A man accused of burning down a nationally significant heritage bach on Nelson’s Boulder Bank has been found not guilty, because he was insane at the time.The man, who appeared in court today via an audio link from a custody cell,…

By RNZ More than 1500 people who received a Pfizer Covid-19 booster shot in Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago may not be fully protected after the vaccine doses were stored at an incorrect temperature.In a statement, Southern…

Netflix and TikTok suspended most of their services in Russia yesterday as the government cracks down on what people and media outlets can say about Russia's war in Ukraine.

TikTok said Russian users of its popular social media app would no longer be able to post new videos or livestreams and they also wouldn't be able to see videos shared from elsewhere in the world.

LIVE UPDATES: Ukraine civilians come under attack

Netflix said it was suspending its service in Russia but didn't provide additional details.

The actions are likely to further isolate the country and its people after a growing number of multinational businesses have cut off Russia from vital financial services, technology and a variety of consumer products in response to Western economic sanctions and global outrage over the invasion of Ukraine.

US credit card companies Visa, Mastercard and American Express all said over the weekend they would cut service in Russia.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics, a major supplier of both smartphones and computer chips, said it would halt product shipments to the country, joining other big tech companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Intel and Dell.

But providers of internet-based services and apps have been mostly reluctant to take actions that could deprive Russian citizens of social media services and other sources of information.

READ MORE: Death toll nears six million as pandemic enters its third year

That changed Friday when Russian President Vladimir Putin intensified a crackdown on media outlets and individuals who fail to hew to the Kremlin line on the war, blocking Facebook and Twitter and signing into law a bill that criminalises the intentional spreading of what Moscow deems to be "fake" reports.

"In light of Russia's new 'fake news' law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law," TikTok said yesterday in a statement on Twitter. "Our in-app messaging service will not be affected."

https://twitter.com/TikTokComms/status/1500535434610368518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

TikTok spokesperson Hilary McQuaide said the TikTok app in Russia now appears in "view-only" mode and won't let people post or see new videos or livestreams. They can still see older videos, but not if they came from outside the country, she said.

"The safety of employees is our top priority," she said, adding that the video-sharing service — part of China-based tech company ByteDance — didn't want to put its Russian employees or users at risk of severe criminal penalties.

Some protesters who've taken to the streets in Moscow, St Petersburg and other Russian cities to decry the invasion of Ukraine have used social media platforms to broadcast their cause.

EXPLAINED: Why does Ukraine need foreign planes?

The new legislation, quickly rubber-stamped by both houses of the Kremlin-controlled parliament and signed by President Putin, imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government's narrative on the war.

Multiple news outlets have also said they would pause their work inside Russia to evaluate the situation. Russian authorities have repeatedly and falsely decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as "fake" news.

State media outlets refer to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation" rather than a war or an invasion.

The law envisages sentences of up to three years or fines for spreading what authorities deem to be false news about the military, but the maximum punishment rises to 15 years for cases deemed to have led to "severe consequences."

READ MORE: The secret airfield being used to get weapons into Ukraine

Police believe a car at the centre of the spectacular crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this morning was stolen from the CBD just before the collision.

Detective Superintendent Rohan Cramsie said dashcam footage of the crash was "extremely confronting" and "horrifying to watch".

"I can only begin to imagine what the other drivers would have witnessed and experienced when they saw that vehicle coming towards them, which we would allege would be above the speed limit," he said.

LIVE UPDATES: Ukraine civilians come under attack

The crash led to a major fire and authorities have praised the "heroes" who came to the aid of the people caught up, including one driver who was trapped.

"Those people who stopped their cars and got out and helped, they are extremely brave," Mr Cramsie said.

All lanes have since been re-opened on the bridge after the car flipped and burst into flames just after 7am.

The dashcam footage shows the lead-up and the collision itself. You can watch that in the video player at the top of the page. It contains vision some readers may find upsetting.

