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Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking near airports in the west of the country for the first time, as observers and satellite photos indicated that its troops, long stalled in a convoy outside the capital Kyiv, were manoeuvring in an attempt to encircle the city.

The US and its allies prepared to step up their efforts to isolate and sanction Russia by revoking its most favoured trading status.

But with the invasion now in its third week, the new moves on the ground pointed to Russia forces trying to regroup, bombarding new cities as they tightened their 10-day-old siege on the key Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where tens of thousands were struggling to find food.

READ MORE: As West tries to force Russia from Ukraine, endgame elusive

The new airstrikes in western Ukraine were likely a message from Russia that no area was safe. Western and Ukrainian officials have said the Russian forces have struggled in the face of heavier-than-expected resistance and supply and morale problems.

So far, they have made the most advances on cities in the south and east while stalling in the north and around Kyiv.

Strikes on the western Lutsk airfield killed four Ukrainian servicemen and wounded six, according to Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk. In Ivano-Frankivsk, residents were ordered to shelters after an air raid alert, Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv said.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia used high-precision long-range weapons Friday to put military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk "out of action." He did not provide details.

READ MORE: Russia's mysteriously stalled convoy outside Kyiv has dispersed

In another potentially ominous movement, new satellite photos appeared to show that the massive Russian convoy outside the Ukrainian capital had fanned out into nearby towns and forests.

Howitzers were towed into positions to open fire, and armoured units were seen in towns near the the Antonov Airport north of the city, according to Maxar Technologies, the company that produced the images.

The 64-kilometre line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had massed outside Kyiv early last week. But its advance had appeared to stall amid reports of food and fuel shortages while Ukrainian troops also targeted it with anti-tank missiles.

The new moves suggest the convoy forces were now moving west around the city, making their way south to encircle it,, according to Jack Watling, a research fellow at British defence think-tank Royal United Services Institute.

"They're about half-way around now," he told BBC radio. He said they were likely preparing for a "siege rather than assault" on Kyiv because of continuing low morale and logistical problems. A missile Friday hit the town of Baryshivka, on Kyiv's eastern perimeter, significantly damaging buildings, according to the regional administration.

The British Ministry of Defence said that after making "limited progress," Russian forces were trying to "re-set and re-posture" their troops, gearing up for operations against Kyiv.

Moscow also indicated it plans to bring fighters from Syria into the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved bringing in "volunteer" fighters and told his defence minister to help them "move to the combat zone." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the "volunteers" include fighters from Syria.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew of "more than 16,000 applications" from countries in the Middle East, many of them from people he said had helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President Assad against various groups opposed to his rule, including Islamic State. Opposition activists in Syria have also reported Russian recruitment efforts in the country for the Ukraine war. But they estimate the number of volunteers so far is in the hundreds or a few thousand.

Revoking Russia's "most favoured nation" trade status by the US and other nations would allow higher tariffs to be imposed on some Russian imports. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow to Russia, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

Putin has insisted Russia can endure sanctions. After meeting in Moscow with the president of Belarus, Putin said there have been "certain positive developments" in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. But he offered no details.

Meanwhile, the offensive on Ukrainian cities has expanded.

In Syria, Russia backed the government in imposing long, brutal sieges on opposition-held cities, wreaking heavy destruction on residential area and causing widespread civilian casualties. That history, along with the ongoing siege of the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, has raised fears of similar bloodshed in Ukraine.

Russian airstrikes Friday targeted for the first time the eastern city of Dnipro, a major industrial hub and Ukraine's fourth-largest city in a strategic position on the Dnieper River. Three strikes hit, killing at least one person, according to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Heraschenko.

In images of the strikes' aftermath released by Ukraine's state emergency agency, firefighters doused a flaming building and scattered ash fell on bloodied rubble. Smoke billowed over shattered concrete and collapsed sidings where buildings once stood.

