What happened on 25 February 2022 in Ukraine?

What did the second day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine look like? On 25 February 2022, the fighting reached the approaches to Kyiv and inside the city, while sanctions, warnings and offers of talks moved in parallel.

Fighting around Kyiv

Ukraine said that Russian troops had entered Kyiv 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 towards the capital.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its Airborne Forces had recaptured Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, after assaulting the airbase with 200 helicopters. The airport, also known as Antonov Airport, lies in Kyiv Oblast, and the fight for it was part of the wider Kyiv offensive.

Elsewhere, Russian forces reportedly retreated from Sumy. Later accounts of the battle there describe heavy urban fighting beginning on 24 February 2022, the destruction of a Russian tank column, and a withdrawal of Ukrainian paratroopers that evening, leaving local volunteers to hold the city. Those accounts add that after three to four days of failing to enter, Russian forces shifted to encircling and bypassing the city.

Chernobyl and the Black Sea coast

Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said higher than usual gamma radiation levels had been detected in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after the power plant was captured by Russia.

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 the missile.

Sanctions and airspace

The Biden administration announced that the United States would join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Putin. Separately, Russia banned all British airlines from its airspace and airports, responding to the UK's ban on its flag carrier Aeroflot.

In Edinburgh, protesters gathered at the Russian consulate for a second consecutive day to express outrage over the war.

Appeals and warnings

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused European leadership of inaction in the face of the invasion, drawing a comparison with the Second World War and saying that Europe was not doing enough to respond. He also called on citizens across the European Union to protest and push their governments towards more decisive action.

Presidential adviser 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.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Finland and Sweden that they could face detrimental military and political consequences if they tried to join NATO.

Taken together, the day's reports combined military pressure on the capital with a widening set of diplomatic and economic responses.