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Volodymyr Zelenskyy approached a lectern under bright lights, preparing to deliver a message to the Ukrainian people.

"Today I will start with long-awaited words, which I wish to announce with pride," he said.

"Finally," he continued. "Ukraine is United … This is our victory."

LIVE UPDATES: 'Strong resistance' slows Russian advance on Kyiv

The speech was fiction. It is from the closing scene of Servant of the People, a satirical TV show about a down-on-his-luck high-school teacher, played by Mr Zelenskyy, who is thrust into the Ukrainian presidency after his rant about corruption goes viral.

The series didn't just make Mr Zelenskyy a star.

It eventually served as the springboard for his real-life presidential campaign.

In April 2019, within a month of the show's finale, the comedian-turned politician was elected Ukraine's president.

READ MORE: Former Ukrainian President returns to streets to fight Russia

Mr Zelenskyy again found himself in front of a lectern Friday, but the picture he outlined in the show's final moments has never felt further away after Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

The battle for the capital, Kyiv, continued to rage Friday.

Explosions lit up the sky as the Kremlin targeted the city with missile strikes before dawn, forcing people into air raid shelters.

In his Friday morning televised address, Mr Zelenskyy was again a man in character, this time playing David to Russian President Vladimir Putin's Goliath.

In a dark green tee shirt with dark circles under his eyes, the Ukrainian president struck a defiant tone and praised the country's armed forces for "brilliantly defending the country."

"Now is an important moment," Mr Zelenskyy said.

"The fate of our country is being decided."

Mr Zelenskyy has also been active on social media, using his Twitter account to post updates and reassure Ukrainians that he is staying in the country to lead the resistance.

In a video posted on Saturday morning titled "do not believe the fakes," Mr Zelenskyy revealed that he is still in Kyiv.

"I am here. We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this," he said.

"That is it. That's all I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine," he added.

READ MORE: Ukrainian civilians sing national anthem while in bomb shelter

Mr Zelenskyy has also turned down a US offer of evacuation from Kyiv, the Ukraine embassy in Britain said Saturday on Twitter.

"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride," Mr Zelenskyy told the US, according to the embassy.

"Ukrainians are proud of their President," the tweet adds.

'This gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis'

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began early on Thursday. Moscow's forces attacked by land, sea and air, prompting a barrage of international condemnation and sanctions —and questions about Mr Putin's wider ambitions for Ukraine and its capital.

Mr Putin framed the "military operation" as a necessary action after the United States and its allies crossed Russia's "red lines" by expanding NATO eastward.

Mr Zelenskyy on Friday again called for Putin to hold direct talks.

"There is fighting all over Ukraine now. Let's sit down at the negotiation table to stop the people's deaths," he said in Russian.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia was ready to take part in talks in Minsk, according to reporting by Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti.

An adviser to Mr Zelenskyy told CNN that Kyiv is considering the proposal.

Ukraine's democratically elected government remains intact, but Mr Putin has made it clear this week that he does not see Ukraine as a legitimate sovereign state.

On Friday he called on Ukrainians to overthrow Mr Zelenskyy themselves.

"Take power into your own hands," Mr Putin said.

"It looks like it will be easier for us to come to an agreement (with you) than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis that has settled in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people."

Mr Putin and his government have repeatedly put forward baseless and inaccurate claims that the democratically elected Ukrainian government is a "fascist" or "Nazi" regime.

Mr Zelenskyy is Jewish and had family members die in the Holocaust.

Mr Putin's comments are unlikely to spur any sort of Ukrainian uprising.

Many of Kyiv's residents have left the city, and those that remain are unlikely to support him, considering Ukraine's last pro-Russian leader was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014.

Mr Zelenskyy was elected five years later, thrashing incumbent Petro Poroshenko, but his tenure has been rocky.

The first several months of his term were engulfed by the quid-pro-quo scandal which saw former US President Donald Trump's attempt to exert pressure on Ukraine to dig up dirt on election opponent and now-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

COVID-19 then tore through the country.

Mr Zelenskyy's campaign promises, such as ending the war in eastern Ukraine and stamping out corruption, remain unfilled.

But the danger Mr Zelenskyy faces is no longer just political.

US officials warned lawmakers that Russian forces who entered Ukraine through Belarus were about 32kms away from Kyiv, sources told CNN.

And intelligence officials in Washington are concerned the city could fall under Russian control within days.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Mr Zelenskyy remains a "prime target for Russian aggression," while Mr Zelenskyy himself said Russia had marked him as their "number one target."

"They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state," he said.

A large residential block in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was struck by a missile or rocket fire early Saturday, as the Russian invasion moved to the streets of the capital city.

Queensland's emergency services community is in mourning after the tragic death of one of its own.

State Emergency Service (SES) volunteer Merryl Dray died during a flood response at Coolana overnight.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Commissioner Greg Leach said Ms Dray was "a much-loved member of the Lowood SES Group".

LIVE UPDATES: Russian troops near Ukraine capital

"She volunteered more than 520 hours of her time over the last four-and-a-half years," Mr Leach said.

"Merryl was trained in storm damage response, first aid and traffic control and was passionate about helping her local community."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took to Twitter to express her condolences.

"My heart goes out to the family, colleagues and friends of SES volunteer Merryl Dray who tragically lost her life while trying to protect her community," she said.

"I also send my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the other people whose lives have been lost during this extreme weather event."

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, as dangerous weather continues to challenge the emergency services.

Major flood warnings remain in place for parts of the state.

Gympie residents have been told to evacuate as major flooding continues in south-east Queensland.

Residents in impacted areas were warned they need to evacuate and seek shelter with friends or family on higher ground.

Authorities have warned conditions this weekend could match the devastation seen in 2011, when dozens were killed and millions of dollars worth of damage was done.

The Bureau of Meteorology has reported this weather event may be worse than those seen in 2011 and 2013 where dozens of people died, as today the state's rescue teams are inundated by incidents.

David Grant from BoM said the heavy rain is expected to continue into Sunday.

He said some river levels have already exceeded those recorded in the 2011 and 2013 floods.

"In particular for Gympie which may exceed the last known flood event back in 1999," he said.

"This event is something that hasn't happened in at least 20 to 25 years."

Mr Grant also said the weather event hitting the Sunshine Coast is one that hasn't been seen since 1992.

Rain records have been broken, including in Brisbane City where 206mm was recorded in the 21 hours to 6am this morning.

"Usually in Brisbane we see an average of 150mm so essentially we've seen a months worth of rainfall in one day," Mr Grant said.

As the deluge continues and flooding peaks, the QFES Commissioner has pleaded with Queensland residents to avoid unnecessary travel this weekend.

https://twitter.com/JoshBavas/status/1497321056712888320

"We're saying to people, if you don't need to be out, moving around in South East Queensland over the weekend, please, stay home," he said.

Queensland Police Acting Inspector Paul Algie spoke on Today and said a number of flood rescues have been carried out overnight, which only further cements the warning from authorities to avoid flooded areas.

He said one rescue included a man driving into flood water, with specialist police, QFES crews and SES currently helping to search for the man.

"We've also had just as late as an hour ago reports of two men stuck up a tree," he said.

Acting Inspector Algie added SES flood boats are being deployed to ensure rescues are carried out quickly.

Police said people are continuing to drive into floodwaters.

A man was fined yesterday after "deliberately" driving around road closure signs in the state's south-east.

https://twitter.com/QldPolice/status/1497334505039818752

A severe weather warning continues to be in place for south-east Queensland.

The heaviest rainfall is currently around Noosa Heads.

The BoM said this rainfall is likely to lead to "dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding".

Major flood warnings are in place for multiple rivers across the state including the Mary River at Gympie, Mooloolah River, the Upper Brisbane and Stanley Rivers, Laidley, Lockyer and Warrill Creeks and Bremer River and the Logan River.

The BoM warned rivers are rapidly rising as heavy rain continues to lash parts of the state.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1497284820954722315

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services issued an emergency alert across the Ipswich City Council area and Sunshine Coast area on Friday night.

Residents in low lying areas of the Ipswich area should prepare to leave as the QFES warns for potential "life-threatening flash flooding" in the Local Government Area (LGA)

It comes as authorities have urged residents to not drive through floodwaters as the deluge continues to batter the state.

Severe weather warning in place for NSW

Heavy rainfall is predicted to hit the north-east of NSW with the BoM issuing a severe weather warning.

The deluge may lead to flash flooding.

The system is expected to track south with the potential for flash flooding from tomorrow morning.

Rainfall totals of up to 250 millimetres are possible, within just a six-hour period.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1497279397598044162

Several flood warnings remain place across Queensland, with residents encouraged to visit the Bureau of Meteorology website for the latest information.