READ MORE: Death toll nears six million as pandemic enters its third year

In the footage, a car is seen travelling at speed down the Sydney Harbour Bridge, merging between lanes.

Trying to apparently overtake a truck, the car collides with an oncoming vehicle before rolling onto its roof. A burst of flame is seen before the footage ends.

A Traffic Management Centre worker who was nearby and heard the crash raced to the scene and helped drag a van with a trapped man away from the fire.

Police said three vehicles were involved in the crash on the Bradfield Highway at Millers Point at 7.10am.

Two of the drivers, a man and a woman, were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of a van had to be freed from his vehicle by emergency services, and was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

LIVE UPDATES: Ukraine civilians come under attack

The fire was extinguished by Fire and Rescue NSW but lengthy delays are expected to continue.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Giles Buchanan praised the rescuers.

"A number of bystanders and other emergency service workers who risked their lives to assist these patients are absolute heroes, we can't thank them enough," he said.

"One of the vehicles was well alight when we arrived on scene, it was an extraordinary effort to get the patient out of the vehicle safely."

NSW Fire and Rescue Acting Superintendent Matt Sigmund revealed the quick thinking of a Traffic Management Centre worker had also helped save the trapped van driver.

"One of the traffic commanders came up to the incident in the very early stages, because he heard it, and actually dragged the van that had the person trapped in it away from the other vehicle that was on fire," Mr Sigmund told Today.

"He's done a fantastic job there."

Mr Sigmund said the bridge would hopefully reopen some time this morning.

Shortly after 10.15am, it was confirmed all lanes had re-opened on the bridge.

People are still urged to allow extra travel time, with city-bound traffic on the Gore Hill Freeway particularly heavy.

Trains have continued to operate along the bridge.

Police said they are investigating the circumstances of the crash.

There are exclusion zones in place and a train line is closed due to a major landslide in the NSW Blue Mountains.

The landslide in Katoomba was caused by intense rainfall.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) have put exclusion zones in place around the scene in Gang Gang Street as the area is "unstable".

READ MORE: Death toll nears six million as pandemic enters its third year

RailCorp has closed the nearby rail line in both directions until engineers can assess the damage.

Blue Mountains Council workers are assisting along with NSW Police, FRNSW said.

The landslide comes as NSW continues to be drenched with rain, with a severe weather warning in place for much of the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of damaging winds and heavy rainfall, covering the state's Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast, and Southern Tablelands regions as well as parts of Central Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains, Snowy Mountains and Northern Tablelands Forecast Districts.

The Australian Capital Territory is also affected.

Australians are being urged to be vigilant for online scams in the wake of the east coast's flood disaster as cybers criminals take advantage of the community's goodwill.

Westpac has warned that a common tactic employed by scammers in the wake of natural disasters is to set up fake donation sites and pose as relief funds for victims.

"With the current floods crisis, scammers will try to take advantage of Australians' generosity and support by setting up fake donation sites, or even posing as insurers, businesses or government organisations offering help to the victims themselves," said Chris Whittingham, Westpac's General Manager of Fraud Prevention and Financial Crime.

LIVE UPDATES: Ukraine civilians come under attack

"We are urging people to be on high alert to the possibility of scams and closely check that any websites or charitable organisations are legitimate before sending funds or your personal information."

Mr Whittingham said the scams deliberately tug on the heart strings of good-natured Australians to extract the most money possible from victims.

"Time and time again, following a significant event or natural disaster, we see an increase in people being duped by scams, for example, after the devastating 2020 bushfires," he said.

"This is a tactic fraudsters have continued to adopt throughout the pandemic where scams have almost tripled, exploiting the hearts and wallets of those experiencing hardship, or who have sought out items in high demand, like Rapid Antigen Tests."

READ MORE: Death toll nears six million as pandemic enters its third year

Consumer watchdog site Scamwatch advises Australians to only donate to a legitimate charity by checking that is on the national register, which can be searched here.

