February 26, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Adrienne Vogt, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Jeevan Ravindran, Peter Wilkinson, Jessie Yeung, Brad Lendon, Steve George, Meg Wagner, Amir Vera and Helen Regan, CNN

Updated 10:27 a.m. ET, March 6, 2022
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12:33 a.m. ET, February 27, 2022

Our live coverage has moved. Head here for the latest updates on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

12:17 a.m. ET, February 27, 2022

Military aid from Lithuania arrives in Ukraine

(Lithuania Ministry of Defense)
(Lithuania Ministry of Defense)

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said in a tweet early Sunday that military aid from the Baltic country has arrived in Ukraine.

"Shipment of Lithuanian military aid has reached Ukraine. Lithuania will continue rendering support to our dear friend Ukraine!" the tweet read.

10:46 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

South Korea says missile launch by North is "undesirable" while world is trying to resolve the war in Ukraine 

From CNN's Gawon Bae in Seoul

South Korea's National Security Council (NSC) said North Korea's missile launch on Sunday is "undesirable" while the world is trying to resolve Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the Blue House.

Following North Korea's firing of a ballistic missile on Sunday morning local time, the NSC held an emergency meeting where they expressed "deep concern and severe regret" over the launch, which is North Korea's eighth missile test in 2022.

The members said North Korea should respond to offers from the international community for a dialogue and urged the North to "immediately stop actions contrary to peaceful resolution through diplomacy."

Some context: Analysts suggest the increased testing this year shows leader Kim Jong Un is both striving to meet domestic goals and show an increasingly turbulent world that Pyongyang remains a player in the struggle for power and influence.

"North Korea is not going to do anyone the favor of staying quiet while the world deals with Russia's aggression against Ukraine," Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul, said following Sunday's test.

10:46 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin calls for “decisive action" in support of Ukraine

From CNN’s Liam Reilly

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin called for “decisive action” aimed to support Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Youngkin announced an immediate review of the state’s procurement of all goods and services involving Russian companies and called for an end to statewide sister-city partnerships with Russia, according to a statement released by his office on Saturday. 

The governor directed the state’s General Services Department to review all contracts to ascertain whether state tax dollars are being spent on goods and services from primarily Russian companies. 

The governor also called on the mayors of Norfolk and Roanoke to end their sister-city partnerships with Kaliningrad and Pskov, respectively, and urged the Virginia Retirement System and university endowments to immediately divest Russian holdings.

“The invasion of Ukraine by Soviet dictator Vladimir Putin cannot stand, and the people of the Commonwealth are ready to rally in opposition to this senseless attack on a sovereign nation and western ideals,” Youngkin said.
“Today, we are acting to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they defend their country. And while these are important steps, it is incumbent upon President (Joe) Biden to take a stronger, more decisive leadership position to end this war.” 

 

10:19 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

Interactive: Inside the battle for Kyiv

From CNN's Kaeti Hinck, Sean O'Key, Sandra Stevenson and Brook Joyner

Russia has launched a brutal and unprovoked military attack on Ukraine. Now, Ukraine's outgunned forces are fighting to hold onto the capital city Kyiv and the country's independence.

CNN follows how the invasion unfolded, from the first explosions near the capital in the early hours before dawn on Thursday, to residents facing a gut-wrenching decision of whether to flee their homes, and Ukrainians surveying the damage of alleged Russian airstrikes as they braced for intensifying conflict.

Read CNN's interactive:

9:53 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

One civilian killed in Kharkiv as apartment building hit by artillery fire

From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said a nine-story residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv was hit by "enemy artillery" on Saturday night, killing one woman.

The emergency service said the building was extensively damaged and about 80 people were rescued. Most had been sheltering in the basement. 

10:06 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

"The whole world right now needs to unite.” Ukraine supporters rally across US

From CNN's Dakin Andone, Sara Smart, Polo Sandoval and Sarah Jorgensen

People in New York's Times Square embrace during a rally in support of Ukraine on Saturday.
People in New York's Times Square embrace during a rally in support of Ukraine on Saturday. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)

Cities across the world have seen rallies in support of Ukraine this weekend as the invasion by Russian forces continues.

In the US, crowds gathered on Saturday in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York.

New York: Olga Ladygima, who is from Kyiv, told CNN at a rally in Times Square she hasn’t slept for the last three nights, worrying about her loved ones who remain in Ukraine.

“I think that the whole world right now needs to unite,” Ladygima said, adding: “Now is the time to say no and stop one person who keeps in fear the whole world.”

Some Ukrainian supporters, like Merrick Brown, whose great-grandparents came to the US from Ukraine, think the international community should do more.

“I believe the US and NATO should provide military assistance to Ukraine,” Brown, who also attended the Times Square rally, said. He described the demonstration as peaceful and “more pro-Ukraine than anti-Russia.”

Atlanta: Dozens of people gathered downtown for a “Stand with Ukraine” rally. Some attendees wore blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, while others carried signs that read, “Pray for Ukraine.”

Ukrainian Anton Kilpa, whose parents live in Kyiv, told CNN affiliate WGCL, learned the invasion had begun when a Canadian-Ukrainian friend called him earlier this week, just before bed, and told him to phone his parents immediately.

“It was hard to believe,” Kilpa told WGCL. “It was (a) new reality.”

Washington, DC: Another crowd demonstrated in front of the White House. One demonstrator, JP Wheeler, said he was “just a concerned citizen” with no personal ties to Ukraine. “No family or friends, just a human connection and a desire to support the Ukrainians and (their) struggle,” Wheeler said.

A couple miles away, Eleanor Shiori Hughes, a graduate student at Georgetown University, left flowers on the steps of the Ukrainian embassy, where a sign read “Long Live Free Ukraine.”

Read more here:

9:45 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

Protests across the world show support for Ukraine

People protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday.
People protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday. (Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to shock the world, people all over the planet are watching in horror and disbelief.

Rallies, vigils and prayer meetings are being held across the globe in support of Ukraine. Many of those attending have personal or family ties to the country. And they're asking world leaders to stop Russia's attack.

From Berlin to Buenos Aires, Moscow to Minneapolis, people are showing their anger at the Russian invasion and solidarity for the Ukrainian people.

See the protests in pictures here:

9:22 p.m. ET, February 26, 2022

Six-year-old boy killed in Kyiv clashes, several more Ukrainian civilians wounded

From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv

Heavy gunfire in a western district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday evening killed a six-year-old boy and injured several other people, according to a local hospital.

Serhii Chernysuk, a doctor at Kyiv's Okhmatdyt hospital, said the injured included two teenagers and three adults.