Putin 'chose this war', says Biden as Ukraine crisis continues

Large explosions also rocked city of Chuhuiv, which suffered damage from shellings in the biggest attack on a European country since the Second World War. 

 

Russian missiles and shelling rained down on Ukrainian cities after President Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale ground invasion and air assault, forcing civilians to shelter on metro systems. 

 

Deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kyiv. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 137 civilians and military personnel have been killed. But he's calling up conscripts and reservists nationwide to fight. 

 

"What Ukrainians should do, is help the national defence, join the national armed forces, territorial defence. Anyone with experience in the army. It's really important and we will not let the enemy go any further on our territory."

 

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant - an area still heavily contaminated with radioactive material - is now under control of Russian forces.

 

Meanwhile the West has responded with punishing sanctions.

 

 "Putin is the aggressor, Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences," said US President Joe Biden, who revealed new sanctions on Russia. 

 

"He has much larger ambitions than Ukraine, he wants to reestablish the former Soviet Union. That's what this is about. His ambitions are completely contrary to the place where the rest of the world has arrived."

 READ: SA calls on Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine

The UK's freezing the assets of big Russian banks and sanctioning what it's called "all the major manufacturers that support Putin's war machine".

 

The UN refugee agency estimates around 100-thousand Ukrainians have left their homes with thousands crossing into neighbouring countries such as Romania, Moldova, Poland and Hungary. 

 

And those in charge of European football are expected to confirm today they'll move May's Champions League final from St Petersburg.