Russia’s war with Ukraine intensified on Friday when Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a brutal pliers movement around Kyiv.
Locals and cameramen filmed horrific footage of bombs being dropped, soldiers being shot at and planes screaming overhead as fighting raged in Europe.
A huge fireball was spotted exploding at a key air base in the center of the country after a rocket crashed into it.
The Ukrainians were scheduled to sprint from a large train station to a nearby subway bunker as they shouted excruciating sirens.
Meanwhile, Russians protested the war in Moscow and were spotted throwing Molotov cocktails at police.
Russian forces continued their brutal offensive in Ukraine today as they circled the capital Kyiv.
But the Ukrainian military – joined by civilians who responded to the call for armaments – positioned themselves ready to attack.
Here MailOnline looks at the most iconic videos of the battle on both sides today:
The Ukrainian military is blowing up a bridge to slow down the Russians
Amazing footage shows how the Ukrainian armed forces sacrificed a bridge near the second city of Kharkov.
Soldiers blew up a crossing in the east of the country to try to slow the ongoing Russian offensive.
The video shot a car moving towards the bridge before a huge hell exploded in front of it when the bomb hit.
Shells are pouring from the sky over Kyiv
A stunning video that appeared during the night shows bright shells scattering debris on the capital
A stunning video that appeared during the night shows bright shells showering the capital with debris.
Huge pieces of rubbish flowed in spirals before crashing into the ground from Kyiv.
Stunned spectators recorded the scenes while the noise of fighters was heard.
Molotov cocktails are thrown in Moscow at an illegal rally
Russians set fire to Molotov cocktails in Moscow as they protest against dictator Vladimir Putin’s brutal war
The Russians lit Molotov cocktails in Moscow while protesting against the brutal war of dictator Vladimir Putin.
Protesters took to the streets around Pushkinskaya metro station, where many were arrested during a police operation.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defense ministry also told people to set fire to weapons as an easy way to attack oncoming Russians.
Shooting broke out on the outskirts of Kyiv as Russian forces emerged
A horrified citizen recorded sprinting around the outskirts of Kyiv until the shooting spread.
The Ukrainian fled through the Obolon neighborhood before hiding in a building with others.
This came when Russian forces began to surround the capital, but locals continued to fight.
A Russian tank ran over a civilian car near Kyiv
A Russian tank appears to have run over a civilian car on its way to the outskirts of Kyiv, while they continue, the army continues its attack on the city.
The huge war machine accelerated to roll over the machine, but it was unclear if anyone was inside.
Other cars on the road stopped frightened, and a woman recording the footage could be heard crying.
A powerful explosion has erupted at an air base in Russia’s Rostov region
Among the many huge explosions filmed by a camera today was in the Rostov region of Russia as Ukrainian troops retaliated.
A fireball engulfed the area and a huge cloud of smoke appeared after the eruption in Milerovo.
The area is close to the border with Donetsk, and fierce fighting between the two powers has taken place over the past two days.
A huge fireball explodes in the air base as the Russian offensive continues
A huge fireball exploded at a large air base as Russian forces continued their offensive in Ukraine.
The blast caused flames to rise when the Ukrainian Vasilkiv complex was hit by the enemy.
The footage was taken from a car on the highway, which accelerated to the explosion, while others were killed off the road.
Terrified citizens run from the station to the metro station for cover
Terrified citizens ran from a large train station to a cover metro station today.
People in Kyiv sprinted to shelter as the ominous sound of bomb sirens wafted into the background.
This happened when Russia intensified its attack on the capital today, when fighters and soldiers descended on the city.
Ukrainian forces distribute rifles to civilians on the streets
Stunning scenes show Ukrainian forces handing out rifles to ordinary citizens as they step up to defend their country.
The footage shows young and old men preparing for battle with ammunition and protective clothing.
This comes as the West continues to refuse to deploy troops to the war-torn country, despite the build-up of troops in nearby NATO countries.
Huge lightning when Kyiv comes under fire
The Ukrainian capital was illuminated by a huge ball of light when the city was subjected to heavy bombing.
Kyiv was shrouded in light as Russian artillery shelled the city, leaving terrified residents shrinking into their homes.
The light remained through the silhouette for seconds before retreating to the ground like embers.
The first day of dramatic videos from the war in Ukraine: cruise missiles fly over them, Russian troops descend with parachutes and devastating explosions around citizens
by Lauren Lewis for MailOnline
Yesterday, Ukrainians recorded footage of a war unfolding before their eyes with cruise missiles flying over them, parachuting Russian troops and devastating explosions around them on the first day of the conflict.
Hours earlier, Putin launched a total war against Ukraine with a multilateral attack on the country from the north, south and east.
