'Russia wants to erase us all': Zelensky offers grim warning as paratroopers attack Kharkiv and officials warn 'Putin's madness' risks 'nuclear catastrophe' as Ukrainians defend Europe's biggest atomic plant
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is trying to erase Ukraine and its people as Vladimir Putin's invasion entered its seventh day today with renewed attacks on all fronts including an expected assault on the city which houses Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
Zelensky, who has become a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and courage since the war began, told his people today that Russians 'know nothing about our capital. About our history. But they have an order to erase our history. Erase our country. Erase us all.'Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is trying to erase Ukraine and its people as Vladimir Putin's invasion entered its seventh day today with renewed attacks on all fronts including an expected assault on the city which houses Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
Zelensky, who has become a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and courage since the war began, told his people today that Russians 'know nothing about our capital. About our history. But they have an order to erase our history. Erase our country. Erase us all.'The president, unshaven and wearing a military-style khaki T-shirt, said the West's response was not enough, calling for more international support, including backing Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. 'This is no time to be neutral,' he added.
As he spoke, troops were preparing barricades to defend the city of Zaporizhzhia - including setting up defences around the reactors of Energodar power plant. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, called on generals to bypass the city while warning they could create a 'new Chernobyl' if the plant is damaged.
'Because of Putin's madness, Europe is again on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe,' he wrote on Facebook. 'The city where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located is preparing for a battle with the invaders.
'An accident can happen like at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant or the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Russian generals - think again! Radiation does not know nationalities, does not spare anyone!'
Meanwhile Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, warned that - if a Third World War were to begin in Europe - it would be 'nuclear and destructive' in a thinly veiled threat for NATO not to get involved in Ukraine.
Fighting was also underway in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv after Russian paratroopers dropped in and attacked a military hospital before airstrikes targeting police, state agencies and the security service. Part of Karazin National University was on fire early Wednesday after a missile - seemingly intended for the neighbouring police headquarters or interior ministry - struck the college's department of sociology instead.
At least 21 people have been killed an 112 wounded in shelling on Kharkiv in the last 24 hours, governor Oleg Synegubov said, as an interior ministry official added: 'There are practically no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit.'The city of Konotop, 150 miles to the north of Kharkiv, was sent an ultimatum by Russian forces surrounding it on Wednesday - surrender or be destroyed by artillery - as Putin's men resort to siege tactics.
Putin's forces also claimed to have captured Kherson, a major industrial centre in the south, overnight though the mayor remained defiant - posting on Facebook: 'We are still Ukraine. Still firm.' Mariupol, also in the south, came under renewed shelling as Russian forces try to surround it.
In Zhytomyr, a city to the west of Kyiv, airstrikes hit the headquarters of the 95th Ukrainian armed forces brigade while also damaging a hospital, leaving two people dead. The city of Bila Tserkva, some 50 miles south of Kyiv, was also hit overnight.
Ukraine's armed forces said Wednesday morning that Russia is 'trying to advance in all directions' but are 'being resisted everywhere and suffering losses'. It estimates that 5,840 Russian troops have been killed so far - though that figure cannot be verified.
Despite the near-universal condemnation of the war internationally, a new state poll in Russia taken over the weekend showed support for Putin has risen from around 60 per cent to 70 per cent since the week before.
Russia also launched a recruitment drive for more mercenary soldiers in state media, with newspaper Novaya Gazeta running adverts offering soldiers-for-hire £1,760 a month in a drive for the 'recruitment of people for protection in the near abroad'.
Since Russian troops rolled into Ukraine last week to achieve Putin's mission of overthrowing Zelensky's pro-Western government, hundreds of civilians have been reported killed.
Russian forces have carried out a massive bombing campaign and encircled urban centres, but Ukraine insists no major city has yet been overtaken.
'Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv... and attacked a local hospital,' the Ukrainian army said in a statement on messaging app Telegram. 'There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.'
Russia hit a residential building in the city on Tuesday killing eight people, drawing comparisons to the massacres of civilians in Sarajevo in the 1990s and condemnation for what Zelensky called a 'war crime'.
A fire broke out on Wednesday in the barracks of a flight school in Kharkiv following an airstrike, according to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister.
'Practically there are no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit,' he was quoted as saying in a statement on Telegram. 
Part of the Karazin National University campus in the city of Kharkiv is destroyed after being struck by a Russian missile which was seemingly intended for a nearby police or interior ministry building
Firefighters battle to put out a blaze in Kharkiv as the city came under renewed airstrikes today, with an official saying there is almost no area of the city left that has not been hit
Firefighters attempt to put out the burning sociology department of Karazin National University which was hit by a strike seemingly intended for nearby government buildings
Rubble litters the streets of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv after an early-morning missile strike by Russia
Ukrainian soldiers were this morning setting up defensive positions around Europe's largest nuclear plant, at Zaporizhzhia, as Russian forces prepared to attack the city - warning of 'catastrophe' if the plant is hit
Civilians help construct makeshift barricades around the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia to stop Russia capturing it
Ukraine's military said Russia today renewed its assault 'on all fronts', with paratroopers landing in Kharkiv, tanks and trucks rolling into the centre of Kherson, and strikes in Mariupol and Zhytomyr
A convoy of Russian vehicles is seen parked along a residential street in an unknown area of Ukraine, in footage released by Russia's armed forces on Wednesday
Russian trucks are pictured parked up in the centre of Kherson, in Ukraine's south, after Moscow's forces rolled into the city
Russian armoured vehicles and trucks are pictured rolling through the centre of Kherson, as Moscow claimed to be in control of the city but Ukraine said it still holds key government buildings
Ukrainian emergency service personnel carry a body of a victim out of the damaged City Hall building following shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine
This photograph taken on February 26, 2022 shows a Russian Armoured personnel carrier (APC) burning during fight with the Ukrainian armed forces in KharkivKharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 million.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a 'dictator', warning the sanction campaign to cripple Russia's economy would escalate and its oligarchs were being targeted.
In Biden's first State of the Union address, he hailed the resolve of the Western alliance and voiced solidarity with Ukraine as lawmakers in the US Congress gave a standing ovation to the Ukrainian people.
'A Russian dictator, invading a foreign country, has costs around the world,' Biden told lawmakers in his annual State of the Union address, promising 'robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at Russia's economy.'
Biden, who had earlier spoken with Zelensky on the phone, announced new measures against Russia and its wealthy elite with a new task force to go after the 'crimes' of Russian oligarchs.
'We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,' he said, prompting the rare sight of members of both parties standing to applaud.
'And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights - further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy.'
The US leader said Putin's aggression was 'premeditated and totally unprovoked' - but hailed the resolve of the Western alliance in responding with brutal sanctions.
'(Putin) thought he could divide us here at home,' Biden said. 'But Putin was wrong. We are ready.'
He repeated his commitment that no American troops would be sent to Ukraine to confront the invading forces.
A lack of will to send foreign troops into battle has given Russia space to press on with its assault on Ukrainian cities.
A strike on the main TV tower in Kyiv killed five people Tuesday and knocked out some state broadcasting, Ukrainian officials said, but left the structure intact.
Fresh explosions were heard late Tuesday in Kyiv and Bila Tserkva, 50 miles (80 kilometres) to the south, according to local media.
News outlets also reported Russian missiles damaging residential buildings and a hospital in Zhytomyr, citing the major transport hub's mayor Sergei Sukhomline. 
The remains of a destroyed Russian military convoy are seen on a street in Bucha, to the south of Kyiv, on Wednesday morning
An armed man stands by the remains of a Russian military vehicle in Bucha, close to the capital Kyiv, Ukraine
A civilian trains to throw Molotov cocktails in the city of Zhytomyr, 80 miles to the west of Kyiv, as Russian forces advance
Civilians train to throw Molotov cocktails to defend the city, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Zhytomyr
A Ukrainian soldier trains civilians to use Molotov cocktails in the city of Zhytomyr on Tuesday
Soldiers are seen around piles of sand used for blocking a road in Ukrainian capital, Kyiv
Ukrainian forces are pictured on the streets of Kyiv as the population prepares for an assault by Russian forces
Soldiers are seen around piles of sand used for blocking a road in Ukrainian capital, Kyiv
Police officers remove the body of a passerby killed in yesterday's airstrike that hit Kyiv's main television tower
olice officers examine the bodies of passersby killed in yesterday's airstrike that hit Kyiv's main television tower
Police officers stand guard at the site of yesterday's airstrike that hit Kyiv's main television tower
A fighter of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stands guard at the underground crossing and subway entrance in the center of KyivThe International Criminal Court has opened a war crimes investigation against Russia. Ukraine says more than 350 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed in the conflict.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence also said overnight that it feared an attack from Belarus over its northern border.
'Belarusian troops have been put on high alert and are concentrated in areas closest to the border with Ukraine,' the ministry said Tuesday in a statement on Facebook.
Ukrainian intelligence noted 'significant activity' of aircraft in the border area, it said.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday he had ordered more troops to the south of the country, the Belta news agency reported.
But forces of Belarus, a close ally of Russia, would not be taking part in the attack on Ukraine, he added.
In southern Ukraine, the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea was left without electricity after Russian bombardment, while Kherson on the Black Sea reported Russian checkpoints encircling the city.
In a key victory for Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said its troops had linked up with pro-Moscow rebel forces from eastern Ukraine along the Azov Sea coast.
Russia has defied international bans, boycotts and sanctions to press ahead with an offensive it says is aimed at defending Ukraine's Russian speakers and toppling the leadership.
In response, more Western companies have withdrawn from projects in Russia, deepening the economic toll on Moscow that saw the ruble collapse this week.
Apple, ExxonMobil and Boeing announced Tuesday in rapid succession steps to withdraw or freeze business in Russia.
The moves followed earlier announcements by Disney, Ford and Mastercard among others.
The invasion has sent global markets into a spiral, with crude surging past $110 a barrel Wednesday and equities sinking.
On top of sanctions, Germany has promised arms for Ukraine, while the EU said, in a first, that it will buy and supply arms to the country.
Zelensky has reiterated an urgent appeal for Ukraine to be admitted to the European Union.
More than 660,000 people have fled abroad, the UN refugee agency said, and as battles rage for control of major cities many more are expected to follow.
Residents of capital Kyiv are crammed into makeshift bomb shelters awaiting their own fight, with a massive Russian military convoy stationed just north of the city.
Teacher Irina Butyak, 38, has spent two days in the basement of her apartment block sheltering with some 20 people.
'We have train tickets for western Ukraine for tomorrow,' she told AFP as air raid sirens blared directly overhead.
'I don't think we will make the train.'
A view of smoke from inside a damaged gym following shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine
A local resident stands on a destroyed armoured vehicle, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in the town of Bucha
A view shows a destroyed building in a residential area, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in the city of Zhytomyr
A destroyed armoured vehicle, with the letter 'V' painted on its turret, is seen on a street, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in the town of Bucha
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Vladimir Putin's forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion. Above: Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, coming under heavy attack on Monday
The bombardment of Kharkiv continued Tuesday morning with a rocket landing just in front of the civilian public administration building, destroying the road outside and blowing the windows out of the building itself. Footage from inside shows the building was heavily damaged, with ceilings collapsing and rubble strewn around
Rescue workers and medics are pictured close to the regional administration building in central Kharkiv, picking their way through the debris following the explosion
This image, posted by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, shows the square outside the administrative building covered in rubble following the rocket attack
A view shows the regional administration building following the Russian rocket attack in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022
People help a wounded woman in the aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday morning after Ukrainian President Zelensky declared Russia a 'terrorist state' over the attack
The faces of Putin's victims: A 19-year-old biathlete, an anesthesiologist and two girls aged six and 10 are among the 352 civilians - including at least 13 children - killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine
As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the stories and photos of those killed have started to show the human toll taken by war.