The Ukrainian general staff said Friday that the attacks in the west and in Dnipro were launched because the Russians were "unable to succeed" on other fronts. It said Russian efforts Friday remain concentrated around Kyiv and Mariupol, and that Russian forces are regrouping in the north and around the eastern cities of Sumy and Kharkiv.

Temperatures sank below freezing across most of Ukraine and were forecast to hit -13 degrees Celsius (8 Fahrenheit) in Kharkiv, which has come under heavy bombardment. Some 400 apartment buildings were cut off from heating supplies, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov appealed to remaining residents to descend into the subway system or other underground shelters where authorities and volunteers were distributing blankets and hot food.

A deadly strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol this week sparked international outrage and charges of a possible war crime.

Mariupol residents said bombardment continued Friday. Konashenkov, the Russian Defence Ministry spokesman, said Russian-backed fighters have advanced up to 800 meters from Mariupol from the east, north and west, further squeezing the city which has the Azov Sea to its south. He said the advance was being conducted by fighters from the separatist-held Donetsk region, the standard Russian line for fighting in the east.

Ukrainian authorities are planning to send aid to Mariupol, home to some 430,000, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message.

Repeated previous attempts have failed as aid and rescue convoys were targeted by Russian shelling, even as residents have grown more desperate, scrounging for food and fuel.

More than 1,300 people have died in the siege, Vereshchuk said. "They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve," she added. "It's a war crime."

Residents have no heat or phone service. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. Grocery stores and pharmacies were emptied days ago by people breaking in to get supplies, according to a local official with the Red Cross, Sacha Volkov. A black market is operating for vegetables, meat is unavailable, Volkov said.

Residents, Volkov said, are turning on one another: "People started to attack each other for food."

Vereshchuk also announced efforts to create new humanitarian corridors to bring aid to people in areas occupied or under Russian attack around the cities of Kherson in the south, Chernihiv in the north and Kharkiv in the east.

Some 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, the International Organisation for Migration said Friday.

Millions more have been driven from their homes. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area's population, have left the capital.

A furry Victorian was eager to join the classes at a school in the state's west on Friday morning, providing a delightful surprise for students.

A staff member at Casterton Secondary College, in regional Victoria, captured footage of the lively koala standing on its hind legs clawing at the entrance to a school building, appearing as if it was trying to get inside.

The friendly koala then roamed the school ground as students arrived for the school day.

READ MORE: Thousands to farewell Shane Warne at MCG state funeral

A staff member offered the koala a drink, while students were kept a safe distance from the animal, a staff member told 9News.

The koala stayed to enjoy the school grounds in peace and quiet once students headed into class, before deciding to move on.

Shane Warne's 22-year-old son Jackson has posted a series of photos and videos of his dad on Instagram as a way of paying tribute.

The images show Warne as he is best known – playful, gregarious and silly.

"Thank you everyone for the overwhelming amount of support, messages and love," the younger Warne wrote on Instagram.

LIVE UPDATES: Many gaps in flood recovery, NSW Premier admits

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca6gghvlKbY/

The charter plane carrying Warne's body from Thailand arrived back in Australia overnight ahead of a state funeral.

The casket was seen covered in an Australian flag.

Following an autopsy earlier this week, Thai authorities confirmed Warne had died of natural causes, after a suspected heart attack at a holiday villa on the island of Koh Samui last Friday.

Earlier this week, the mother to Warne's children posted a moving tribute to the legendary cricketer, saying he was taken "too soon" from their lives.

Simone Callahan posted a montage to Instagram in which she said Warne's greatest love was for his children.

"Shane was taken too soon from their young lives," Ms Callahan wrote.

"Eternal love remains and will never leave. Vale Shane."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca01aEzpeQj/

Ms Callahan was married to Warne from 1995 to 2005, during which the couple had three children: Brooke, Jackson and Summer.

Her tribute comes as Warne's 20-year-old daughter wrote a heartfelt tribute to her late father days after his sudden death in Thailand.