Westpac specifically advised for business customers to register for PayID, which reassures customers that they are sending money to a legitimate account.

"Be wary of unexpected calls or emails. Be cautious of anyone claiming to be from a reputable organisation and stop to consider what they are asking for," the bank advises.

"If in doubt, ask for a reference number and call back on a number publicly listed to confirm the call was genuine."

EXPLAINED: Why does Ukraine need foreign planes?

If somebody believes they have been the victim of a scam, they are urged to contact their financial institution as soon as possible, as the bank may be able to recover funds.

"Act immediately. If you think you might have been scammed, stop all communication with the scammer and contact your bank immediately," Westpac says.

"The sooner your bank is notified, the better chance at recovering any lost funds."

There is a secret airfield near the Ukrainian border that has become a hub for shipping weapons supplied by the US, UK and other Western allies.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley visited the airfield last week, a senior US Defence Department official said, seeing firsthand the multinational effort to get weapons into Ukraine amid Russia's unprovoked invasion.

While at the airfield, General Milley met with troops and personnel and examined the shipment activity, the official said.

READ MORE: Why does Ukraine need foreign planes?

The site has become a beehive of activity in recent days, going from a handful of flights each day to as many as 17, the field's maximum capacity.

The airport's location remains a secret to protect the shipments of weapons, including anti-armour missiles, into Ukraine.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last week Australia is sending $70 million worth of military hardware, including missiles and weaponry, to Ukraine.

It is not known if the weapons are being sent to the airfield mentioned in this article.

Mr Morrison has refused to disclose the specifics of the weapons because "I don't plan to give the Russian government a heads up about what is coming their way".

"We are talking missiles, ammunition, we are talking supporting them in their defence of their own homeland in Ukraine," Mr Morrison said last week.

The Russian military has not yet tried to target shipments of weapons entering Ukraine, the US Defence Department official said, but there is some concern Russia could begin targeting the deliveries as its assault advances.

Since even before Russia's invasion began late last month, the skies above Europe have been filled with military cargo aircraft of the US and others, particularly C-17s, the backbone of the US airlift fleet.

The flights have been repositioning troops along NATO's eastern flank, but also moving weapons to the transfer points where they can be delivered to Ukraine.

The pace of the flights has only increased.

US European Command (EUCOM) is at the heart of the massive shipment operation, using its liaison network with allies and partners to coordinate "in real time" to send materials into Ukraine, a second defence official said.

EUCOM is also coordinating with other countries, including the United Kingdom, in terms of the delivery process "to ensure that we are using our resources to maximum efficiency to support the Ukrainians in an organised way," the official added.

Since Russia's invasion began, 14 countries have sent security assistance to Ukraine, the official said, some of whom had rarely sent such substantial equipment before.

The "vast majority" of a $475 million US security assistance package has already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the official, only one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Approximately $325 million of the package has reached Ukraine, and the rest should arrive within days and maybe weeks, "but not longer," the official said Friday.

The components that have already been delivered include "the most needed capabilities, like anti-armor capabilities."

Once in possession of the weapons, the Ukrainians have used them to slow and stall Russian assaults in different parts of Ukraine.

"I think all of us have been tremendously impressed by how effectively the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using the equipment that we've provided them," the official said.

Perhaps most notably, a massive Russian convoy spanning 65km of road north of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, has barely moved in days.

"We know that they have conducted attacks on that convoy, that those attacks were effective in slowing and stopping it," another senior defence official said Friday.

The equipment being sent in is equipment on which the Ukrainians have already received training, including some "just-in-time" training in late December and early January, the senior official said, adding that the Ukrainians can "use proficiently" the vast majority of the military equipment being sent in.

The speed at which the US now delivers weapons to Ukraine is dramatically faster than just two months ago. Most of a $270 million package approved in late December was delivered within a month, though some ammunition has yet to be shipped, the official said.

Meanwhile, the complete $475 million package, which the official described as the largest presidential drawdown in history, should be completed within days or weeks.

READ MORE: Netflix, TikTok block services in Russia to avoid crackdown

The final send-off for sporting great Shane Warne could be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue where the native Victorian took his 700th Test wicket.

Details for Warne's state funeral are yet to be finalised, but Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday confirmed the family had accepted the offer.

A crowd of 100,000 could fill the MCG to see off the King of Spin, who died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand aged just 52 on Friday.

READ MORE: Melbourne teen died after mum spent 15 minutes on hold

Tributes to Warne are already piling up at the iconic ground, with fans leaving behind tins of VB, baked beans and even cigarettes, alongside more traditional offerings such as handwritten notes and flowers.

Warne's body is a step closer to being repatriated to Australia, after it was transported to the Thai mainland for an autopsy.

His death is not being treated as suspicious, but the autopsy is part of the standard post-mortem process.

READ MORE: Giant hailstones hit south-east Queensland

Warne's family will be able to bring his body home after the autopsy, though the results are not expected for some time.

Sydney Morning Herald South-East Asia correspondent Chris Barrett said the government had been working to fast-track the process of repatriation.

"There is going to be issues with customs, I guess, and all of those other sort of procedural issues that take place when these sort of things happen," he told Today.

READ MORE: Shane Warne had 'seen a doctor about his heart'

"But I think it's probably safe to say that that will be reasonably fast-tracked in this case."

Barrett said Warne's death had not originally been major news in Thailand, but that word of his international stature had begun to spread.

"They have realised that what a loved and famous character he was in Australia and in many other places around the world and it's been quite big news in the days since then," he said.

World pays tribute to legend

The Prime Minister said Australia had lost one of its greatest cricket players.

"We have lost one of Australia's greatest cricketers," Scott Morrison said in a statement.

"We are bewildered by this sad and sudden loss.

Mr Andrews also announced the MCG's largest grandstand — the 45,000-seat Great Southern Stand — will be permanently renamed in Warne's honour.

"The Government will rename the Great Southern Stand at the MCG — the place he took his hat-trick and 700th wicket — to honour Shane and his contribution to the game," Mr Andrews said on Twitter.

"The S.K. Warne Stand will be a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian."

Former prime minister John Howard also paid tribute to Warne, while wearing a Cricket Australia polo.

"You could work out why he was such a good bowler when you listen to his commentary because he knows the intricacies of the game and all great players are like that," he said.

His former fiancee, actress Elizabeth Hurley, posted a photo tribute of their love story.

"I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever," she wrote on Instagram.

"Rest in peace my beloved Lionheart."

Tributes also came in from across the world, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and British comedian and actor Stephen Fry just some of the notable overseas names to react to Warne's death.

One of the greatest bowlers of all time, and arguably Australia's finest cricketer behind only Sir Donald Bradman, Warne finished his career with 1001 international wickets.

Two hours after emailing a real estate newsletter of luxury homes to thousands of ultra-wealthy clients on Friday morning, Shawn Elliott, president of the ultra-luxury division at Nest Seekers International, said he received three enquiries.

They were not from potential buyers, but sellers.

The calls came from New York and Miami, two hot spots popular with wealthy Russians, a possible sign of what may become the rapid sale of luxury homes, beachfront properties and apartments in the cities' skylines as Russians scramble to get ahead of international sanctions.

READ MORE: Putin says Ukraine's future in doubt as cease-fires collapse

"People like that have their handlers call," Mr Elliott said of the Russian owners.

They asked, "'If I was to sell, how fast could you sell this and how fast could you sell that?'"

"It's interesting how the feelers are going out," he noted.

"Maybe that's the beginning of the scramble."

