By Maria Tsvetkova

KYIV, Reuters – Russian and Ukrainian troops clashed at the outskirts Ukraine’s capital. Officials urged the citizens of Kiev to protect the city from the advancing Russian force in what is the worst European security emergency in many decades.

According to Reuters witnesses, heavy and frequent artillery firings as well as intense gunfire were heard in Kyiv early in the morning. According to the Ukrainian military, Russian troops assaulted an army base located on Kyiv’s main avenue. However, they were defeated.

Even as fighting escalated, Russian and Ukrainian leaders signaled openness to negotiation, which was the first sign of hope for diplomacy in the aftermath of the Russian invasion launched by Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, stated that Ukraine’s fate is currently being determined in an address posted on his Telegram channel. They will attack us tonight. Each of us needs to understand the dangers ahead. “We must endure this night.”

According to the command of air force, heavy fighting was reported near Vasylkiv airbase southwest of Moscow. It claimed that Russian paratroopers were attacking the base.

The fighters also claimed to have shot down a Russian cargo plane. Reuters couldn’t independently confirm these claims.

Residents of Kyiv were instructed by the defense ministry to make petrol bombs for repelling the invaders. Witnesses claimed to have heard heavy gunfire and artillery rounds from the western side.

Many families hid in shelters as Russian missiles battered Kyiv Thursday night. Others tried desperate to board packed trains going west to safety. This is according to an aid chief at the United Nations.

Following weeks of warnings by Western leaders, Putin launched a triple-pronged attack on Ukraine’s north, south, and west, which threatened to disrupt Europe’s post-1945 order.

Putin spoke at a televised meeting of Russia’s Security Council and urged the Ukrainian military personnel to “I appeal again to the armed forces of Ukraine” on Friday. You have the power to take it into your own hands.

Putin has claimed that the necessity to “denazify Ukraine’s leadership was one of his primary reasons for invading, and accused it of genocide toward Russian-speakers of eastern Ukraine. These accusations are dismissed by Kyiv, and Western allies.

Ukrainians overwhelmingly voted for independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kyiv wants to be a NATO member and join the EU, aspirations which anger Moscow.

Putin claimed that Ukraine, a democratic country of 44 million citizens, was an illegitimate Russian state. Ukrainians view this as a plan to erase their over a thousand year-old history.

“READY TO TALK”

Western countries announced that they would impose severe sanctions on Russia. They will blacklist its banks, and ban technology exports from the country. They have not yet forced Russia out of SWIFT for international bank payment.

United States sanctions were imposed on Putin, Sergei Lavrov as Foreign Minister, Sergei Shoigu as Defence Minister, and Valery Gerasimov, Chief of General Staff. Britain and the European Union had already frozen any assets Putin or Lavrov may have on their territories. Canada took similar steps.

Putin was not dissuaded by the increasing economic restriction.

Moscow claimed Friday that it had taken the Hostomel airport northwest of Kiev – the potential staging area for an attack on Kyiv. It was captured by Moscow since Russian paratroopers arrived there during the early hours of war.

However, this could not be verified and Ukrainian officials reported that there was heavy fighting.

There was a light at the end of all this chaos.

Zelenskiy’s spokesperson said that Russia and Ukraine would meet in the coming hours to determine a date and location for negotiations.

According to the Kremlin, it had offered to host a meeting in Minsk (Belarus), after Ukraine suggested Warsaw for the location. According to Dmitry Peskov (Russian spokesman), this led to a “pause in contact.”

Sergii Nykyforov Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy’s spokesperson, stated in an update on Facebook that “Ukraine was, and continues to be ready to talk about ceasefires and peace.” “We accepted the offer of the Russian Federation President.”

Ned Price, spokesperson for U.S. State Department said that Russia offered to help with diplomacy and suggested that Putin’s military stop bombing Ukraine.

ISOLATION

Russia withdrew a Security Council Resolution that would have condemned its invasion. China abstained. Western countries considered this to be a sign of Russia’s isolation. India, the United Arab Emirates, and India abstained from voting while the other 11 members supported it.

An image of the situation on the ground in Ukraine (the largest country in Europe, after Russia) was not immediately visible.

Zelenskiy posted on Twitter (NYSE 🙂 that heavy fighting had occurred at the entry to eastern cities Chernihiv, Melitopol and Hostomel.

Witnesses claimed that they heard gunfire and explosions near Kharkiv’s airport, Ukraine’s second-largest city. It was close to Russia’s borders. The military of Ukraine claimed that Russian troops were defeated near Konotop, a northeastern town.

Reports also indicated that fighting was reported near an airbase located 30km (20 miles) south of Kyiv.

Britain’s defense ministry stated that Russian armoured forces have opened an alternative route to capital city after they failed to capture Chernihiv.

Ukraine claims that over 1,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. Russia didn’t release any casualty numbers. Zelenskiy claimed that during the fighting, 137 civilians as well as soldiers had been killed and hundreds more were injured.

Antony Blinken (US Secretary of State) spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart. He condemned civilian deaths and those of children in the attacks on Kyiv.

According to officials, the White House demanded $6.4 billion for humanitarian assistance and security for the crisis.

On Friday night, air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv as residents sought shelter underground.

In a block of 10 apartments near the main airport, windows were destroyed.

“How are we able to live through such a difficult time in our lifetime?” Putin and his entire family should be burned in hell,” Oxana Gulenko said, as she swept the broken glass out of her bedroom.