An extraordinary video showed what looked like a cruise missile crashing into Ivano-Frankivsk airport, also in the west.
Russian troops were filmed parachuting in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city on the eastern border with Russia.
While the video, shot in Odessa, in the southwest, shows that the sky glows bright white from the explosion.
Such footage from Kharkov shows a massive explosion in the city, although it is not clear what the goal is.
Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Uman and Chernihiv in eastern Ukraine say they have been attacked, but explosions have also been reported in the west, in Zhytomyr and Lviv, near the Polish border.
Here are the most iconic videos from the first day of the crisis:
A missing projectile hits a passing cyclist
This is the moment when a passer-by cyclist was hit by a shell as he missed his target in Uman in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine
This is the moment when a passer-by cyclist was hit by a projectile that missed its target in Uman in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine.
Reports say at least one civilian has been killed and five others injured in a rocket attack that evacuated a population within a 19-mile radius of a nearby military unit.
Stand of tanks outside Kharkov
The video, shot on the outskirts of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, shows Ukrainian tanks clashing with Russian forces crossing the border in the early hours
The video, shot on the outskirts of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, shows Ukrainian tanks clashing with Russian forces that crossed the border in the early hours.
A Ukrainian woman is heard in the footage, saying: “Russian tanks are standing on the ring road. And ours is firing at them.
– Shoot at them, at the people. Don’t let anyone in. ‘
Missile strike at a warehouse in Odessa
This is the moment a Russian Kalibr missile hit a warehouse in Odessa, in the southwestern corner of Ukraine, around 10:15am today
Video shows the warehouse becoming a fireball after it is hit by the missile – the latest in a barrage that have hit key Ukrainian military warehouses and depots since Russian strongman Putin ordered troops over the border in the early hours of today
Footage shows the warehouse exploding after the strike this morning. The city of Odessa, where one of Ukraine’s main naval bases is located, was also attacked
Footage from Odessa in the southwest corner of Ukraine shows that the warehouse was destroyed by a Russian Caliber missile shortly after 10:15 a.m. this morning.
This is the latest in a series of missiles that have hit key Ukrainian military depots and depots since Russian leader Putin ordered troops to cross the border in the early hours.
The city of Odessa, where one of Ukraine’s main naval bases is located, was also attacked. Russian tankers appear to have blocked the Kerch Strait, leading from the hinterland to the Sea of Azov, cutting off Mariupol.
Missile strike at the airport in eastern Ukraine
Footage from western Ukraine shows a rocket taking off and landing on an already smoking building at an airport in the region. The building bursts into flames before a large cloud of dark smoke rises over the area
Footage from western Ukraine shows a rocket taking off and landing on an already smoking building at Ivano-Frankivsk Airport. The building appears to be on fire before a large cloud of dark smoke rises over the area.
Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD missiles also destroy targets from east to west – aimed at airports, military bases, ammunition depots and command posts.
Russian President Putin has targeted airports across Ukraine, including Chuguev Airport near Kharkiv, in the east of the country in what appears to be a strategic attempt to cripple the country and take control of the skies as troops push in from the north. east and south.
Moscow boasted that it was taking full control of the skies – although Ukraine said six Russian planes had been shot down from the skies over the eastern Donbass region, killing 50 Russian soldiers.
Russian tanks surround the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
A Russian T-72 tank is pictured sitting in front of the main reactor at Chernobyl after Putin’s forces seized it in a ‘fierce’ battle with the condition of nuclear storage facilities ‘unknown’
Russian armored vehicles park on roads near Chernobyl plant, amid fears that damage to the facility could cause radiation leaks that will cover Europe with precipitation
Russian T-72 tanks were filmed sitting in front of the main reactor at Chernobyl after Putin’s troops captured it in a “fierce” battle.
The condition of the nuclear storage facilities was “unknown” until late Thursday afternoon, amid fears that damage to the facility could lead to a leak of radiation that would cover Europe with precipitation.
Russian helicopters have taken control of the airport near Kyiv
Russian Mi-8 attack helicopters attack Gostomel air base, right on the outskirts of Kyiv, after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale attack on the country
Just after noon on Thursday, the celestial air base of Gostomel, right on the outskirts of Kyiv, was filled with a squadron of 20 Russian helicopters hitting the runway of the air base.
But Ukrainian ground forces began a resistance, retreating to reclaim the airfield as jets stormed the city, shooting down Russian helicopters.
The attack highlighted how close the invaders were to the capital. Soon after, the distant roar of fighters high above the city caused a new wave of panic.
Debris in Kyiv after a rocket hit a residential street
Footage showed the remains of what looked like a Russian rocket on a residential street in southern Kyiv on Thursday afternoon.
A witness said she heard a “terrible explosion” in front of her building before all nearby car alarms started ringing.
