Credible reports from the Ukrainian border guard service, senior officials and journalists close to the northern border with Belarus described one Russian axis of advance centred around the Senkivka border crossing to the north-east of Chernihiv where a column of Russian armour was seen advancing.
Crucial, perhaps, in this calculation is the fact that south of Chernihiv – which lies to the east of the Dnieper river – lies the E95 highway to Kyiv.
A substantial attack appeared aimed towards the eastern city of Kharkiv, which has a population of more than 1 million. Multiple reports from Kharkiv described explosions nearby – while Ukraine’s defence ministry said mid-morning that “fierce fights” were taking place in that area.
Russian forces also headed north from Crimea and were not meeting any obvious resistance, at least initially. Ukrainian border guards released security camera footage on Thursday showing a line of Russian military vehicles crossing into Ukraine’s government-held territory from Russian-annexed Crimea.
Social media footage appeared to show
Russian forces reaching Kherson on the Dnieper, 130km inside Ukraine. Shortly after, at lunchtime, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said fierce fighting was taking place there.
Film posted online was said to show Russian helicopters over the nearby Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine’s former defence minister, said: “They are quite close to the city of Kherson now. The situation is really critical there. They are also trying to surround Kharkiv. It seems like Kharkiv at the moment is the main target.”