Russia-Ukraine live updates: Street fighting erupts in Kyiv

Ukraine’s president urges residents to take up arms, as heavy fighting rages around the capital.

• Street fighting has broken out with Russian forces in the capital Kyiv, which was rocked with intense gunfire and explosions overnight.
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy has pledged to not surrender and continue fighting to defend his country.
• The Russian army said it has taken control of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol and targeted the country’s military infrastructure with air and sea-based cruise missiles.
• United States says it will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
• Meta, the parent company of social media giant Facebook, has barred Russian state media from running ads or monetising on its platform.
• UN says more than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled to other countries since the fighting started.

Here are the latest updates:

Ukraine embassy staff evacuating from Moscow, Latvia says

The staff of Ukraine’s embassy in Moscow is evacuating to Latvia, the Latvian foreign ministry told Reuters.

“It was their plea, we readily agreed. We are assisting them in the process and help with settling down,” Latvian foreign ministry spokesperson Janis Bekeris said.

He declined to say whether the embassy staff had already arrived in Latvia, citing security concerns.

Fighting continues but Kyiv ‘is under control’

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian forces have been able to mount a strong defence against the Russians.

Russian forces are still trying to move a large number of troops and equipment into the city, and fighting continues to take place on the outskirts, he said.

“Both in the city itself and on the outskirts of Kyiv, the situation is under control,” Podolyak said, according to the country’s UNIAN news agency.