The dramatic advance of Putin troops on day two of the war!

On Friday, the areas of Ukraine under Russian control doubled. From Chernobyl to Sumy to Mariupol, Ukraine has lost all regions bordering Russia. Only in Kharkiv is fighting still going on.

On Friday morning, the Ukrainian army also reported fighting north of Kyiv against advancing Russian troops. Fighting broke out in the towns of Dymer, around 45 kilometers north of Kyiv, and Ivankiv, approximately 80 kilometers north of the capital. "A large number of enemy tanks had arrived there."

An air alarm was then raised in Kyiv on Friday evening. BILD reporter Paul Ronzheimer, who is on-site, reported howling sirens.

There have been several impacts and explosions. Fierce fighting raged on the outskirts of the capital.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyj (44) said shortly after 11 p.m.  "The day was hard, but the night will be even harder. The enemy will try to storm Kyiv." He called on the population to resolutely defend the capital. "The fate of the country is being decided now," he said.

Tens of thousands of soldiers in front of the capital

In the afternoon, the Russian General Staff claimed that its main force had reached a bridgehead in front of Kyiv. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers are in front of the capital - according to the Ukrainian side, they are only 30 kilometers away!

Particularly bitter: the invaders captured the military airport Hostomel (16 kilometers northwest of Kyiv). However: Ukrainian troops are currently trying to liberate the airport.

The Russian military had smuggled paratroopers into Kyiv via Hostomel, who fought bitterly in the city's north before Ukrainian soldiers could repel them.

According to eyewitnesses, 50 Russian tanks also set off from Hostomel in the direction of Kyiv. They could arrive in the capital during the night or in the morning.

A few hours before the air alert in the late evening, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, there were five detonations near a power plant. Klitschko ordered bridges to be placed under special guard.

"Whoever blows bridges only thinks about survival"

On Saturday, the troops of Kremlin despot Vladimir Putin want to seal off the west of the capital. For Kyiv residents, this means: Today is the last chance to escape. After that, those who remain are at the mercy of the bombing terror of Putin's troops.

Today, Ukrainian troops blew up highways north of Kyiv to stop the Russian advance. An act of desperation, explains BILD reporter Julian Röpcke: "When an army defending a city blows up the surrounding bridges, then all you think about is survival."

Losses in the south

In southern Ukraine, things are also looking bleak: Russian troops have crossed the Dnipro River after heavy fighting. This means that they now have access to the strategically important city of Cherson, the regional administration announced on Friday.

The enemy attacked with heavy forces and suffered heavy losses. Eventually, however, the defenders would have lost control. The region's leadership makes every effort to maintain order and save lives.

In the afternoon, Russian troops also took the town of Melitopol (population 154,000) some 200 kilometers west of Mariupol. However, the area around the city is not yet in Russian hands - so the Ukrainian army is not yet cut off from the Sea of ​​Azov.

The Russian Navy is also currently shelling the historic port city of Odessa. Russian ground troops are probably also on-site, having previously broken through the front line at Cherson.

Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing

According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine.

"I think it's fair to say that as we speak, hundreds of thousands of people are transiting within and leaving Ukraine," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in New York on Friday.

The big question is how many refugees aim to go abroad - this also depends on how the war progresses. The United States fears up to five million refugees.