Summer Warne posted the emotional tribute on Instagram.

READ MORE: Warne's family share their heartbreak

READ MORE: Ian Chappell answers the biggest Warne 'what if?'

"There is no words," she wrote, alongside a photo of her with her father.

"It feels like I'm dreaming, waiting for someone to wake me up and tell me that you're okay. 

"This can't be real life. There's no way that life is this cruel to the most beautiful people on this earth. 

"There's no way that I will never hear your soft voice again telling me that 'everything is going to be okay' or how 'proud' you are of me, or simply saying 'goodnight' or 'good morning SJ I'll see you in the morning, I love you…'

"Moments before the world took you away from me, we were jamming to 'Summer of 69' and 'I've Had The Time of My Life'.

"Talking about how much you loved that song and seeing your smile light up the whole room while we danced and couldn't stop laughing at each other. 

"God you made me laugh dad. Little did I know that was the last time I would ever see you dad. 

"I'd do anything to hear that laugh again, anything to hear your voice, anything to have one of your cuddles, anything to be with you again just one last time. I wish in your final moments before you went off to heaven and before you took your last breath that I could tell you everything was going to be okay, and to hold your hand and tell you how much I love and look up to you. 

"I took our time for granted dad and I would do anything to have more time with you on this earth. 

"Our time was robbed and I wish you would come back to me. 

"You may not be alive dad, but you will forever live inside my heart, I will cherish the memories till my time is up on this earth and I am reunited with you again. 

"I love you dad, forever and always will be my Father no matter where you are. Love your little girl SJ and I will continue to make you proud."

READ MORE: Warne's very Australian final meal before suspected heart attack

Earlier this week, the Warne family shared their heartbreak after the cricket legend's death.

Read the full family statements below.

Keith and Brigitte Warne

The night of the 4th of March 2022 is when a never-ending nightmare began for our family, for that is the date we lost our much loved and admired son, father, brother and Uncle, "Shane Keith Warne" a tragedy we will never come to terms with.

To find words to adequately express our sadness is an impossible task for us and looking to a future without Shane is inconceivable, hopefully the mountain of happy memories we all have will help us cope with our ongoing grief.

Over the past few days Shane has been honoured with the family being offered a state memorial for Shane by Premier Dan Andrews which the family have gratefully accepted.

The Premier and Minister for Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula have also advised that the Great Southern Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be renamed the S.K Warne Stand. We sincerely offer our thanks to the state government and the MCG trust for this honour.

We would also like to acknowledge the support of Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his kind words both personally and on behalf of the country, as everyone knows Shane was an extremely proud Victorian and Australian.

Brigitte and I are most grateful for the many messages of love and support received over the past few days and thank one and all for their kind words of comfort.

We also wish to acknowledge and thank those members of the media who are honouring our request to respect our family's privacy and who will continue to do so.

Jackson Warne

To my brother, my best friend, to my Dad, I love you so much. I don't think anything is ever going to fill the void you have left in my heart. Sitting at the poker table, walking around the golf course, watching the Saints and eating pizza is never going to be the same.

But I know all you ever wanted for me is to be happy, no matter what. You just wanted me to be happy, that's it. So that's what I'm going to do, try and be happy. I am going to miss you so much Dad and you were truly the best father and mate anyone could've asked for. I love you so much Dad, see you soon.

Jason Warne

The world has lost someone extremely special to them, who has made a positive influence on their lives and it is incredibly touching to see the outflow of emotion and the amazing tributes to him by friends, teammates, opponents and media. It has been truly heartbreaking, whilst also being sincerely appreciated.

Personally, I have lost my nemesis in all sports as a child, the person who smeared vegemite under my nose while he pinned me down giving me the typewriter, my big brother, my mate. I remember catching the train into the MCG in 1982, sitting in the front row of the Great Southern Stand with our fingers crossed the great Allan Border and Jeff Thomson would get the runs needed to beat England.

