Ukrainians in northern England rally at Victoria Square, Manchester, February 26, 2022 (Gary Calton/The Observer)

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UPDATE 2225 GMT:

The European Union is purchasing weapons for Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack.”

The EU plans to provide €450 million ($502 million) for the weapons, and another €50 million ($56 million) for items such as medical supplies.

Sweden is providing weapons and equipment, including anti-tank weapons, helmets, and body armor, for the first time to another country since it supported Finland in 1939 against Russia.

Belgium will send thousands of machine guns and hundreds of anti-tank grenade launchers, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday.

UPDATE 2220 GMT:

The UK oil giant BP is giving up its 19.75% share of Russia’s leading oil company Rosneft, potentially losing up to $25 billion.

BP had the stake since 2013, accounting for half of the firm’s oil reserves.

BP chair Helga Lund said:

Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of aggression which is having tragic consequences across the region. BP has operated in Russia for over 30 years, working with brilliant Russian colleagues. However, this military action represents a fundamental change.

UPDATE 2205 GMT:

Russian authorities detained almost 1,500 people at anti-war demonstrations in 45 cities on Sunday, according to protest monitoring group OVD-Info.

More than 4,500 protesters have been arrested since Russia’s invasion began on Thursday.

UPDATE 2205 GMT:

Spain and Portugal have joined Europe’s expanding closure of airspace to Russian flights.

UPDATE 2155 GMT:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has responded to Vladimir Putin’s declaration of high alert for Russia’s nuclear forces.

This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behavior which is irresponsible.

And of course when you combine this rhetoric with what they are doing on the ground in Ukraine — waging war against an independent, sovereign nation, conducting full-fledged invasion of Ukraine — this adds to the seriousness of the situation.

UPDATE 1445 GMT:

Vladimir Putin has ordered “a special service regime” — units with nuclear arms — in the Russian army to go on high alert.

Putin said, after meeting Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov:

Top officials in NATO’s leading countries have been making aggressive statements against our country. For this reason, I give orders to the defense minister and chief of the General Staff to introduce a special combat service regime in the Russian army’s deference forces.

Putin complained about “the illegitimate sanctions, which are very well-known to everybody”.

UPDATE 1440 GMT:

The office of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has confirmed that a Ukrainian delegation will meet Russian officials — without preconditions — at the Ukraine-Belarus border.

The office did not give a precise location or time.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the discussions with no strings attached was “already a victory: “We will not give up a single inch of our territory.”

He said Belarus had agreed not to join Russia in attacks on Ukraine “between now and the moment that the talks wrap up”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said talks with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko were “very substantive”, with an assurance that troops will not move from Belarus into Ukraine.

Zelenskiy added:

I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try so that later not a single citizen of Ukraine has any doubt that I, as President, tried to stop the war, when there was even a small, but still a chance.

UPDATE 1430 GMT:

The Governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, says a Russian attempt to seize Ukraine’s second-largest city has been repelled.

Synegubov said Ukrainian soldiers are “cleaning up” the city in eastern Ukraine near the Belarus border. He claimed Russian soldiers are surrendering in groups of five to ten and throwing their equipment into the middle of the road.

“Control over Kharkiv is completely ours!” he wrote on Facebook. “A complete cleansing of the city from the enemy is happening. The Russian enemy is absolutely demoralized.”

Videos and photographs showed a destroyed Russian column and a firefight in the southeast of the city. A group of Russian soldiers took refuge in an empty school near the Traktornyi Zavod subway station. Local fighters strolled around destroyed Russian vehicles, inspecting damage, and salvaging military equipment.

The Russians entered the city after a night of heavy bombardment, described by residents as “massive and indiscriminate” with at least one multi-storey apartment block hit and a missile landing in a children’s playground next to a see-saw.

The Russian armored units moved in from the north and headed towards the center.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, wrote, “Kharkiv will become for Russians a Ukrainian Stalingrad.”

UPDATE 1335 GMT:

Yevhen Moisiuk, the deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, has made a Russian-language video appeal to Russian soldiers:

Think about why you are here, what are you fighting for, and what you want to achieve. I hope you’ve realised that nobody wants you here and there is no reason for you to be here..

Believe me: our cause is just, and you are just a tool in the hands of your government. We are giving you the chance to return to your families, and not to lose your life and dignity.

Lay down your weapons and put your hands in the air, so that our soldiers and civilians understand that you have heard us. This will be your ticket home. Go and defend your own country, and don’t destroy ours.