The impact of coordinated sanctions from the US, United Kingdom and European Union has sent shockwaves through the Russian elite as oligarchs, some targeted and others taking steps in anticipation of what could come, look to move yachts, shed assets and adapt to a wave of sanctions that have come swifter than usual, and are more expansive than before.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has not been sanctioned, announced on Wednesday that he will sell the Chelsea Football Club as it is "in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club's sponsors and partners."

READ MORE: Phony images masquerading as CNN coverage go viral

He said net proceeds from the sale would go to a foundation established to help "victims of the war in Ukraine."

Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have broken ranks with the Kremlin and called for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

The EU announced sanctions against Mr Fridman this past week and Mr Deripaska has been on the US sanction list since 2018.

"This is a very worrying moment if you're a Russian billionaire," said former State Department official Max Bergmann.

"Lawyers are busy right now, trying to figure out how to expunge oligarchs from various company boards and how to divest assets in the United States."

"We're getting a new inquiry every hour," said Erich Ferrari, a lawyer who represents foreign companies and individuals in navigating sanctions.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook with people all around the world who have been sanctioned or their parent company has been sanctioned."

Financial institutions in jurisdictions where there are no sanctions, such as United Arab Emirates, are following the lead of the US and European Union and freezing accounts held by Russians, Mr Ferrari said.

READ MORE: State funeral to be held for Shane Warne

Some Caribbean countries – where Russian-controlled entities have domiciled offshore businesses for secrecy – will no longer serve as corporate secretaries for such entities, leaving many of them unable to operate, Mr Ferrari added.

"I don't recall a program" of international sanctions, Mr Ferrari said, that "has sent everybody scrambling."

The scramble comes as the White House announced full blocking sanctions on Thursday on eight Russian elites, plus their family members and associates.

They will all be blocked off from the US financial system, meaning their assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use.

"This caused a sudden panic," Mr Bergmann noted, "because the old guard class, I think, interestingly enough, didn't know that this (invasion) was coming, and I think they were surprised that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin ultimately decided to invade."

Mr Bergmann explained that an oligarch can ultimately sue to try to stop the sanctions, but in the short term, these Russian billionaires are selling off and shipping out.

"What you're seeing already are oligarchs freaking out about this and moving their yachts to places where they can't be extradited," Mr Bergmann said.

"We've seen yachts start to sail for Montenegro, where there's no extradition treaty."

On Wednesday, French officials seized a yacht that they said was linked to Igor Sechin, a sanctioned Russian oil executive and close associate of Putin, as it was preparing to flee a port. But the company that manages the ship denied Mr Sechin was the owner.

In New York, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is calling for more sanctions on Russians and the seizure of their properties, tweeting Thursday, "We're still waiting for the US gov't to place the broad circle of oligarchs connected to Putin on the sanctions list. This is the prerequisite to seizing the ultra luxury homes many hold in Manhattan. We need action on this NOW."

The Biden administration isn't just levying sanctions. On Wednesday, the Justice Department unveiled a new task force: KleptoCapture.

The task force will team up prosecutors with experts in sanctions, money laundering and national security to investigate possible criminal activity from the ultra-rich Russians who the US government believes are propping up Putin.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute those whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue this unjust war," Attorney General Merrick Garland said when announcing the new task force.

Experts watching the effort unfold across multiple government agencies – the Treasury and Justice departments at the forefront – believe the amount of coordination is unprecedented and signals a determination to go after these oligarchs and any illegal activities with renewed force.

"It can take quite a bit of prosecutorial and regulatory heft to enforce sanctions on extraordinarily wealthy individuals who have a lot of resources," said Edward Fishman, a former State Department Russia sanctions lead.

"By putting together this high-level task force that clearly has oversight by some of the most senior officials in the Biden administration, I think it signals they are going to enforce these sanctions quite aggressively."

Many oligarchs use shell companies that shield their ownership, leaving authorities to untangle a layer of companies before discovering the true owner.