Describing the attack, she said there was “no smoke, no smell, nothing” but the sound. Military personnel were pictured inspecting the site later Thursday.
A fire broke out at Mariupol International Airport
A fire broke out at Mariupol International Airport on Thursday morning after Russian forces attacked the port city, home to one of Ukraine’s main naval bases.
A fire broke out at Mariupol International Airport on Thursday morning after Russian forces attacked the port city, home to one of Ukraine’s main naval bases.
Odessa, the country’s other main naval base, was also attacked by what appears to remain under Ukrainian control as of Thursday afternoon.
Russian tankers blocked the Kerch Strait, leading from the hinterland to the Sea of Azov, cutting off Mariupol.
Russian military trucks head to Crimea
Russian military trucks were filmed apparently heading for Crimea, although it is unclear where they came from, as Russia does not have a land border with the peninsula.
Russian military trucks were filmed apparently heading for Crimea, although it was unclear where they came from, as Russia has no land border with the peninsula, hours after Moscow forces began striking Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army fought in almost every region of the country on Thursday afternoon, fighting the Russians for control of military bases, airports, cities and ports from Kharkov to Kyiv and Donetsk to Odessa.
Russian helicopters fly over and tanks head for the hydroelectric plant
Russian helicopters were filmed flying over and tanks heading towards the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant
Russian soldiers raise flag over Kakhovka hydroelectric plant after helicopter attack
Russian helicopters were also filmed flying over tanks heading to the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant.
Moscow soldiers were spotted raising a flag at the top of the headquarters later in the day. Russia has targeted key factories, military depots and depots in the early stages of what appears to be a full-scale invasion.
Residents of Kyiv gather in an underground shelter
Residents gathered in an underground shelter in Kyiv as Russian forces bombed the Ukrainian capital. Footage shows citizens huddled in the basement, dressed in warm clothes, waiting for the shelling to stop.
Residents gathered in an underground shelter in Kyiv as Russian forces bombed the Ukrainian capital on Thursday after Putin ordered a complete invasion of the country.
Footage shows citizens huddled in the basement, dressed in warm clothes, waiting for the shelling to stop.
Massive explosion in Kharkov
Footage from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest city on the eastern border with Russia, shows an explosion that shook the region
Footage from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city on the eastern border with Russia, shows an explosion that shook the region.
U.S. intelligence chiefs have already said the city is at particular risk of being targeted by a Russian invasion because it is close to the Ukrainian-Russian border.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on Facebook that the Russian military had launched missile strikes on Ukrainian military command posts, air bases and military depots in Kyiv, Kharkiv and the Dnieper.
And on Wednesday night, a huge military convoy of more than 100 trucks of soldiers headed for the city.
Russian paratroopers jump with a parachute in Ukraine
A video shot in Kharkiv near Ukraine’s border with Russia is said to show Russian soldiers parachuting into the country.
A video taken in Kharkov, near Ukraine’s border with Russia, claims to show Russian troops parachuting into the country.
The daytime footage shows several attacks on Ukraine from all fronts, with bombs and missiles striking targets across the country, ground forces arriving from Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
An apartment building in Kharkiv was hit, causing civilian casualties, in the early hours before troops were spotted arriving in eastern Ukraine.
Explosions struck near a Ukrainian army depot
The footage shows explosions hit matchmakers, a city in eastern Ukraine. Reports say the missiles hit “close” to a warehouse where Ukrainian army equipment is stored
The footage shows explosions hit matchmakers, a city in eastern Ukraine. Reports say the missiles hit “close” to a warehouse where Ukrainian army equipment is stored.
Russian troops have launched targeted missile strikes at Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases and military depots in what appears to be a strategic attempt to cripple the country.
The invasion marks the most coherent attempt to overthrow the world order since the end of the Cold War and risks provoking the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the end of World War II.
Explosion in Odessa
A video from Krasnopil, near Odessa in the southwest corner of Ukraine, is said to show part of a ground invasion with blinding bright light and a cloud of smoke hovering over the area.
A video from Krasnopil, near Odessa in the southwest corner of Ukraine, shows the night sky illuminated in bright white after the explosion.
This came after Vladimir Putin addressed an extraordinary morning address to the Russian nation – delivered during a UN meeting to avoid war – in which he declared a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denationalize” Ukraine in what was a direct declaration of war.
The Russian strongman also issued a chilling warning to any country that intends to come to Ukraine’s aid, promising “consequences greater than any you have ever encountered in history.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the attack as a “full-scale invasion” and said Ukraine would defend itself and win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time for action is now. ‘
Warning sirens for an air attack in Kyiv
Video shot in the capital, Kyiv, shows air sirens wailing as residents wake up to a Russian invasion after weeks of warnings that Putin is preparing a dry, air and naval attack
A video shot in the capital, Kyiv, shows air sirens waving as residents wake up to a Russian invasion after weeks of warnings that Putin is preparing a dry, air and naval attack.
