Russian forces advance on Kyiv: fighting on fourth day of invasion

Satellite images showed a 3.25-mile long deployment of Russian forces advancing on Kyiv on Sunday, as attacks to the north-west of the capital and an attempted incursion into the eastern city of Kharkiv were both repelled.

In the southern coastal regions, the Russian military appeared to be gaining strength, and there were signs of a change in tactics as missile strikes were deployed against fixed targets.

Russian forces are continuing to slowly bear down on the city, but were repelled in Bucha and Irpin, on the north-west outskirts, after what appears to have been a poorly coordinated attack by irregular forces.

There have been several days of heavy fighting in the area since Russia staged an airborne landing of forces in the nearby Hostomel military airport. Three bridges in the area have been reportedly blown up by Ukrainian forces to slow down the Russian advance.

Klitschko separately said there were no Russian troops in the capital itself. He said that nine civilians, 18 fighters and four unidentified persons had been killed in the capital since the start of fighting on 24 February. A total of 106 had been injured, 46 of whom were civilians.

Ukraine remained in control of Chernihiv, north-east of the Kyiv, but Russian mechanised forces bypassed the city as they headed south, according to British defence intelligence, which has been monitoring the conflict closely.

Satellite images showed a large, 3.25-mile long deployment of forces in a convoy north-east of Ivankiv, moving in the direction of Kyiv approximately 40 miles to the south. The convoy contains fuel, logistics and armoured vehicles.