VLAIDIMIR Putin has ordered his invading forces to “erase” Ukrainians, President Zelenskyy has claimed.
Speaking about the vile shelling of Babyn Yar – the site of a World War II massacre of Jews by Nazi forces, Zelenskyy said “This strike proves that for many people in Russia our Kyiv is absolutely foreign.
“They don’t know a thing about Kyiv, about our history. But they all have orders to erase our history, erase our country, erase us all,” he added.
This morning the Russian army claimed it had seized control of Kherson, it what would be the first takeover of a Ukrainian city since Putin’s troops invaded last week.
Overnight Russian paratroopers landed in the eastern city of Kharkiv, attacking a local hospital and sparking immediate clashes with defence forces on the ground.
And Russia’s military yesterday warned residents to leave the Ukrainian capital Kyiv ahead of a fresh wave of planned strikes as a 40-mile long column of tanks and artillery continues to snake towards the city.
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up to the minute updates…
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Is Moldova next?
BELARUSIAN dictator Alexander Lukashenko appears to have revealed Moldova could be the NEXT country to be invaded by Russia.
Putin’s warmongering puppet – dubbed Europe’s last dictator – seemed to let slip Moscow’s possible next move as he was giving a televised presentation on Russia’s invasion routes in Ukraine.
Lukashenko was seen standing in front of a huge battle map showing Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova and other parts of the region.
Waving around a pointer like a twisted school teacher, the map behind him showed proposed battle plans for Russian troops.
The map detailed attack plans for Ukraine – some of which have appeared in the last few days, such as forces storming towards Kyiv from the north and up south from Crimea.
But it also showed other possible attack paths for Russian forces – including sweeping into Moldova from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
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Resistance inside Russia
Anti-war demonstrators in Russia have faced mass detentions while authorities have restricted access to social media and threatened to shut down independent news sites.
On Monday, the OVD-Info rights group that tracks political arrests counted at least 350 detentions of protesters in 13 Russian cities.
Over the past five days of protests, more than 6,000 people been detained, according to OVD-Info.
One demonstrator scrawled ‘Adolf Putin’ on the wall of an underground station in Saint Petersburg, the Russian President’s hometown.
Among the high-profile Russian critics of Putin’s war is the daughter of Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich.
Sofia Abramovich, 27, posted an Instagram picture that read: “Putin wants a war with Ukraine,” crossing out the word Russia.
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Russia ‘arrests CHILDREN’ for attending anti-war protests
HEARTBREAKING pictures appear to show young Russian kids arrested for protesting against their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The photos were shared by an opposition politician after thousands across the country were detained for voicing opposition to Vladimir Putin’s war.
The pictures reportedly show children of primary school age in the back of a police van and in a cell after anti-war protests in Moscow.
The kids were held when they went to lay flowers at the city’s Ukrainian embassy, it is claimed.
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Russian troops smashed
In his latest speech President Zelenskyy updated his citizens on the massive number of losses Putin’s troops are suffering.
He revealed the total Russian losses so far include:
- 5,840 troops
- 30 aircraft
- 31 helicopters
- Up to 211 tanks
- 862 armoured patrol vehicles (APVs)
- 85 artillery systems
- 9 anti-aircraft systems
- 60 fuel tanks
- 355 vehicles
- 40 MLRS rocket launchers (captured)
They did not reveal how many Russian troops had been taken prisoner.
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Food supply fears
There are fears Ukraine could run out of food within a matter of days as the Russian invasion disrupted supply lines.
Images shared online showed supermarket shelves completely bare in the city if Melitopol.
Meanwhile, Snapchat footage from Lyiv shows supermarket staff telling locals they have “no news” of when additional supplies will arrive.
And in Kyiv there are widespread reports of citizens struggling to access fruit, vegetables, bread and other basic supplies.
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Zelenskyy assassination plot foiled
Ukraine claims a group of Chechen special forces have carried out an attempted assassination of President Zelenskyy.
The attack was foiled and said the Chechen unit that carried out the attack – – known as Kadyrovites – had been “eliminated”.
Speaking of the assassination attempt, Ukrainian security chief Oleksiy Danilo said “We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president.”
He added that Ukraine had been tipped off about the attack by members of Russia’s Federal Security Service
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Good morning
Morning everyone. This is John Hall taking over The Sun’s live coverage of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
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What’s the latest?
Here are The Sun’s must-read stories on Ukraine this morning…
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Zelensky says Russia wants to ‘erase’ Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has today accused Russia of seeking to “erase” Ukrainians, their country and their history.
In a video address, the Ukrainian leader said a missile strike on a target at the site of a Holocaust massacre shows that “for many people in Russia our Kyiv is completely foreign.
“They know nothing about our capital. About our history. But they have an order to erase our history. Erase our country. Erase us all”.
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How is Putin’s invasion playing out?
Here’s the latest map showing the invasion of Ukraine.
Bombardments in and around Kyiv have massively stepped up in recent days and Putin’s troops make a final push on the capital.