Who would have thought he would have such a huge impact at the ground in the years to come and that very stand being renamed in his honour. Amazing life. Amazing guy.

Life will forever have a massive hole in it. I will miss our fierce competition on the golf course, poker table and the sledging, seeing who could put the other on tilt first. Love you and miss you big brother.

Brooke Warne

Dad, this doesn't feel real and doesn't make sense that you are not here with us anymore. It doesn't feel right, you were taken away too soon and life is so cruel.

I will forever cherish our final memories together laughing and joking around with each other. We were happy.

We were so similar in so many ways and I always used to joke that I got your genes and about how much that annoyed me!

Well now I couldn't be happier and prouder that I have your genes. I am lucky and will forever be so proud to call you my Dad forever. I love you to infinity and back and I will miss you forever.

Simone Callahan

"Who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone the light remains."

A Victorian IVF clinic is at the centre of a class action, with claims the results of a genetic test were bungled and hundreds of patients given inaccurate information about their embryos.

Monash IVF allegedly told patients their embryos were not viable, when they actually may have been.

Lawyers have obtained new documents about the test, which they say are damning.

READ MORE: Victorian mother-of-five jailed for setting husband on fire, causing his death

"The clinical trials were significantly flawed and should not have been relied upon," lawyer Michel Margalit told 9News.

Mr Margalit said the documents revealed that once concerns about the trials were raised, they were not suspended immediately and instead continued for months.

Phil and Angela Cebrano, who were patients involved in the trials, said they felt sick hearing the news.

"We put our trust into the doctors and into the professionals," Mr Cebrano said.

"The feeling in our stomach was just sickening… not just for us but for hundreds of other couples."

The Cebranos are not part of the class action but they do want Monash to be held accountable.

In a statement, Monash IVF said it first become aware of an unexpected trend with the test in June 2020, but had no reason to suspect a fault.

Monash IVF said it implemented an extensive review out of precaution and suspended the test shortly after preliminary findings.

"At all times, Monash IVF has acted and continues in the best interests of its patients," the statement read.

A helicopter carrying four New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) crew members and a contract pilot was forced to crash land in the Kosciuszko National Park's Snowy Mountains today.

All five people on board survived the landing however the pilot suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Canberra Hospital.

Two members of NPWS staff also sustained injuries and the other two managed to walk away unharmed.

READ MORE: Shane Warne's son posts photos and videos of his dad

https://twitter.com/FRNSW/status/1502094317216989186

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the aircraft was surveying land before it was forced to make an emergency landing.

"The helicopter was reported to be conducting aerial surveying work with five people on board when it collided with terrain east of Guthega Dam," he said.

The NSW Environment and Heritage Minister James Griffin said he will be supporting those involved in today's accident.

"My thoughts are with those … who were involved in a helicopter incident in Kosciuszko National Park today," he said.

"The NPWS family is incredibly professional, dedicated and close-knit, and I know this will affect everyone deeply, as it has me.

"I'll be doing anything I can to support the NPWS staff involved in today's incident, and ensure they, and their families, are supported."

Due to the steep terrain, emergency service personnel used winches to perform a rescue to retrieve the five people involved.

Five paramedic crews as well as two rescue toll helicopter crews were deployed.

Fire Rescue NSW crews deployed booms to prevent 150 litres of fuel from entering a nearby waterway.

Inquiries have commenced into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mr Mitchell said experts have been deployed to examine the site.

"A team of transport safety investigators from the ATSB's Canberra central office with expertise in helicopter operations and maintenance is deploying to the area on Friday evening, and is due to be on site from Saturday morning," he said.

"On site, investigators will examine the wreckage and site surrounds, and will retrieve any relevant components for further examination in the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra.

"The ATSB will also analyse any recorded data, as well as interview involved parties and witnesses.

"A report will be published at the conclusion of the investigation."