In the headlines
Russian forces are advancing through Kiev following a night of heavy bombardment over the city. Ukraine’s defence ministry is offering guns to any citizen who wants one and urging civilians to make Molotov cocktails to “neutralise the occupier”. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky claims that “enemy sabotage groups” have entered Kiev and are out to assassinate him. The West is split over how best to punish Putin. Boris Johnson wants the Russians booted out of the global banking system by cutting off their access to the payments service Swift. But some EU countries, including Germany and Italy – both highly dependent on Russian gas – are refusing to play along. European leaders blocking tougher penalties have “disgraced themselves”, says former EU chief Donald Tusk on Twitter. British flights have been banned from Russian airspace in retaliation for Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline, being blocked from British skies.