Extract from ABC News
Ukrainian forces are battling Russian invaders around nearly all of the country's perimeter after Moscow mounted a mass assault by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European state since World War II.
Civilians have piled into trains and cars to flee, with Ukrainian refugees already starting to arrive in neighbouring central European nations.
NATO and European leaders have rushed to respond with strong financial sanctions against Russia and moves to strengthen their own borders.
Ukraine’s leadership said at least 40 people had been killed in the fighting as the country's forces continue to try to prevent a Russian takeover.
Protests across the world
Protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been held in countries across the world, including the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Turkey, The Netherlands, Montenegro, Cyprus, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Italy and others.
Demonstrators gathered outside Russian Embassies and other landmark spots waving Ukrainian flags.
Many of the demonstrators, including Ukrainian expats, chanted slogans in support of Ukraine and held banners saying "Ukraine will resist" and "Stop Putin, Stop war".
Protests were also held in 51 Russian cities on Thursday, the OVD-Info protest monitor said.
Russian police detained at least 1,400 people as protesters chanted "No to war" and held placards with anti-war and anti-Putin messages.
The country's Investigative Committee issued a statement warning protesters of "negative legal consequences of these actions, which include prosecution and up to criminal liability".
"It should be remembered that holding a criminal record holds negative consequences and leaves a mark on the person's future," the statement said.
Where are Russian troops?
Russia has launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine, hitting cities and bases with persistent and prolonged air strikes and shelling.
Kyiv reported columns of troops pouring across the borders with Russia and Belarus stretching from the north and east, and landing on the coasts from the Black Sea in the south-west and Azov Sea in the south-east.
Fierce fighting was taking place in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv in the north-east, Kherson and Odessa in the south, and at a military airport near the capital Kyiv, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office said.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has lost control over the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant — north of Kyiv near the Belarus border — after a fierce battle.
Regional officials said Ukrainian authorities had lost control of some territory in the Kherson region near Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian military authorities on Thursday said 20 Russian helicopters and Mi-8 aircraft had dispatched paratroopers at Hostomel airport in the Kyiv region, where forces from both sides were fighting for control.
Ukrainians told to stay indoors
Martial law has been declared across the country and a curfew has been announced in the country's capital.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has asked citizens to remain indoors between the hours of 10pm and 7am.
"It is necessary for the safety of the capital's residents amid military aggression and with martial law in force," Mr Klitschko said.
Public transport will not be running during those hours but metro stations will remain open as air raid shelters if they are needed.
People have been lining up at ATMs and petrol stations across the country as some prepare to flee the country, but for many, they have no option but to stay put.
G7 condemns Russia, further sanctions to come
The Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations strongly condemned on Thursday Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said they would bring forward severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions against Moscow.
"He has put himself on the wrong side of history," said the leaders in the statement released by Germany.
The leaders also said they supported consistent and constructive engagement and coordination among major energy producers and consumers towards stable global energy supplies and were ready to act to address potential disruption.
Mr Biden is set to announce the new measures later today, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a package of "severe" sanctions against Russia targeting banks, members of Mr Putin's closest circle and the extremely wealthy who enjoy high-rolling London lifestyles.
'Darkest hours of Europe since WWII'
US President Joe Biden called the Russian action an "unprovoked and unjustified attack". EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would impose a new round of sanctions that would hit Russia's economy severely.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has described the Russian assault on Ukraine as "among the darkest hours of Europe since the Second World War."
The assault brought a calamitous end to weeks of fruitless diplomatic efforts by Western leaders to avert war.
"Russia treacherously attacked our state in the morning, as Nazi Germany did in the WW2 years," tweeted Mr Zelenskyy.
ABC/wires
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