Kyiv under attack on 25 February 2022

What did the second day of the invasion look like from Kyiv? On 25 February 2022, Ukraine said Russian troops had entered the capital and that heavy fighting was under way. Videos on social media showed tanks advancing through the Obolon neighbourhood, and gunfire and explosions were reported in the Podilskyi District.

The Ukrainian military said it had blown up a bridge to stop Russian forces advancing on the city. Russia's Defence Ministry said its Airborne Forces had recaptured Hostomel Airport near Kyiv after an assault involving 200 helicopters. Elsewhere, Russian forces reportedly retreated from Sumy.

At Chernobyl, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported higher than usual gamma radiation levels in the exclusion zone after Russia captured the power plant. Near the Port of Odesa, a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker was hit by a missile, seriously injuring two crew members, according to Moldova's naval agency. It was unclear who launched it.

Diplomacy and pressure

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused European leadership of inaction and urged citizens across the European Union to protest to push their governments to act more decisively. Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine was ready to hold talks with Russia on neutral status in order to implement a ceasefire, with a time and place expected to be announced.

The Biden administration announced that the United States would join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Putin. Russia banned all British airlines from its airspace and airports in response to the UK's ban on Aeroflot. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Finland and Sweden of detrimental military and political consequences if they tried to join NATO.

Protesters gathered at the Russian consulate in Edinburgh for a second consecutive day to voice outrage over the war.