Terrified civilians rushed to bomb shelters at night, although no warnings were issued in the capital until early in the morning – only frequent muffled missile strikes or air strikes broke the silence before dawn.
Others say they have taken refuge in subways and bases as the sounds of distant explosions become a constant background.
Photos from Kyiv show that highways outside the city were blocked as people tried to flee after Russian bombs began to fall – but as the entire country came under simultaneous attack, no safety could be found.
Tanks come from Belarus
Footage shows tanks entering Ukraine from Belarus after dictator Alexander Lukashenko throws his forces into battle
The footage shows tanks entering Ukraine from Belarus after dictator Alexander Lukashenko threw his forces into battle.
The video surveillance footage of the Belarusian-Ukrainian checkpoint Senkovka-Veselovka captured at least four T-72B tanks, at least eight MT-LB tractors and a Ural truck crossing the border.
Russia has been gathering troops along its border with Ukraine since October, but added to its arsenal by sending troops to Belarus in January, ostensibly for war games.
Fighters have been spotted over Ukrainian cities
This morning’s video showed what Russian planes are considered to be flying over major cities in Ukraine, including helicopters and fighter jets.
This morning’s video showed what were considered Russian planes flying over major cities in Ukraine, including helicopters and fighter jets.
Terrified citizens took refuge indoors, in subways and bases, while air raid sirens sounded until the morning after Putin ordered his troops to enter the country at night.
Russian fighter flies over the Dnieper
Video posted online shows a fighter flying over the Dnieper, in the center of eastern Ukraine, in the early hours of the morning
A video posted online shows a fighter flying over the Dnieper, in the center of eastern Ukraine, in the early hours of the morning.
The moon was still visible as the plane took off over the city hours after Putin ordered a complete invasion of Ukraine by his forces, which have been piled up at the border in recent months.
Russian forces enter Kharkov
Russian forces were spotted arriving in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine this morning. Armored vehicles were spotted driving on the outskirts of the city, with tanks and troops spotted stopping civilians as they tried to leave the area in their cars.
Russian forces were spotted arriving in Kharkov in eastern Ukraine this morning after Putin ordered troops to invade the country as terrified residents tried to flee.
Armored vehicles were spotted driving on the outskirts of the city, while tanks and troops were spotted stopping civilians as they tried to leave the area in their cars.
The rockets rained down on the city, which US intelligence chiefs warned was at particular risk of being targeted by a Russian invasion as it was close to the Ukrainian-Russian border in the early hours.
Debris from a Russian rocket found in Kyiv
Footage shows the wreckage of an X-32 missile that landed in Kyiv this morning, hours after Putin ordered a complete invasion of Ukraine
Footage shows the wreckage of an X-32 missile that landed in Kyiv this morning, hours after Putin ordered a complete invasion of Ukraine.
Cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD missiles are destroying targets from east to west – aimed at airports, military bases, ammunition depots and command posts, including in the capital.
Shooting is heard in Mariupol
Residents of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, caught the sound of shelling in the city early this morning after Putin ordered a complete invasion of the country
Residents of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, caught the sound of shelling in the city early this morning after Putin ordered a complete invasion of the country.
Footage taken through a window in a residential complex shows people taking shelter in their homes while shelling is heard nearby.
Explosions in Mariupol
Footage shows smoke rising on the horizon after blasts were heard near Mariupol, eastern Ukraine
Surveillance footage recorded a live broadcast of the explosions in Mariupol, one of Ukraine’s main naval bases, around 3:41 a.m. Thursday.
The footage shows smoke rising over the horizon after explosions near the port city of eastern Ukraine.
Explosions were heard in Kharkiv
Video footage of explosions in Kharkov, Ukraine’s second-largest city, located in the eastern part of the country, near the border with Russia.
Nearby, pro-Russian rebel forces pushed out of the occupied Donbass region, seized two villages and claimed to have shot down two Ukrainian planes from the sky.
A cloud of orange smoke fills the silhouette of the Dnieper
The footage captured a huge cloud of orange smoke filling the silhouette over the Dnieper, near the Dnieper River, early Thursday.
This happened when Putin’s forces launched a series of attacks on Ukraine after a powerful Russian man ordered what was interpreted as a complete invasion of the country.
Air raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine
Roads in cities across the country were blocked by Ukrainian citizens trying to flee the Russian army as air sirens sounded in warning of an impending attack.
Long queues formed at gas stations around the city, but with so many places hitting the air, it was not clear where the safest place to escape would be.