Ukraine prepares for battle in Kyiv as Russian tanks roll over

Russian forces advanced into the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday (Feb 25), with tanks rolling into the northern districts as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russia to come to the negotiating table and implored with Europe to act more quickly and forcefully.

All options, including banning Russians from entering the European Union to cutting Moscow off from SWIFT international payments system to an oil embargo, should be on the table, he said.

Russia said on Thursday its forces had “successfully completed” their objectives for the day, claiming to have destroyed over 70 Ukrainian military targets, including 11 airfields.

Russian troops are advancing along both sides of the Dnieper river, which cuts through Ukraine, with intent of taking over Kyiv, the capital with its population of three million.