Kyiv still stands: Ex-Miss Ukraine takes up arms to fight off Putin's army as video shows destroyed Russian convoy on outskirts of city
Ukrainian forces in Kyiv have destroyed a column of Russian vehicles in the city's northwest after surviving a 'brutal' night of shelling.
Volunteers, among them the former Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lenna, have taken up arms to fight off Vladimir Putin's army, with 'long queues' of citizens waiting to be issued weapons at recruitment centres in Kyiv.Ukrainian forces have managed to halt the advance of Russian troops on the capital, blowing bridges into the city to hinder the advance of Moscow's soldiers.
Russian forces were on Sunday afternoon destroyed in Bucha, near the Gostomel air base in the north west of Kyiv, after becoming trapped when the Irpin bridge into the city was destroyed.
Footage posted online purported to show the harrowing aftermath of what military experts said was likely a drone strike on the Russian Airborne Forces column, with parts of vehicles strewn across the road in a warp, fiery heap.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian servicemen were pictured roaming in the centre of Kyiv to enforce a 39-hour curfew to keep people off the streets.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said no Russian troops had managed to enter the city despite the bombardment.
He also warned those outside after 5pm and before 8am will be considered part of 'the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups' - he later said there were no Russian troops inside the city.
But he announced that at least nine civilian had been 'lost or killed' in the capital, among them one child, since the start of the invasion.
Two smoke clouds were filmed over the city this morning, though at least one was reported to be caused by Ukrainian forces blowing a bridge into the capital.
A second was reportedly caused by a Russian cruise missile in the Troieshchyna, a north eastern suburb of the city.
And by Sunday afternoon Ukrainian military officials were warning Belarussian special forces were preparing for an air assaults of the capital - in a sign Alexander Lukashenko has officially joined the Russian-waged war.
Volunteers, among them the former Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lenna, have taken up arms to fight off Vladimir Putin's army in Kyiv after the city held firm in a third night of 'brutal' shelling
Russian forces were on Sunday afternoon destroyed in Bucha, near the Gostomel air base in the north west of Kyiv, after becoming trapped when the Irpin bridge into the city was destroyed. Footage posted online purported to show the harrowing aftermath of what military experts said was likely a drone strike on the Russian Airborne Forces column, with parts of vehicles strewn across the road in a warp, fiery heap
Two smoke clouds were filmed over the city this morning, though at least one was reported to be caused by Ukrainian forces blowing a bridge into the capital. A second was reportedly caused by a Russian cruise missile in the Troieshchyna, a north eastern suburb of the city
Two smoke clouds were filmed over the city this morning, though at least one was reported to be caused by Ukrainian forces blowing a bridge into the capital. A second was reportedly caused by a Russian cruise missile in the Troieshchyna, a north eastern suburb of the city 
There were 'long queues' of citizens waiting to be issued weapons at recruitment centres in Kyiv after President Vlodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to take up arms against Russian troops (pictured, a man with a prosthetic leg on patrol after joining the civil defense force)
Ukrainian forces (pictured training civilians to use assault rifles) have managed to half the advance of Russian troops on the capital, blowing bridges into the city to hinder the advance of Moscow's forces
Russian forces entered Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv today after failing in their overnight efforts to seize control of the capital city of Kyiv
Ukrainian servicemen have a rest on a position looking at smoke from a burned petroleum storage depot behind after a Russian missile attacked near Kyiv
Ukrainian youngest parliament member 26-year-old Sviatoslav Yurash is seen at a street with his weapon to defend Kyiv
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian servicemen were pictured roaming in the centre of Kyiv to enforce a 39-hour curfew to keep people off the streets
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warned that those outside after 5pm and before 8am will be considered part of 'the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups' (pictured, troops patrol the city centre during curfew hours)
Territorial defense fighters receive weapons and ammunition and learn how to use them in Kyiv, Ukraine
This map shows the strikes Russia is so-far known to have carried out against Ukraine, with more explosions rocking the country in the early hours of Sunday morning
Kyiv official Mykola Pvoroznyk shared an update on Facebook Sunday morning to confirm that the capital city remained in Ukrainian hands Lenna, who won the Miss Ukraine competition in 2015, posted an image of herself on Instagram as she announced she had joined the country's resistance against Russian troops.
Lenna, who usually works as a public relations manager in Turkey, posted the image alongside two hashtags - stand with Ukraine and hands off Ukraine.
