Civilians cower on the ground with shells exploding overhead as they flee Russian assault

Video has emerged of people in Ukraine running for their lives and throwing themselves to the ground as shells explode over their heads in the town of Irpin.

Soldiers were also filmed preparing weapons and trenches around the capital region of Kyiv this morning as the Russian military continues to close in on the capital.

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Sky’s defence correspondent Deborah Haynes, who is in Lviv, said it appeared Russian forces are attempting to bulldoze their way through the outskirts of Kyiv as the 40-mile convoy approaches.

Ukrainians have been blowing up bridges to stop the Russian advance and also attacking the 40-mile Russian convoy that is aiming at the capital.

Haynes said an update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence said Ukrainians are being able to target the convoy’s supply lines. She said the lines are “obviously crucial” for the invading force to have food, fuel and ammunition for their soldiers.

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“But targeting a supply lines to such an extent that the Russians seem to be having to disguise fuel trucks as other kinds of support trucks to try to avoid them from being taken out, which again, would explain perhaps the stalling of this huge convoy,” she added.

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Civilians have been filling sand bags on the side of roads into Kyiv, with Molotov cocktails strewn near piles of rubble and destroyed vehicles.

Relentless Russian shelling and air raids have been reported across the northeast Kharkiv region.

And some Ukraine security officials say Russia is turning its focus to the southern front and mustering forces to surround the city of Dnipro, as part of an attempt to cut off the rest of Ukraine from the Black Sea.

Other key developments:

Russia says it has targeted Ukraine’s Starokostiantyniv military air base with long-range high-precision weapons in one of its latest attacks.

And Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed the attack left the air force base “disabled”.

“On the morning of 6 March, strikes were carried out by high-precision long-range weapons. The Ukrainian air force base near Starokostiantyniv was disabled.”

He added that a Ukrainian-controlled S-300 missile system had also been destroyed by Russian rocket forces and that Russia had downed 10 Ukrainian planes and helicopters over the past 24 hours.

This information has not been independently verified.

Authorities in the besieged city of Mariupol are attempting a second attempt to evacuate civilians today under a temporary ceasefire, after a similar deal yesterday collapsed with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other for the failure.

Terrified locals also spoke of seeing Russian military vehicles and troops inside the town of Irpin, as they made their way across a makeshift walkway that had been quickly built after the bridge linking Irpin and Kyiv was apparently bombed.

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Elsewhere in Ukraine, police have reported relentless Russian shelling and air raids in the northeast Kharkiv region.

Ukraine security officials say Russia is turning its focus to the southern front and mustering forces to surround the city of Dnipro, as part of an attempt to cut off the rest of Ukraine from the Black Sea.

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