"Part of the reason why we haven't seen a lot of legal action is because these oligarchs are extremely rich and even though many are committing white-collar crime, they hire really high-priced lawyers to do things correctly," said Mr Bergmann, the former State Department official.

"What oligarchs have done is just make it not worth law enforcement's time to pursue them," Mr Bergmann said.

"And what Biden has said is no, no, no, we're going to make time and we're going to devote the assets, and we're going to devote the people to really start opening up the books, knocking on doors, and seeing what we find."

This crackdown could ultimately cause upheaval within Russia, experts warn.

"One problem for Putin is that he has a very angry class of people who are very rich and powerful that are all returning to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and they don't want to be there," Mr Bergmann said.

One possible area of vulnerability for Russians in the US is the millions of dollars Russian oligarchs have poured into property in New York, Miami and elsewhere.

Elliott, of Nest Seekers International, said wealthy Russians are savvy and he predicted: "There's going to be liquidation from these guys because they're smart. They'll put it at least 20 per cent below market price because at the end of the day 80 per cent of something is better than … nothing."

Time is of the essence for some Russians who are not currently sanctioned but may be worried that they're next.

"As of today, there's nothing illegal about liquidating your assets," Mr Elliott said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy and likened the West's sanctions on Russia to "declaring war," while a promised cease-fire in the besieged port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror.

With the Kremlin's rhetoric growing fiercer and a reprieve from fighting dissolving, Russian troops continued to shell encircled cities and the number of Ukrainians forced from their country grew to 1.4 million.

By Saturday night Russian forces had intensified their shelling of Mariupol, while dropping powerful bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

READ MORE: Putin issues warning against no-fly zone

Bereft mothers mourned slain children, wounded soldiers were fitted with tourniquets and doctors worked by the light of their cellphones as bleakness and desperation pervaded.

Putin continued to pin the blame for all of it squarely on the Ukrainian leadership and slammed their resistance to the invasion.

"If they continue to do what they are doing, they are calling into question the future of Ukrainian statehood," he said.

"And if this happens, it will be entirely on their conscience."

He also hit out at Western sanctions that have crippled Russia's economy and sent the value of its currency tumbling.

"These sanctions that are being imposed, they are akin to declaring war," he said during a televised meeting with flight attendants from Russian airline Aeroflot.

READ MORE: Russia poised to deploy up to 1000 more mercenaries to Ukraine

"But thank God, we haven't got there yet."

Russia's financial system suffered yet another blow as Mastercard and Visa announced they were suspending operations in the country.

Ten days after Russian forces invaded, the struggle to enforce the temporary cease-fires in Mariupol and the eastern city of Volnovakha showed the fragility of efforts to stop the fighting across Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes had prevented residents from leaving before the agreed-to evacuations got underway.

Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort.

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place Monday, according to Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation.

He gave no additional details, including where they would take place.

Previous meetings were held in Belarus and led to the failed cease-fire agreement to create humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of children, women and older people from besieged cities, where pharmacies have run bare, hundreds of thousands face food and water shortages, and the injured have been succumbing to their wounds.

In comments carried on Ukrainian television, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said thousands of residents had gathered for safe passage out of the city of 430,000 when shelling began and the evacuation was stopped. Later in the day, he said the attack had escalated further.

"The city is in a very, very difficult state of siege," Boychenko told Ukrainian TV.

"Relentless shelling of residential blocks is ongoing, airplanes have been dropping bombs on residential areas. The Russian occupants are using heavy artillery, including Grad multiple rocket launchers."

Russia has made significant advances in the south, seeking to cut off Ukraine's access to the sea.

Capturing Mariupol could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Meanwhile, the head of the Chernihiv region said Russia has dropped powerful bombs on residential areas of the city of the same name, which has a population of 290,000. Vyacheslav Chaus posted a photo online of what he said was an undetonated FAB-500, a 500-kilogram bomb.

