Russia will ‘try to storm Kyiv tonight’, Ukraine’s president warns

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The president of Ukraine has warned that the Russian army will attempt to storm Kyiv tonight — and called them "vile" and "inhuman".

Vladmir Putin's invading forces reportedly surrounded the capital on early Saturday morning after advancing through the border from several locations.

Ukrainian units were defending positions on four fronts despite being outnumbered, according to a senior defence official.

In a televised speech late on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his countrymen: "This night the enemy will use all its forces to break our resistance – vile, cruel and inhuman…. Tonight they will storm".

"We have to persevere tonight. The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now"

Zelenskyy asserted that his main goal was to "finish this slaughter" and claimed that "hundreds" of Russians had been killed in yesterday's fighting.

He also acknowledged casualties on the Ukrainian side and accused Russian officials of giving outlandish reasons for their 'special military operation', saying: "Unfortunately, we also suffer losses. Ukrainians resist the Russian aggression heroically..

"This aggression cannot be justified, so the occupiers have to come up with more absurd accusations to say at least something."

The Russian army took Chernobyl on Thursday night, and have been advancing towards Kyiv in several positions from the north and east since yesterday morning.

Clashes continued 45 minutes outside the centre of Kyiv at 2am local time (12am UK time) on Saturday, as Russian troops attempted to land at a Ukranian military airfield.

The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: "Now heavy fighting continues in the city of Vasilkov, Kiev region, where the occupiers are trying to land troops from the air!"

Multiple explosions were also reported in the Troieshchyna area of Kyiv around the same time, in what was said to be an attempt by Russia to destroy a thermal power plant.

Residents of the capital and other larger settlements in Ukraine have been urged to go down to basements or bomb shelters to avoid potential missile fire and shrapnel.

Thousands are already thought to have evacuated via roads and public transport.

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