.

Kyiv’s ambassador to Germany on Saturday urged Berlin to join the Netherlands and supply Ukraine with Stinger air defense rockets, Reuters reported.

“Damn it, it’s finally time to help us,” Andriy Melnyk told the news organization in an interview at the Ukrainian embassy. “We need air defense and we need a no-fly zone.”

Kyiv curfew extended until early Monday

Update 11:56 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Authorities in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv have extended its curfew until early Monday, according to The Associated Press.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko originally said a curfew was imposed at 5 p.m. local time Saturday, ending at 8 a.m. Sunday, according to The Guardian.

According to reports, anyone who breaks curfew will be arrested.

India’s prime minister urges Ukraine to resume talks with Russia

Update 11:30 a.m. EST Feb. 26: India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi of India urged Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to resume dialogue with Russia. The two leaders spoke on a phone call after India abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The New York Times reported. India released a statement after the vote saying its abstention allowed it to continue reaching out to both sides of the conflict.

In a statement, Modi “expressed India’s willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts.”

115,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine

Update 11:08 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Poland’s deputy minister said on Saturday more than 115,000 people from Ukraine have crossed into Poland since the Russian invasion began.

Pawel Szefernaker spoke with reporters in the eastern border village of Dorohusk, The Guardian reported.

“At this moment, there are 115,000 people who have crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border since the war erupted” he said.

“More than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have now crossed into neighboring countries, half of them to Poland, and many to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and beyond,” UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi tweeted on Saturday.

Russian troops ordered to advance ‘in all directions’

Update 10:58 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had ordered all units to advance “in all directions” after Kyiv rejected overtures to negotiate, The New York Times reported.

The ministry asked Ukrainians to urge their government “to remove all heavy weaponry from urban areas immediately.”

TASS: Kremlin website victim of cyberattack

Update 10:45 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Vladimir Putin’s press secretary told TASS that the Kremlin website is under “constant cyberattacks.”

“Attacks are ongoing. (The website) often freezes,” Dmitry Peskov told the Russian state-run news agency on Saturday.

The hacking group Anonymous has claimed responsibility, CNN reported.

Official: More than 50% of Russian power committed inside Ukraine

Update 10:40 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Russian President Vladimir Putin has more than 50% “of his total assembled power” committed inside Ukraine,” a senior US defense official told reporters Saturday.

The official said the 50% consists of “largely combat power,” CNN reported.

“Clearly he’s going to have to sustain them,” the official said. “I just don’t have a breakdown by company or by unit of what he’s got. The farthest we’re willing to go comfortably is that he’s got more than 50% of his total assembled power now committed inside Ukraine.”

Most of the more than 150,000 Russian forces massed against Ukraine are now fighting in the country, The New York Times reported. a senior Pentagon official told reporters that those troops are “increasingly frustrated by their lack of momentum” as they face Ukrainian resistance.

Twitter blocked for Russian users

Update 10:21 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Access to Twitter, where images from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are being shared, has been blocked for users in Russia, internet connectivity company NetBlocks told the BBC.

“NetBlocks metrics confirm the restriction of Twitter in Russia,” NetBlocks said on its website. “The restrictions are in effect across multiple providers and come as Russian authorities and social media platforms clash over platform rules in relation to the conflict with Ukraine.”

“Russia’s restriction of Twitter will significantly limit the free flow of information at a time of crisis when the public most need to stay informed,” NetBlocks Director, Alp Toker, told the BBC.

Twitter acknowledged that access was being restricted, adding that the company was working to keep its service safe and accessible, The New York Times reported.

Romania bans Russian planes from airspace

Update 10:15 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Romania joined Estonia and will ban Russian airlines from their airspace, officials said Saturday.

“Romania encourages all partners and allies to take such action, as we stay resolute in our support for #UkraineUnderAttack,” Romania’s foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, tweeted.

UK forces arrive in eastern Europe to bolster NATO’s front

Update 9:46 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Ships, ground troops and Royal Air Force fighters from the United Kingdom have been deployed in eastern Europe to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, according to a statement from the country’s ministry of defense.

According to the statement, the HMS Trent is in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and will be joined by the destroyer HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer. Challenger 2 tanks and armored vehicles of the Royal Welsh battlegroup also arrived in Estonia from Germany.

