Live updates from the Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia warns Kyiv residents to leave as a convoy approaches the capital

As peace talks between Ukraine and Russia faltered, an explosion shook central Kharkiv.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 | Chimniii Desk

Russia's onslaught on Ukraine entered its sixth day on Tuesday, as a vast armoured convoy moved closer to Kyiv, the capital, and key cities were shelled again.

According to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko, video captured a deadly explosion at the regional state administration building in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which killed at least ten people.

The International Criminal Court announced on Monday that it would investigate whether Russia committed war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine. The decision was made just hours after peace talks in Belarus ended in a stalemate.

In an address to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with the EU to accept Ukraine's application to join the group, which received a standing ovation.

It came as part of a fast Western response to Russia's invasion, with countries applying broader sanctions that have wreaked havoc on Russia's economy, forcing the ruble to plunge to about 30% against the dollar on Monday.

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According to Ukrainian officials, Russian military opened fire on the Kyiv TV Tower.

The Kyiv TV Tower, a more than 1,200-foot-high steel tower used for radio and television broadcasts in the nation's capital, was hit by Russian forces on Tuesday, according to a Telegram message from the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Near the tower, video and photographs released on social media showed smoke billowing and an explosion from a neighbouring structure.

According to Vitalii Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, the city was hit by two missiles, according to preliminary reports.

He said on Telegram, "The transformer substation, which feeds electricity to the TV tower, as well as the hardware on the TV tower itself, are both destroyed."

Kyiv's tower, which was completed in 1973, is one of the world's tallest freestanding lattice structures.

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According to Reuters, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko claimed the damage could have interrupted the tower's transmission. The amount of the damage was not immediately confirmed by NBC News. Kyiv's tower, which was completed in 1973, is one of the world's tallest freestanding lattice structures.

UMAN, Ukraine (Ukraine) — Yasmina Vladimirovich and her baby have taken refuge deep underground, but they are still afraid of the Russian bombs falling from the sky.

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"We hear bombing and shooting all the time, and we don't know how to sleep or how we'll live tomorrow," the teacher said as she hunkered in a basement near the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with her 5-month-old. "I hear the sound of bombs detonating. We're in grave danger."

Tymur rests calmly in his carriage, swaddled in blankets and a sky-blue wool cap, seemingly unaware to the events unfolding around him. Vladimirovich, 31, is taking refuge with neighbours and family, one of whom is clutching a chihuahua.

Until late Tuesday morning, the group heard bombing, and Vladimirovich claimed she was scared to sleep with the sounds of explosions and bullets overhead.

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