Ukraine forces slowed Russia’s advance into Kyiv but western officials warned of a “long fight” ahead as Moscow attacked strategic positions around the country.
Officials in Kyiv said the centre of the city remained under government and military control on Saturday, as outgunned troops continued to resist the biggest invasion force in Europe in half a century. Gunfire and explosions were heard in several parts of the capital overnight.
“We held firm . . . we have withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday in a televised address.
As western powers discussed hitting Russia with heftier sanctions — including possible curbs on its access to the Swift payments system — the US released an additional $350m to support Ukraine’s military effort.
The scale of the overnight fighting for Kyiv and the Ukrainian military’s ability to defend most of the city suggested Russia had not yet succeeded in encircling the capital. Doing so would allow it to deploy “overwhelming” force, western military officials said.
The Kremlin said its forces had on Saturday paused the main phase of the assault on Ukraine following an order from Vladimir Putin, who subsequently ordered the attack to resume after Kyiv ignored Moscow’s call for negotiations.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said Ukraine “has essentially refused negotiations” and that “the movement of Russia’s main forces has resumed in line with the plan of conducting the operation.”
Russia has increased the use of artillery and long-range missile strikes on Kyiv, which reflected struggles to make incisive troop gains on Friday night. “This is going to be a long fight,” said one western official.
Battles have continued in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the country’s east. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky’s administration, also said there was fighting in the cities of Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa.
Podolyak said that as of Saturday morning, Ukraine had killed more than 3,500 Russians and captured just under 200 more. Oleksiy Arestovych, another adviser to Zelensky, said Russian forces had lost about 14 aircraft including 1-2 Ilyushin-76 transport planes carrying paratroopers, eight helicopters, 102 tanks and 536 armoured personnel carriers.
Moscow claimed it had captured the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Russian and Ukrainian military claims cannot be independently verified.
Oleksandr Danylyuk, chair of the Kyiv-based Centre for Defence Reforms and an expert on hybrid warfare, said he believed that the Russians had not abandoned the idea of ousting Zelensky in a “false flag” coup.
“Now they are trying to seize . . . government buildings with their military disguised in Ukrainian uniform,” Danylyuk told the Financial Times. “That is why they are trying to get to the city centre in small groups.”
Nato has said it will continue supplying military weapons to Ukraine, including air defence systems. “We are in this for the long haul,” said Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary-general, after the alliance held a crisis meeting on Friday.
The US, EU and UK have also imposed sanctions directly on Putin and Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.
In a phone call with European Council president Charles Michel on Saturday, Zelensky urged European countries to open the door to Ukraine’s membership of the EU.
“It is a crucial moment to close the longstanding discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine’s membership in the EU,” he tweeted.
Late on Friday night, Hungary offered to host direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Budapest to end the conflict. “I hope the two of them will create the direct channel that help make these talks happen, in Hungary if necessary, as soon as possible,” said Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto.
S&P Global cut Russia’s credit rating to “junk” status overnight in the latest sign of how western sanctions are already hurting the country’s financial market. The move strips Russia of its investment grade standing at one of the main three rating agencies, pushing Moscow into a league of riskier countries that typically pay higher borrowing costs.
S&P said it could make a further reduction in the next three months, while Moody’s Investors Service placed Russia’s rating on review for a potential downgrade. Moody’s and Fitch both still assign Russia an investment grade status.
Russia’s markets have been rocked by the invasion of Ukraine, with the country’s stock market this week shedding a third of its value in US dollar terms.
A civilian exodus from Kyiv intensified on Friday. Traffic was heavy on roads leading out of the capital, with some residents fleeing on foot with suitcases.
Ukraine’s military called on those who are staying to fight the invading force. They asked residents of Obolon, a suburb of Kyiv, to inform them about the movement of Russian equipment into the city. “Make Molotov cocktails, neutralise the occupier,” the defence ministry said.
Russia on Friday claimed it had captured Kyiv’s Hostomel airport, which is near the Obolon district. Control of the runway could allow Russia to transport rapidly large numbers of troops directly to the capital.
Western military officials warned that the arrival of tens of thousands of troops advancing south from Belarus and north from Crimea would put intense pressure on Kyiv that could lead to the capital falling within days.
On Friday, oil prices steadied after topping $100 per barrel on Thursday for the first time since 2014. European natural gas prices retreated after surging almost 70 per cent to €142 per megawatt hour on Thursday. Futures linked to TTF, Europe’s wholesale gas price, fell more than 30 per cent on Friday to €92.50.
European equities recovered their losses while US stock markets also rose, with the benchmark S&P 500 ending the day more than 2 per cent higher.