It is not the first time she has been pictured with a gun and previous posts appear to show her training with weapons in wooded arenas and indoor training grounds.
She joins hundreds of volunteers, among them a man with a prosthetic leg and a young couple who brought forward their wedding from May to tie the knot before joining the civil defence force the next day.
Mayor Klitschko said 'military, law enforcement and territorial defence' forces were continuing to 'detect and neutralise saboteurs'.
He said on his Telegram channel today nine people in the city had been 'lost or killed' - including one child.
Meanwhile President Vlodymyr Zelensky repeatedly called on citizens and foreigners to take up arms to defend the country.
Ukraine's defence ministry today echoed the call for foreigners to come forward to join its armed forces and fight back Putin's army.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba urged people to contact his department. 'Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin too,' he said in a Twitter post this morning.
Pharmacies had queues of more than an hour and were running out of basic first aid supplies including bandages, antiseptics and antibiotics by early on Sunday while most shops had closed and ATMs were out of cash.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains alive - and is fast becoming an international hero - as Vladimir Putin's efforts to topple the Kyiv government and install his own puppet cabinet runs into trouble 
Lenna, who won the Miss Ukraine competition in 2015, posted an image of herself on Instagram as she announced she had joined the country's resistance against Russian troops
It is not the first time Lenna has been pictured with a gun and previous posts appear to show her training with a gun in wooded arenas and indoor training grounds
Ukrainian servicemen take cover in a shelter at fighting positions at the military airbase Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region
A Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter examines a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle GAZ Tigr after the fight in Kharkiv
Ukrainian troops gather around a fire during a brief period of rest as they defend their capital, Kyiv, from Russian forces
A Russian tank burning in the Ukrainians city of Sumy just days after newly revealed dashcam footage showed a huge column of tanks moving in
A Ukrainian serviceman and his dog stands in a position looking at smoke from a burned petroleum storage depot behind after a Russian missile attacked near Kyiv today Russian forces appeared to be focusing their assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city in the east of the country on Sunday morning, with fierce street-to-street fighting breaking out between Kyiv's forces and Russian troops.
It came after an oil depot Vasylkiv Air Base, 25 miles south west of Kyiv, was burned to the ground in the early hours of Sunday after it was hit by a Russian missile strike as the capital held firm.
President Zelensky has warned Russian plans on 'attacking everything' in the country in a bid to conquer the state.
On Sunday morning, it emerged Russian missiles hit a nuclear waste disposal site outside of Kyiv - and destroyed the equipment that can detect leaks of radioactive material, as it was revealed that at least 240 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
Ukrainian news site TSN said at least one child, a six-year-old boy, had been killed after the Okhmadyt children's cancer hospital in Kyiv was struck by artillery fire on Sunday morning, reports.
The Kyiv Independent said that at least two children and two adults were wounded in the attack while a picture allegedly showing material covering the body of a child was shared by former Ukrainian ambassador Olexander Scherba.
However the New York Times has rebuffed the claims, saying that while gunfire had been heard near to the hospital, it had not been targeted by artillery fire.
Local newspaper The Kyiv Independent wrote that an oil depot had been blown up at Vasylkiv Air Base. The city which sits around 40 kilometers south west of Kyiv, close to a key airport.
An oil depot Vasylkiv Air Base, 25 miles south west of Kyiv, was burned to the ground in the early hours of Sunday after it was hit by a Russian missile strike in 'brutal' shelling on the city
An eerie orange glow lights up the sky in Vasylkyiv after Russian missiles targeted an oil refinery located on a local air base
An oil depot is pictured on fire in the Ukrainian city of Vasylkiv, southwest of Kyiv, in the early hours of Sunday. The city's mayor Natalia Balasynovych said the blaze was the result of a Russian ballistic missile attackUkraine's president said he was ready for peace talks with Russia just not in Belarus - which was a staging ground for Moscow's invasion.
Speaking in a video message Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues.
He said other locations are also possible but made clear that Ukraine doesn't accept Russia's selection of Belarus.
The Kremlin said Sunday that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats.
'The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,' Peskov said.
Putin is said to be growing increasingly angry by his stalled efforts to conquer Ukraine. His fire and manpower vastly outnumbers that of Ukraine, and it is widely believed that Russia will eventually conquer its neighbour.
But the surprisingly effective defense being mounted by the smaller nation has badly tarnished Russian military prestige, with the Kremlin still a way-off their objective of seizing the capital of Kyiv and installing its own government.
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