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MoD give latest intelligence report
The British Ministry of Defence has published its latest intelligence report on the situation in Ukraine today.
The report says that while Russian forces have moved into the centre of Kherson, overall gains have been “limited” due to strong Ukrainian resistance.
The update adds that the number of civilians left displaced and forced to flee currently stands at around 660,000.
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Kherson ‘completely surrounded’ by Russians
The southern city of Kherson is now “completely surrounded” by Russian troops, according to the city’s mayor.
He later told local radio: “The fighting is going on now, and the occupation of our city is under way.”
Witnesses claim Russian troops are on the streets, though the exact situation in the city remains unclear.
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Warning of ‘high risk of further sanctions’ against Russian energy sector
Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has said today there was a high risk of further sanctions against the Russian energy sector, Interfax news agency reported.
The energy sector has not been directly sanctioned, however trade with Russian oil is virtually paralysed due to restrictions on banking operations.
Moscow calls its actions in the neighbouring country a “special operation”.
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Wallace: Bombardments likely to ‘get worse’
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that bombardments are likely to ‘get worse’, and Putin ‘doesn’t care’ about Western sanctions.
He said it is clear the Russians have changed tactics on the ground, but Wallace fears the bombardment of Ukrainian cities will only get worse.
Mr Wallace said he also believes Vladimir Putin does not care about the heavy sanctions imposed against Russia by Western countries.
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Biden warns Putin ‘has no idea what’s coming’
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that the Russian leader “has no idea what’s coming”, as Western nations tightened an economic sanctions to Russia.
“While he may make gains on the battlefield he will pay a continuing high price over the long run,” Biden said in his State of the Union address.
Straying from his prepared text, Biden added: “He has no idea what’s coming.”
He did not elaborate on this.
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Explained: Where is Kherson
Kherson is a city in the south of Ukraine.
Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry.
As of Ukrainian National Census (2001), the ethnic groups living within Kherson were:
- Ukrainians – 76.6%
- Russians – 20.0%
- Other – 3.4%
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Russia says it captures Ukrainian city of Kherson
Russia’s defence ministry has said today that Russian armed forces have captured the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, RIA news agency reported.
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Rocket attack in Kharkiv struck police dept
The UNIAN news agency is reporting that a rocket attack in Kharkiv has struck the building of the regional police department in the city.
A video posted on the Telegram channel of a Ukrainian government adviser shows a building engulfed in flames.
National police building in Kharkiv on fireCredit: East2west News 
Telegram video posted by Ukrainian government adviser shows a building in flamesCredit: East2west News -
Where can I donate clothes to Ukraine?
Some charities are taking monetary donations while others are happy to take clothes and other items for Ukraine.
Many of the donations are going to Poland, as the Polish government has said that over 100,000 refugees have crossed into the country.
Check in your local area to see if any donation centres have opened up as there are smaller sites opening daily in churches and community centres.
Read the article in full here.
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Democratic countries must not ‘turn a blind eye’
Democratic countries must not “turn a blind eye to military aggression”, Taiwan’s leader today.
Tsai Ing-wen warned her island faces threats similar to those confronted by Ukraine at a meeting with a delegation of former US security officials.
At the delegation, she said, “History teaches us that if we turn a blind eye to military aggression, we only worsen the threat to ourselves.
“The Ukrainian people’s commitment to protect their freedom and democracy, and their fearless dedication to defending their country have been met with deep empathy from the people of Taiwan, as we too stand on the frontlines of the battle for democracy.”
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At least 450,000 refugees flee to Poland
More than 450,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland since last Thursday.
The number was confirmed by Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker this morning.
He said the number of people crossing the border went from 98,000 on Tuesday to a record number of 100,000 on Monday.
The United Nations estimates that 660,000 Ukrainians have so-far left their homes, and is thought this number could grow to four million by the end of the conflict.
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What are Putin’s brutal thermobaric bombs?
There are fears the Russian tyrant has unleashed horrifing weapons during his invasion in Ukraine.
Here’s how thermobaric rocket launchers work:
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Germany ‘prepared’ if Russia stops gas exports
Germany is prepared should Russia stop exporting gas to the country – which is Europe’s largest economy – Economy Minister Robert Habeck said today.
Asked by Deutschlandfunk radio what the government would do if Russia stops gas exports, Habeck replied: “We are prepared for that. I can give the all-clear for the current winter and summer.”
“For the next winter, we would take further measures,” he added.
However, he admitted that they are, “also taking precautions for the worst case, which has not happened yet because the Russians are delivering”.
In a worse case scenario, Habeck said Berlin could keep “coal-fired power plants in reserve, maybe even keep them running”.
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Blinken: strike on Holocaust memorial in Kyiv “appalling”
US State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a tweet on Tuesday that he was “appalled” by the missile attack close to the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv.
“We are appalled by reports that Russian bombs have struck near the memorial site of Babyn Yar, killing more people where tens of thousands of Jews were massacred in the Holocaust. We condemn this brutal war against Ukraine,” he wrote.
The Holocaust memorial site was hit by a missile, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday.