Ukrainian servicemen are seen next to a destroyed armoured vehicle, which they said belongs to the Russian army, outside Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 24, 2022. [Reuters]

MAIN HEADLINES

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia resumed missile strikes at 4 a.m. but its troops had been stopped from advancing in most directions. He has vowed to stay in Kyiv. 

* Ukrainian forces downed an aircraft over Kyiv, which then crashed into a residential building, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister. A missile hit a Ukrainian border post in the southeast, killing and wounding some guards, the border service said.

* Russian forces had captured the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant on the route between Belarus and Kyiv, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said.

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* Russian President Vladimir Putin said his aim was to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine. He said any hindrance would be met by "such consequences that you have never encountered in your history". 

* U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin's action was about naked aggression. He unveiled new sanctions on its banks and wealthy elite and export restrictions. 

* French President Emmanuel Macron said he held a "frank, direct and quick" phone call with Putin on Thursday to ask him to stop military operations because Zelenskiy had asked him to.

* Britain, Canada, the EU, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and others unveiled sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, military exports and members of Putin's inner circle. 

* Putin "must and will fail," EU leaders said as they agreed on new sanctions. 

* Ukraine needs more weapons to defend against Russian missiles, its ambassador to Japan said. 

* Thousands of Ukrainians sought to escape to neighbouring countries. 

* Daniil Medvedev said he wanted to promote peace after a "roller-coaster day" when he was confirmed as the world's top tennis player and his country invaded Ukraine.

* Former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko said he would take up arms alongside his brother and fellow Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko for Ukraine. 

* Stock markets tumbled and Russia's rouble hit an all-time low. U.S. stocks turned positive as the West detailed its sanctions against Russia. 

QUOTES

- "Last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany," Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

COMING EVENTS

* The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote at 2000 GMT on a draft resolution condemning Russia and requiring it to unconditionally withdraw.