Russia-Ukraine live updates: Ukrainians hold Kyiv as Putin intensifies invasion

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” opened its show this weekend not with the usual skit, but with a rendition of “Prayer for Ukraine” sung by the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York.

The show’s Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong solemnly introduced the choir, which sang the Ukrainian hymn in front of a table with votive candles that spelled out “KYIV,” next to bouquets of sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine.

Among the song’s lyrics, translated to English, is the verse: “Protect our beloved Ukraine/ Bless her with freedom and light.”

The performance was a rare departure from the show’s “cold open” that usually weighs in on current events in the form of a skit that pokes fun at politicians and celebrities in the news. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani appeared on the show with first responders.

On Saturday, McKinnon and Strong returned to the stage after the chorus concluded, delivering the usual line, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”

KYIV, Ukraine — The United States and key Western allies on Saturday announced severe new sanctions on Russian banks as the Ukrainian capital came under bombardment with some of the fiercest shelling since the start of the Russian invasion.

The Biden administration, Canada and European allies will impose major restrictions on Russia’s central bank, freezing its ability to use its $640 billion in foreign reserves. They also announced that they would remove certain Russian financial institutions from the SWIFT messaging network that connects banks worldwide, a move that to date has been taken against only Iran and North Korea.

The latest steps to economically choke Moscow and its ruling class come as Kyiv is under attack from Russian forces encroaching on Ukraine’s largest city. A massive fireball was visible to the southwest of Kyiv following a pounding explosion that rocked the city in the early-morning hours local time on Sunday. At least one high-rise apartment building had been struck directly Saturday, fueling skepticism of Russia’s claim that it was targeting only military facilities.

KYIV, Ukraine — Yuri Shuklin has never fired a gun, not a real one at least. His war experience, he said, comes from playing video games such as “Call to Action.” “Maybe it’s funny, but in some movies and video games, they have nice [battlefield] tactics,” he said.

By Saturday, he had signed up to fight the Russian forces pressing on this capital.

In Ukraine, there’s precedent for Shuklin’s screen-to-reality sense of confidence: President Volodymyr Zelensky was an actor and comedian, whose only political experience before getting elected was playing the role of Ukraine’s president in a satirical TV series. Now, those savvy communication skills, Zelensky’s ability to sway audiences via social media, a healthy dose of grit and defiance — and not least of all, his readiness to die if necessary — has transformed him into an unlikely champion for Ukrainians and the world.

Until three days ago, when the Russians invaded, Zelensky’s political tenure was mixed, even considered by many on the decline. Ukrainians felt he was weak in his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and too quick to seek compromise with Moscow.

Zelensky, 44, at times downplayed the threat of Russia crossing into Ukraine and at others warned of Russia seizing Ukrainian cities. He denounced the United States and European governments as alarmist in their repeated warnings of an impending assault. There was no meaningful effort to bolster defenses along Ukraine’s border with Russia. Nor was there preparation for evacuations and other contingencies to protect Ukrainians.

As a wartime president, however, Zelensky has risen remarkably to the challenge. His messaging has been consistent and sharply directed at Moscow. In videos posted on social media he has appealed directly to Russian citizens, gracefully urging them to protest Putin’s onslaught on Ukrainian democracy.

“I’ve always thought he is a person who has a profound sense of right and wrong,” said a senior adviser to Zelensky, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “He will never acquiesce when he thinks something is wrong.”

KHARKIV, Ukraine — In a downtown government office building, men and women in military fatigues carried rocket-propelled grenades through hallways lined with ornate white crown molding. Others had AK-47s with loaded clips slung over the shoulders. Sandbags rested along windows as protection in case of potential blasts. A public bus pulled up to the building. There were hundreds of boxes of bullets inside.

This was the scene of the makeshift headquarters of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday morning, right around the time artillery strikes from the Russian military hit the area for a third straight day. Even as the smell of sulfur wafted through the streets, more than 100 people waited in line to join the civilian reserve force.

The Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, which is believed to have more than 130,000 volunteers, has been conducting weekend training sessions for months in preparation to help defend its turf from Russia. Now that the attack has started, Ukrainians across the country are mobilizing and turning to the Territorial Defense Forces to arm them and send them into the fight. Anyone between 18 and 60 can join.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” said 19-year-old Yevgeniy Belinkyi, who was waiting to enlist in Kharkiv. “When I’m sitting around, I’m scared. And here there’s nothing to fear. Here, I know what’s happening, and I hope my loved ones will be all right. I will make sure they are all right.”

It’s the sort of civilian insurgency that Ukraine is counting on to help fend off a Russian military that has significantly more manpower and firepower. President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted Thursday, “We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.”

But arming civilians, many of whom have little training, risks exacerbating the violence in cities across Ukraine and potentially giving the Russian military more pretext to fire indiscriminately.

Staff at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site had been working for two days straight, Ukraine’s regulator told a United Nations nuclear energy agency on Saturday, expressing concern that Russian control of the site could disrupt operations as the White House accused Russia of “hostage-taking.”

Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the International Atomic Energy Agency that although the site was operating normally, “the staff on duty had not changed” since Thursday. The IAEA said “the operations of the zone’s nuclear facilities should not be affected or disrupted in any way and that staff must be able to work and rest as normal.”

Avoiding calling out Russia explicitly, the IAEA urged “those in effective control of nuclear facilities not to take any actions that could compromise [the staff’s] safety.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday at a press briefing that “we are outraged by credible reports that Russian soldiers are currently holding the staff of the Chernobyl facilities hostage.”

Psaki said the “unlawful and dangerous hostage-taking … is obviously incredibly alarming and greatly concerning. We condemn it and we request their release.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement that it was “of paramount importance” that Chernobyl operates normally “and that plant staff remain able to carry out their vital work without any undue pressure or stress.”

The 1986 disaster at Chernobyl, when the site was under the control of the Soviet Union, ranks as the world’s worst nuclear power plant accident. The Chernobyl plant decommissioning team had been operating a scaled-back “downtime” service since Feb. 15 because of an outbreak of coronavirus cases among staff, its official website said.

“Until at least 27 February 2022, the operational staff only, ensuring nuclear and radiation safety will remain working on-site on a regular operating schedule,” it announced earlier this month.