"Usually this weapon is used against military-industrial facilities and fortified structures," Chaus said. "But in Chernihiv, against residential areas."

READ MORE: Ukraine wants special tribunal to judge Putin

In a speech to Ukrainians on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed to "the 500-kilogram bombs that were dropped on the houses of Ukrainians. Look at Borodyanka, at the destroyed schools, at the blown-up kindergartens. At the damaged Kharkiv Assumption Cathedral. Look what Russia has done."

The West has broadly backed Ukraine, offering aid and weapons and slapping Russia with vast sanctions. But the fight itself has been left to Ukrainians, who have expressed a mixture of courageous resolve and despondency.

"Ukraine is bleeding," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a video released Saturday, "but Ukraine has not fallen."

Russian troops advanced on a third nuclear power plant, having already taken control of one of the four operating in the country and the closed plant in Chernobyl, Mr Zelenskyy told US lawmakers.

Mr Zelenskyy pleaded with the lawmakers for additional help, specifically fighter planes to help secure the skies over Ukraine, even as he insisted Russia was being defeated.

"We're inflicting losses on the occupants they could not see in their worst nightmare," Mr Zelenskyy said.

Russian troops took control of the southern port city of Kherson this week. Although they have encircled Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, Ukrainian forces have managed to keep control of key cities in central and southeastern Ukraine, Mr Zelenskyy said.

US President Joe Biden called Mr Zelenskyy early Sunday, Kyiv time, to discuss Russia sanctions and speeding US assistance to Ukraine.

The White House said the conversation also covered talks between Russia and Ukraine but did not give details.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Poland to meet with the prime minister and foreign minister, a day after attending a NATO meeting in Brussels in which the alliance pledged to step up support for eastern flank members.

Blinken also spoke by phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said Beijing opposes any moves that "add fuel to the flames" in Ukraine, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Blinken said the world is watching to see which nations stand up for freedom and sovereignty, the State Department said.

In Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Putin at the Kremlin. Israel maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, and Bennett has offered to act as an intermediary in the conflict, but no details of the meeting emerged immediately. Bennett's office said he spoke twice with Mr Zelenskyy afterward, however.

In the wake of Western sanctions, Aeroflot, Russia's flagship state-owned airline, announced that it plans to halt all international flights except to Belarus, starting Tuesday.

The death toll of the conflict was difficult to measure.

The UN human rights office said at least 351 civilians have been confirmed killed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, but the true number is probably much higher.

The Russian military, which doesn't offer regular updates on casualties, said Wednesday that 498 of its troops had been killed.

Ukraine's military is vastly outmatched by Russia's, but its professional and volunteer forces have fought back with fierce tenacity.

Even in cities that have fallen, there were signs of resistance.

Onlookers in Chernihiv cheered as they watched a Russian military plane fall from the sky and crash, according to video released by the Ukrainian government.

In Kherson, hundreds of protesters waved blue and yellow Ukrainian flag sand shouted, "Go home."

A vast Russian armored column threatening Ukraine's capital remained stalled outside Kyiv.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said Saturday afternoon that the military situation was quieter overall and that Russian forces hadn't "taken active actions since the morning."

Mr Zelenskyy has pleaded for a no-fly zone over his country and lashed out at NATO for refusing to impose one, warning that "all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you."

Putin warned that a no-fly zone would be considered a hostile act, and NATO has said it has no plans to implement one. Western officials have said the main reason is a desire to not widen the war beyond Ukraine.

The US Congress is considering a request for US$10 billion (about $13.5 billion) in emergency funding for humanitarian aid and security needs.

The UN said it would increase its humanitarian operations both inside and outside Ukraine, and the Security Council scheduled a meeting for Monday on the worsening situation.

The UN World Food Program has warned of an impending hunger crisis in Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, saying millions will need food aid "immediately."

Kyiv's central train station remained crowded with people desperate to flee.

"People just want to live," one woman, Ksenia, said.