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Russian troops have reached the outskirts of Kiev after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from three main directions.
Troops are advancing from the north; from the east through Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Sumy; and from Crimea to the south.
Dozens of targets have been hit as Russian troops have flocked to Ukraine.
The war for Kiev
On Friday, Russian troops arrived in the Obolon area north of the city, according to Ukrainian officials. Reports suggest that major Russian advances are toward the city center from Ivankiv in northwestern Kiev and Chernihiv in the northeast.
The Ukrainian capital is under further rocket fire as Russian troops approach from the north.
Gunshots were heard in the central government area of the city center near the presidential office.
The Ukrainian military says it has blown up a bridge over the Teteriv River in Ivankiv, 50 miles (80 km) north of the city, to slow down Russian progress.
There was heavy fighting at Antonov Airport, west of Kiev. Yesterday Russian air forces attacked the airport in Gostomel.
Russian troops around Ukraine
Russia is now in full control of significant parts of Ukraine.
After Ukraine’s air defense and other military infrastructure were attacked on Thursday, tank columns were rapidly shifted into position, backed by artillery and air power.
Among the initial targets were Kiev, Karkhiv, Odessa and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Troops are now spreading to the north, east and south, with rocket and artillery attacks paving the way for the advance of Russian forces.
Strikes from the north
From the north, Russian troops are believed to have crossed the border in the second three-way line between the groups, Russia and Belarus, in Senkivka.
In recent weeks, a large deployment of Russian troops has been near Novye Yurkovichi and Troebortno, including “the entire 41st Army,” according to Michael Kofman of the US-based Naval Analysis Center.
A second advance has descended to the other side of the Dnieper River through the Chernobyl.
Shock from the east
In the east, there has been fighting around Kharkhiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Some parts of the city have been bombed.
There is also fighting around Donetsk, which has been attacked by troops crossing from Belgorod to western Russia.
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported allegations by Russian-backed separatists that they had launched an offensive in the Ukrainian-controlled town of Shchastia in Luhansk.
There was also fierce fighting around Sumy, near Kharkiv.
It is estimated that there are about 15,000 Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk who could help a Russian advance. Ukraine believes that the figure is higher.
Strike from the south
In the south, the troops crossed from the Crimea on the mainland, towards Kherson, taking Chongar and Novo Alekseyevka.
Explosions were heard in cities across the region, including Odessa, Mariupol, Melitpol and Kherson.
On Thursday, Ukrainian officials – quoted by the Reuters news agency – said Russian troops had landed at the ports of Odessa and Mariupol.
In recent days, Russia has positioned landing craft capable of deploying major battle tanks, armored vehicles and personnel, off the coast of Ukraine in a large cluster in the Black Sea and Azov Sea.
Ukrainian forces are concentrated in eastern Ukraine, towards Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ben Barry, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, says a Russian advance north of Crimea could succeed in separating them from Kiev by blocking them on the east side of the Dnieper River.
With Russian troops in their east, in Donetsk and Luhansk, in the north in Russia and on the west bank of the Dnieper, they would be surrounded.
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