Videos on social media show a loud explosion followed by billowing clouds of smoke pouring from the tower. There were several explosions and Ukrainian TV channels stopped broadcasting shortly afterwards, local media reported. The Russian attack on Ukraine has intensified in the past 24-hours with Vladimir Putin’s forces stepping up their efforts to seize the capital. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Russia was barbaric for attacking a TV tower near a memorial site that commemorates the victims of Babyn Yar. Babyn Yar was one of the biggest single massacres of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. The site contains a cluster of memorials to remember those who died, including a separate one for the children. On Twitter, the foreign ministry said “Russian troops fired on the TV tower, near the Memorial complex #BabynYar. It added: “Russian criminals do not stop at anything in their barbarism. Russia = barbarian.” In other news: * The UK has added two more measures to its sanctions regime against Russia. It will freeze the assets of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and its chief executive, Kirill Dmitriev. The Russian Direct Investment Fund is a sovereign wealth fund created by the Russian government to attract investors to Russia. * Ukrainian intelligence suggests about 300 Belarusian tanks are now near the country’s border with Ukraine. Ukraine has accused Russia of preparing a “deliberate provocation” to justify introducing Belarusian troops. Russia and Belarus conducted joint military drills in the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the two countries have remained allied. A Russian column is making slow progress towards Kyiv, the Ministry of Defence has said. In its latest Defence Intelligence update, the MoD said the column of combat and logistics vehicles is approximately 30km from the centre of the capital city. Increased numbers of Russian air and artillery strikes have been conducted against densely populated urban areas over the last 48 hours, it said. Ukrainian forces continue to hold the cities of Kharkiv, Kherson and Mariupol, the defence update said, but all three cities are likely now encircled by Russian forces. Earlier, the MoD shared a map showing where Russia was advancing in Ukraine.