UPDATE 1330 GMT:

Italy, France, and Ireland have joined Europe’s expanding closure of airspace to Russian aircraft.

Japan has joined the countries cutting off Russia from the SWIFT global financial transaction system.

UPDATE 1150 GMT:

European countries are closing airspace to Russian airlines, effectively shutting off most of the continent to Moscow.

Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland are the latest countries to announce closures, joining the UK, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

The European Union may soon approve a single ban covering all 27 member states.

UPDATE 1115 GMT:

The number of Ukrainian refugees has reached 368,000 since Thursday, the UN’s refugee agency says.

Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania have received refugees. However, the UN and humanitarian organizations say they are suspending operations inside much of Ukraine because of the Russian invasion.

The UN warns that the number could reach 4 million.

UPDATE 1100 GMT:

More countries are sending military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The office of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Athens will send “defense equipment” and assistance to civilians.

On Saturday, Mitsotakis’s office appealed:

Ukraine’s neighbor Romania is sending £2.5 million ($3.35 million) in fuel, ammunition, bullet-proof vests, helmets, military equipment, food, and water.

Bucharest has also offered to care for wounded in military and civilian hospitals.

UPDATE 1055 GMT:

Ukraine MP Oleksiy Goncharenko responds bluntly to Russia’s conditions on any negotiations:

UPDAtE 0935 GMT:

In social media’s latest limit on the Russian State, Google has banned the Russian outlet RT’s mobile app from its app store.

The decision was taken at the request of the Ukrainian Government.

Google and YouTube are restricting monetization of Russian state-funded media and barring Russian State outlets from running ads.

Russian media can no longer buy ads through Google Tools or place ads on Google services such as Search and Gmail.

UPDATE 0925 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again addressed the nation: “The past night in Ukraine was brutal, again shooting, again bombardments of residential areas, civilian infrastructure.”

Today, there is not a single thing in the country that the occupiers do not consider an acceptable target. They fight against everyone. They fight against all living things – against kindergartens, against residential buildings and even against ambulances.

Vasylkiv, Kyiv, Chernigiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and many other towns in Ukraine are living in conditions that were last experienced on our lands during World War II.

Zelenskiy said that, despite the Russian attempt to terrorize the civilian population, “We will fight as long as it takes to liberate the country.”

UPDATE 0745 GMT:

“Heavy fighting” is reported in Kharkiv after Russian forces entered Ukraine’s second city.

Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, said light military vehicles “broke into the city” in a Facebook announcement about one hour ago. He urged residents to seek shelter and not go outside.

UPDATE 0735 GMT:

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the Kremlin’s claim of talks in Russian ally Belarus

Zelenskiy said in a national address that he is open to talks in locations which aggression towards Ukraine. He noted that Russia had attacked Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had claimed that a Russian delegation, including representatives of the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry, arrived in Belarus for talks with Ukrainian officials.

Vladimir Putin said in a brief televised address this morning, “I pay special tribute to those heroically performing their military duty during the special operation to provide assistance to the People’s Republic of Donbas these days.”

UPDATE 0730 GMT:

The Ukraine company in charge of building and maintaining roads says it is removing all road signs that can be used by Russian forces to navigate the country.

Ukravtodor said on Facebook, “The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain. Let us help them get straight to hell.”

It posted a photo of a road sign in which directions to cities have been replaced with “Go fuck yourself”, “Go fuck yourself again” and “Go fuck yourself back in Russia”.

UPDATE 0715 GMT:

In a historic change of policy, Germany will provide weapons to Ukraine.

Since World War II, West Germany and then Germany has never sent arms to areas of conflicts, but on Saturday, Berlin announced the dispatch of 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defense systems to Ukraine.

Germany is also lifting its block on transfer of weapons in which it has an interest, agreeing to the delivery of 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers from The Netherlands and nine howitzers from Estonia.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said:

The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point. It threatens our entire post-war order.

In this situation, it is our duty to do our utmost to support Ukraine in defending itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army. Germany stands closely by Ukraine’s side.

In another shift of position, the Australian Government says it will finance weapons to help Ukraine fight Russian forces.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “We’ll be seeking to provide whatever support we can for lethal aid through our Nato partners, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.”

Only a few days ago, the government said it would provide only “non-lethal” military equipment.

UPDATE 0705 GMT:

Russian forces have killed at least 198 people, including three children, according to Ukraine’s National Guard.

Another 1,115 people, including 33 children, have been wounded.

UPDATE 0700 GMT:

Seeking a breakthrough, Russia’s forces are stepping up strikes on infrastructure. A gas pipeline is reportedly on fire in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, and an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, southwest of Kyiv, has been targeted and is ablaze.

