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Updated Feb 26, 2022 - World

In photos: Ukrainian forces fight Russian advance on Kyiv

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Ukrainian soldiers stand past a burnt Ukrainian army vehicle in Kyiv.

Ukrainian soldiers stand past a burnt Ukrainian army vehicle in Kyiv. Photo: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

The fighting in and around Kyiv intensified Saturday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to stay in the capital and "protect our country."

The big picture: At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed since Russia launched its invasion, according to Ukraine's health ministry.

  • Ukrainian troops are resisting Russia's efforts to advance into Kyiv on Saturday, and loud explosions and fighting could be heard across the capital city.
  • More than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled in less than 48 hours and "many more are moving towards" Ukraine's borders, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday.

In photos:

A smoke column rises after an attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26.
A smoke column rises after an attack in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Photo: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
A photo shows empty shelves at a market due to the problems in food stocks, in Ukrainian capital Kyiv as Russiaâs military attack in Ukraine continues on February 26.
A Kyiv market on Feb. 26, which has been left with empty shelves as Russian forces' bombardment of Ukraine impacts on food supplies. Photo: Talha Yavuz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A rocket hits a residential building as seen in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26
A residential building in Kyiv on Feb. 26 following a rocket attack. Photo: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Volunteers work to make molotov cocktails in the basement of a bomb shelter on February 26, 2022 in Kyiv.
Volunteers work to make molotov cocktails in the basement of a Kyiv bomb shelter on Feb. 26. Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A damaged building in Kyiv that was hit by a recent shelling by Russian forces. Photo: Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A damaged building in Kyiv on Feb. 26 that was hit by a recent shelling by Russian forces. Photo: Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Firefighters work by a residential building hit by a missile strike in the morning in Kyiv
Firefighters work by a residential building hit by a missile strike in the morning of Feb. 26 in Kyiv. Photo: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A residential building is damaged from a missile strike in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Photo: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A residential building is damaged from a missile strike in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Photo: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier in an armored vehicle in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Photo: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images
A Ukrainian soldier in an armored vehicle in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Photo: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images
Smoke is seen rising from buildings on February 26, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Smoke is seen rising from buildings on Feb. 26. in Kyiv. Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty Images
Kyiv residents wait for an air raid to end in a bomb shelter on Feb. 26. Photo: Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images
Kyiv residents wait for an air raid to end in a bomb shelter on Feb. 26. Photo: Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images
A boy plays on a swing in front of a damaged residential block hit by a missile strike on Feb. 25.
A boy plays on a swing in front of a damaged residential block hit by a missile strike on Feb. 25.

Go deeper: The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more images

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