Friday briefing: Ukraine’s battle for survival

Explosions in Kyiv on second day of Russian offensive… student finance reforms ‘favour wealthy’ … and Peter Sarsgaard on why acting is a comfort

Top story: Signs of ‘fierce resistance’

Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this morning.

Ukraine is fighting for its survival today as the Russian offensive against its neighbour continues to escalate. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, confirmed reports of missile strikes on military and civilian targets this morning, while multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv and air-raid sirens sounded across the city. The key Hostomel air base just outside Kyiv is controlled by Ukrainian forces again, but there is heavy fighting going on north-west of the capital. The deputy defence minister has just said that Russian troops will soon be “just outside Kyiv”, but British military experts said Ukrainian forces had provided “fierce resistance across all axes of Russia’s advance”.

In a grave address to the nation earlier on Friday, Zelenskiy said 137 Ukrainians have died so far and although he said he was “target number one” of the Russian military, he would stay in Kyiv. Here’s what we know so far about the invasion, and you can also follow developments at our live blog and read our visual guide to what’s happening.

Zelenskiy lamented the lack of on-the-ground military support, with the west’s response only to impose more sanctions. Some EU states are reluctant to go so far as to cripple Russia’s economy by excluding it from the Swift system of dollar payments, so the bloc may not endorse the plan, bringing fury from Ukraine. Boris Johnson has promised tough action as well. In Russia, police arrested more than 1,700 people after protests against the invasion in 53 cities.

The question of why Putin has pursued such a reckless path is being asked by governments all over the world, and bewilderment about the Russian leader’s “despotic mindset” has been amplified by his bizarre justifications about “denazifying” Ukraine. Our team of correspondents take us through the tense buildup and then the unleashing of Russia’s military might on the first day of the invasion, which also included a carefully chosen list of targets and “data-wiper” cyberattacks. Ukraine has now called on hackers to help defend against more cyber warfare.

Our columnist Timothy Garton Ash, an expert on eastern Europe, writes that the invasion will change the continent for ever, while a Ukrainian journalist in Kyiv shares her disbelief that the attack went ahead. And Oliver Bullough argues that Johnson’s claims that Britain is rooting out Russian money are wide of the mark.

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Student inequality – Plans to reform student finance in England will result in wealthy undergraduates being better off, while women, disadvantaged students and those from the north and Midlands are most likely to be worse off, according to the government’s own equality analysis. Under the proposals, students who enrol in 2023-24 would make loan repayments for 40 years rather than 30. It means that graduates who end up earning more over their careers would see their lifetime repayments fall, while those making less would see theirs increase by 150%.

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Blocking move – Social media users could be cut off from other accounts on platforms such as Twitter if they do not sign up for ID verification, under proposals to tackle anonymous trolls. Sites including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram will be required to give users the option to opt in or opt out from receiving messages, replies and content from unverified or anonymous accounts. Verified users could also block unverified or anonymous accounts from seeing their content under the opt in/opt out proposals.

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Rape failings – Rape survivors who report their attackers are being systematically failed by the criminal justice system, resulting in an average wait of nearly two years before a trial begins, a damning official report has found. A joint inspection by police and crown prosecution watchdogs has identified multiple failings in the process from reporting a rape to a possible trial and conviction of an assailant. A lack of collaboration between police and prosecutors has led to months of delays and poor communication with accusers.

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Long way round – Theft of London hire bikes, dubbed “Boris bikes” after their introduction by the then London mayor, has been increasing. But the end destination of the stolen bikes has thrown up surprises with the list including Australia, Gambia, Turkey and Jamaica, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Today in Focus podcast

Our correspondents join Michael Safi to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and fears it could escalate into the most serious conflict Europe has seen since the second world war.

Lunchtime read: Peter Sarsgaard – ‘I find comfort in acting’

Peter Sarsgaard may star in The Batman, but his taste is more arthouse thrillers and experimental theatre. He discusses overacting, bad accents – and being cast as a charmer by his wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Sport

The four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel has issued a strident call for Formula One to abandon this season’s scheduled race in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. This season’s Champions League final will be moved from St Petersburg, but pressure remains on football to respond even more strongly as the crisis in Ukraine escalates. On the field, a wild night at Ibrox featuring two goals for James Tavernier and a bizarrely ruled-out effort by Ryan Kent ended in a 2-2 draw as Rangers dumped favourites Borussia Dortmund out of the Europa League 6-4 on aggregate. Mikel Arteta said Alexandre Lacazette “behaves like someone who wants to stay with us” after the striker made a vital contribution to Arsenal’s dramatic late Premier League victory over Wolves. After Sarina Wiegman’s England team won the Arnold Clark Cup, our writers address key questions in the buildup to July’s Women’s Euros.

Novak Djokovic’s run of two consecutive years as the undisputed tennis No 1 has come to an end after he suffered a shock defeat to Jiri Vesely in their Dubai quarter-final. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev is set to overtake the Serb on Monday. Leeds will have to defy history if they are to win the Super League title after labouring their way to a third successive defeat – a 10-4 loss to Catalans Dragons – to start the new season. England have been dealt a colossal blow before Saturday’s crunch Six Nations match against Wales with Manu Tuilagi ruled out by a hamstring injury – just hours after he was recalled to the side by Eddie Jones. Greg Norman, who is fronting a Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway golf league, has warned the head of the PGA Tour “it certainly is not the end” despite a string of high-profile players shunning the scheme.

Business

Financial markets are still absorbing the blow from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with commodities prices soaring amid the uncertainty. Brent crude oil, which yesterday went above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, was on the rise again on Friday with a 2% lift to $101.20. The FTSE lost nearly 4% yesterday but looks set to recover at least 1% of that this morning. The pound is on $1.343 and €1.197.

The papers

The Guardian’s front page has the stark headline “Putin invades” and carries a picture of a wounded civilian woman that features on many fronts. “Her blood … his hands” says the Mirror, while the Sun goes with “Her blood on his hands”. The Mail reports “Putin to seize capital in days”, the FT has “Putin’s forces storm Ukraine” and the Telegraph says “New cold war as Putin strikes”. The Express splash head is “Redrawing map of Europe in blood”, Metro says “War in Europe”, as does the Press and Journal in Scotland. The i has “Ukraine’s agony” and the Northern Echo says “Our worst fears have come true”. See more front pages from around the world at our papers wrap here.

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