The Ukraine Government warned that smoke from the Kharkiv explosion could cause an “environmental catastrophe”, advising people to cover their windows.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Internal Affairs Ministry of Internal Affairs, said of the Vasylkiv attack that the oil terminal “will burn for a long time. The environmental damage will be colossal.”

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made limited advances on Saturday, its third day, amid the defiance of the Ukrainian Government, armed forces, and people.

Meanwhile, economic pressure grew on Russian leader Vladimir Putin as the European Union, US, UK, and Canada agreed on the cutoff of Russia from the SWIFT financial transactions system.

The Russian attempt to encircle and besiege Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, seeking the collapse of the Zelenskiy Government, struggled on Saturday. Ukrainian officials said an attempt by Russian “saboteurs” to rise within Kyiv was defeated, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko declaring a curfew from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Monday.

The development reinforced Ukrainian intelligence’s claim of the failure of initial Russian operations. The officials said the Russians intended to encircle the city with land forces and to fly in 5,000 elite paratroopers to storm the Presidential Palce, detain or kill President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and take control of key government buildings including the Foreign and Defence Ministries.

But Zelenskiy has led Ukrainian defiance through statements and a series of videos, including his walk through Kyiv on Saturday morning.

Good morning everybody! Ukrainians: there’s a lot of fake information online that I call on our army to lay down arms, and that there’s an evacuation.

I’m here. We won’t lay down our arms. We will defend our state, our territory, our Ukraine, our children. That’s all I have to say. Glory to Ukraine!

Russia’s elite forces eventually took Hostomel Airport near Kyiv after a protracted fight; however, they have failed so far to seize the airfield in near Vasylkiv. The city’s mayor Nataliia Balasynovych said, “They landed with parachutes in the fields, forests and villages. The worst fighting was on Decembrists’ street. The whole street was on fire.”

See also Ukraine: Russians Besiege Kyiv But Putin Angry About Resistance

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia has occupied a portion of the southeast, including the city of Melitopol. However, the captures have been more limited than Thursday’s rapid advance portended, and videos are circulating of resistance by residents.

In Melitopol, an elderly man confronted Russian soldiers: “Russians invading Ukraine is so fucked up, What are you doing here?…You have your own country and we have ours.”

In Bakhmach in northern Ukraine, a man climbed onto a Russian tank, tried to push it back, and then knelt in front of it.

Ukraine’s military command claimed it has destroyed 14 aircraft, eight helicopters, 102 tanks, 15 heavy machine guns, and one BUK missile.

The military said Russia has lost 3,500 soldiers, with 200 captured. Its claim of wiping out an entire Russian column near Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv was apparently confirmed by video.

With US and UK officials saying the Russian offensive is facing difficulties with logistics and support, stories circulated of mishaps. In Sumy, near the Russian border, a resident encountered an invading armored vehicle which had broken down.

He said to three Russian soldiers, “Looks like you guys broke down.”

They replied, “We ran out of fuel.”

The resident joked, “Can I tow you back to Russia?”, and added, “Do you know where you are going?”

The soldiers answered, “No.”

Sanctions Bolstered

On Saturday night, the European Union and Biden Administration confirmed the agreement on isolating Russia’s economy with the cutoff from the SWIFT system.

A White House statement, in the names of all the participants, condemned “Putin’s war of choice and attacks on the sovereign nation and people of Ukraine….We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”

On Thursday night, the G7 powers and the EU were in discord over the measure.

See also Ukraine: Russia Advances on Kyiv as G7 and Europe Waver on Toughest Sanctions

But the Biden Administration switched from opposition to promotion of the cutoff. France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and finally Germany replaced objections with support.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the partners would “commit to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT”:

This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally….Cutting banks off will stop them from conducting most of their financial transactions worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports.

She added that the coordinated action “will paralyze the assets of Russia’s central bank” and “prohibit Russian oligarchs from using their financial assets on our markets”.

The White House announced the launch of a trans-Atlantic task force in the next week to identify and freeze the assets of sanctioned individuals and companies.

In the United Nations, the Security Council is scheduled to vote on Sunday over an emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly. The measure needs support from 9 of 15 members, and cannot be vetoed by Moscow.

There have been only 10 emergency special sessions since 1950. The first was over North Korea’s invasion of South Korea.

On Friday, 11 of 15 Security Council members voted for a resolution condemning Russia’s assault. Moscow used its veto, while China, India, and the UAE abstained.