Fighting in Kyiv and the diplomacy around it

What did the second day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine look like, once fighting reached the capital? On 25 February 2022, military reports and diplomatic moves ran in parallel, and each shaped how the other could be read.

A war reaching the capital

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 also said it had blown up a bridge to stop Russian forces advancing on the city.

Elsewhere the picture was mixed. Russian forces reportedly retreated from Sumy. Later accounts of the battle there describe heavy urban fighting from 24 February and the destruction of a Russian tank column, followed that evening by an order for Ukrainian paratroopers to withdraw, leaving local volunteers to hold the city. The Russian military later shifted to encircling and bypassing it. On the Black Sea coast, a Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker was hit by a missile near the Port of Odesa, seriously injuring two crew members, according to Moldova's naval agency. It was unclear who launched the missile.

Kyiv's appeal to Europe

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the day to press Europe. He accused European leadership of inaction, saying that after the Second World War Europeans had said never again, yet here it was again and the response was not enough. He also called on citizens across the European Union to protest and push their governments towards more decisive action. In Edinburgh, protesters gathered at the Russian consulate for a second consecutive day to express outrage over the war.

He also asked Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to serve as a mediator in talks between Ukraine and Russia. That request, made while Russian tanks were reported inside Kyiv, showed Ukraine's leadership pursuing negotiation and public pressure at once.

Sanctions and signals from Moscow and Beijing

The Biden administration announced that the United States would join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Putin. Russia, for its part, banned all British airlines from its airspace and airports, in response to the UK's ban on its flag carrier Aeroflot. The exchange showed how quickly the economic and aviation measures were being matched.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Russia was willing to hold talks with Ukraine. On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and to put an end to civilian casualties by resuming negotiations. Both statements put the idea of talks on the table, even as fighting continued around Kyiv.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also warned Finland and Sweden that they could face detrimental military and political consequences if they tried to join NATO, extending Moscow's warnings to countries beyond Ukraine.

What the day showed

Three tracks ran at once on 25 February 2022: a fight for the capital and other cities, a Ukrainian effort to mobilise European governments and publics, and a widening set of sanctions and counter-measures. The talk of negotiation from Moscow and Beijing, and Kyiv's own mediation request, coincided with the most intense reports from the capital. The day did not settle which track would count most, but it set out the terms on which each would be pursued.