Ukraine's interior minister reported 352 civilians dead and over 1,600 injured this past Sunday, a mere four days after the invasion began.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell said they've only been able to 'cross-check' 136 dead, including 13 children, but acknowledged the toll 'is likely to be much higher.'
Throssell added that another 400 people - including 26 children - have been wounded from the fighting.
Yevgeny Malyshev, a 19-year-old Ukrainian biathlete, was reported dead from a battle in the city of Kharkov
Marina Kalabina, an anesthesiologist in the Kyiv region, died under the kind of shelling of Russian troops that Throssell mentioned
10-year-old Polina was put on display as one of the first victims of the invasion. She and her parents were shot dead by a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group which opened fire on their family car, Kyiv's deputy mayor Volodymyr Bondarenko said.
She blames the use of explosives with wide impact areas and shellings from heavy artillery for much of the death, as well as multiple launch rocket systems and airstrikes.
Reports are starting to surface identifying some of those killed as the invasion heads into its second week.
Yevgeny Malyshev, a 19-year-old Ukrainian biathlete, was reported dead from a battle in the city of Kharkov. He reportedly quit the national team two years ago to join the armed forced.
Marina Kalabina, an anesthesiologist in the Kyiv region, died under the kind of shelling of Russian troops that Throssell mentioned.
A Ukrainian policeman named Oleg Fedko lost five members of his own family amid Russian movement from Crimea, according to Sky News.
Fedko's family - including a 6-year-old daughter named Sofia, a baby named Ivan, his wife Irina, father Oleg and mother Anna - all were killed.
The family was trying to escape in a pair of cars when the attacks came on them on the outskirts of Kherson, according to a Ukrainian news outlet.
Israeli DJ Roman Brodsky was killed in a case of mistaken identity at a Ukrainian check point, believing him to be Chechen. His father still blames 'dictator' Putin
Medics perform CPR on a girl at the city hospital of Mariupol, who was injured during shelling
A woman reacts as paramedics perform CPR on a girl who was injured during shelling, at city hospital of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. The girl did not survive
Medical workers prepare to operate on people injured by shelling in a residential area, at a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward in Mariupol
A girl around the age of 10 named Polina was shot dead trying to flee with her family, according to iNews, with her younger brother and sister so badly injured they had to be taken to an intensive care.
She and her parents were fatally shot by a Russian reconnaissance group which opened fire on their car, according to Kyiv deputy mayor Volodymyr Bondarenko, who shared her photo as one of the first victims of the invasion.
Among the children dead include a 6-year-old found in her unicorn pajamas with her mother covered in blood.
In Okhtyrka, 7-year-old Alisa Hlans was one of six kindergartners who were killed in an attack on her school last Friday.
Roman Brodsky, an Israeli DJ, was killed by Ukrainian troops in a case of mistaken identity, however, his family still blames Putin, a man they call 'Dictator.'
Brodsky, a father of two, was attempting to drive to Moldova to escape back to Israel.
His father said: 'They thought he was Chechen or something' and opened fire by mistake.
Russia's escalating attacks on populated urban areas of Ukraine left rubble and wreckage in streets and plazas as the invasion claimed new victims across the country. The central square in Ukraine´s second-biggest city was hit with what was believed to be a missile, leaving the massive area piled high with debris.
Hospitals raced to treat victims of the bombardment even as mothers and children sheltered in their basements. While the fighting in Ukraine raged, the death toll remained unclear.
At the border, anguished families said goodbye as women and children fled while many men returned to fight. More than 675,000 people have escaped to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion began - a number that will only grow, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Oncology patients hold up sheets of paper with the words 'Stop War' at a basement used as a bomb shelter at the Okhmadet children's hospital in central Kyiv
An oncology patient rests on a coach next to his mother
Ambulance paramedics move a stretcher with a man injured by the shelling in a residential area
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