These are the scenes of devastation seen this morning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as Russian tanks roll in amid reports of fierce fighting.

The heartbreaking images show widespread devastation in the Ukrainian capital, with numerous residential buildings in ruins and local firefighters struggling to put out fires all over the city.

Russian troops and armoured vehicles including tanks are reportedly entering the city from the east and from the north.

Firefighters are reporting fires in multi-storey residential buildings. They said that in one case they had evacuated 150 people from a block of flats, stating that eight people had been injured.

In a statement obtained by newsflash, the SES, the State emergency service of Ukraine, said: “The Rescue Service has its own line of defence, but the purpose of all defenders of Ukraine is to fight back the threat and finally win peace for our parents, for our children.”

Images also show countless buildings that have been completely gutted by Russian aggression as civilians flee for their lives.

Russian missiles had so far appeared to target the Ukrainian military and infrastructure, sparing civilian populations, but this appears to be changing quickly. It is currently unclear how many people have been killed.

Most of the world has reacted with outrage at Russia’s invasion of its neighbour and have criticised the Kremlin for its alleged denazification propaganda.

NATO states have imposed what they called the strongest sanctions ever on Russia but some European states are reportedly refusing to kick the Russians out of the international SWIFT banking system.

There have also been no sanctions on energy in a bid to keep prices stable, with the United States saying that the world economy is still recovering from the last crisis.

Furthermore, the European Union is heavily reliant on Russian energy and politicians are discussing how member states can accelerate the transformation of their energy sectors so that they are no longer dependent on Russian imports.

China, which has become closer with Russia in recent times, has stopped short of calling the attack an invasion, leaving many in Taiwan and in other countries around the world to wonder what will happen next, as events taking place in Eastern Europe appears set to shape the global geopolitical landscape for years to come.

In a televised address to the people of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world early yesterday morning (Thursday), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson labelled Vladimir Putin a “dictator”.

Ukrainian soldiers are said to be fighting bravely against an enemy that outguns them and outnumbers them. In one case, 13 border guards died on a tiny island in the Black Sea called Snake Island, when they refused to surrender to a Russian warship and were subsequently bombed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised the 13 soldiers and said that they would be given posthumous war hero honours.