‘This war will last,’ France’s Macron says

Update 9:01 a.m. EST Feb. 26: French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that the world must prepare for a long-lasting crisis from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“War has returned to Europe,” Macron said in a video. “If I can share one conviction with you this morning, it is that this crisis will last. This war will last. The series of crises that will come with it will have lasting consequences.

“So we must prepare ourselves, with a lot of determination and solidarity.”

Zelenskyy: Turkey banning Russian warships from Black Sea

Update 8:56 a.m. EST Feb. 26: In a tweet, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Turkey will stop Russian warships from entering the Black Sea. Zelenskyy added that the country had pledged military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.

Turkey will stop warships passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, which connect the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, according to The Guardian.

Turkey has yet to confirm Zelenskyy’s claim, according to The Guardian.

According to Reuters, a Turkish official said it “has not made a decision to close the straits to Russian ships”.

Duke, Duchess of Cambridge voice support for Zelenskyy

Update 8:38 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Prince William and Kate Middleton, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, tweeted their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. The royal couple met Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena, in 2020.

“Today we stand with the president and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future,” the royal couple wrote.

Blinken authorizes $350M in US military assistance

Update 8:22 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that he has authorized $350 million in new U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

“Today, as Ukraine fights with courage and pride against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked assault, I have authorized, pursuant to a delegation by the President, an unprecedented third Presidential Drawdown of up to $350 million for immediate support to Ukraine’s defense,” Blinken stated. “This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing. It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation.”

Death toll rises in Ukraine

Update 7:16 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukraine’s health minister said that 198 civilians had been killed so far in the Russian invasion, The New York Times reported. That number included three children.

According to Viktor Lyashko, another 1,115 civilians, including 33 children, have been wounded, the newspaper reported.

Estonia closes airspace to Russian planes

Update 7:07 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia, said her country has closed its airspace to Russian planes. The move mirrors that of Estonia’s neighbor in the Baltic region of Europe, Latvia.

“We invite all EU countries to do the same,” Kallas tweeted. “There is no place for planes of the aggressor state in democratic skies.”

Poland, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic also have implemented restrictions, according to The Guardian.

Curfew imposed on Kyiv beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday

Update 6:46 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a curfew will go into effect in the city beginning at 5 p.m. local time and will last until 8 a.m. Sunday, according to The Guardian.

According to reports, anyone who breaks curfew will be arrested.

Poland refuses to play Russia in World Cup qualifier

Update 6:28 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Poland’s soccer team is refusing to play its World Cup qualifier against Russia next month, The Associated Press reported. Polish soccer federation president Cezary Kulesza, who made the announcement on Twitter, said the move was made in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The game had been scheduled for March 24 in Moscow.

“No more words, time to act!” Kulesza wrote, adding that the federation’s decision was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression.”

France intercepts Russian cargo ship in English Channel

Update 6:08 a.m. EST Feb. 26: The French navy reportedly has intercepted a cargo ship in the English Channel bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg, the BBC reported.

French officials told the BBC that the ship was intercepted in line with new EU sanctions, adding that the vessel was redirected to the northern France port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer.

“A 127 meters long Russia cargo ship called the ‘Baltic Leader’ transporting cars has been intercepted overnight by the French Navy in the Channel and escorted to the Port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in Northern France,” the official told the news outlet.

The Russian embassy is seeking a formal explanation, according to The Guardian.

Zelenskyy: ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’

Update 5:59 a.m. EST Feb. 26: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected an offer from the U.S. to evacuate from the capital city of Kyiv, The Associated Press reported. According to the Ukraine embassy in the United Kingdom, Zelensky told the U.S. that “the fight is here.”

“I need ammunition, not a ride,” the president said.

In a video posted Saturday morning on Twitter, Zelensky said, “we are not putting down arms,” CNN reported.

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Invasion of Ukraine protested across the globe A Ukrainian protester, living in Cyprus, waves two Ukraine flags during a protest outside the Presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (Petros Karadjias/AP)

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Ukraine-Russia fight: A woman in Kyiv reacts after her apartment building was damaged by Russian missiles on Saturday. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press )



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