On Friday, Russian strikes hit civilian targets in central Ukraine's Dnipro city, as Moscow's troops edged closer to Kyiv, where officials said the capital was being transformed into a "fortress".
Hundreds of thousands of civilians remained trapped and under fire in Ukrainian cities, including besieged Mariupol, after the first talks between Moscow and Kyiv's top diplomats ended on Thursday without any progress.
More civilian evacuations are expected today, although humanitarian corridors across Ukraine have previously broken down.
So far, 2.5 million people have been forced to flee the country while others try to seek refuge in basements, subway stations and underground shelters.
Given the speed of developments, The New Arab is providing live updates of what's been happening on the ground and additional analysis on the conflict's significance.