Sky Sports News presenter Hayley McQueen dressed in the colours of the Ukrainian flag as she showed her support for the war-torn country amid Russia’s invasion.
The Scottish TV presenter, 42, donned a blue top and a yellow skirt – the colours of the Ukrainian flag – as she appeared on Sky News on Saturday.
Her gesture of solidarity came after Russian president Vladimir Putin declared war against the Ukraine in an early morning address on Thursday.
Ukraine’s civilian death toll now stands at 219 and a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv was hit by a devastating missile this morning as fighting continues in the capital.
As McQueen presented a segment about sports stars who have been affected by Russia’s invasion, she appeared emotional with viewers saying it sounded like she ‘started to cry’.
Hayley McQueen showed her support by wearing the colours of the Ukraine flag
Viewers were quick to praise McQueen for her ‘courageous’ gesture, while others said they hoped the presenter was ‘feeling OK’ after the ‘difficult’ report.
Taking to Twitter, one supporter said: ‘Hope @HayleyMcQueen is feeling ok. Sounded like she started to cry during that last report off-screen’.
Another added: ‘Not sure what happened but @HayleyMcQueen seemed to have started to cry mid report on @SkySportsNews’.
Support for McQueen continued to pour in as a third supporter penned: ‘Loving @HayleyMcQueen wearing blue and yellow on@SkySportsNews’.
While a fourth wrote: ‘Thank you @HayleyMcQueen for your’ – followed by blue and yellow heart emojis – ‘this morning. Touch of class and courage. Also hope all ok with you. That was a difficult moment but you recovered brilliantly. Sending every good wish to you and yours.’
As fighting continues to rage in the Ukrainian capital, a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv was hit by a devastating missile this morning.
Shocking footage showed a missile ripping apart the tower block near Zhuliany airport, while CCTV from inside also shows the extent of the damage after the site was hit.
As McQueen presented a segment about sports stars who have been affected by Russia’s invasion, she also appeared emotional with viewers saying it sounded like she ‘started to cry’
Images show the building with a hole covering at least five floors blasted into the side and rubble strewn across the street below. Two people are reported to have been killed in the strike.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the bulk of Russian forces involved in the advance on Kyiv were now 30 km (19 miles) from the city centre.
‘Russia has yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force,’ the defence ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.
But armed forces minister James Heappey said today there was no reason to think a ‘happy ending is just around the corner’ as he warned the conflict could rumble on for months.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘Nobody should think that this is anywhere near over. What stands in front of Ukraine, its armed forces and very tragically its people, is days, weeks, months more of what we have seen over that last 48 hours.’
As Ukrainian forces said they had fought off a Russian attack on their capital today, president Volodmyr Zelensky vowed to stay and fight on in an impassioned video to his people.
‘I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,’ he said outside his office, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled.
Wearing military garb, the president added: ‘A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly called on our army to lay down its arms and that evacuation is underway.
As fighting continues to rage in the Ukrainian capital, a dramatic video shows a destroyed Russian convoy with Z-markings near Kherson in southern Ukraine
A Ukrainian soldier runs holding his weapon outside a military facility, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2022
‘Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this. This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!’
Anton Herashchenko also said Russia was lying about not shelling civilian infrastructure, claiming at least 40 such sites had been hit. Ukraine reported later on Saturday 19 people had been killed in shelling in the country’s east.
These civilian deaths were reported on top of 198 reported earlier today, bringing the total to 219 – including three children – that have been killed so far by Russian forces attacking the country.
Ukraine’s health minister said today that around 1,200 people – including 33 children – have been wounded.
A curfew in Kyiv has been imposed until 8am on Monday to ensure the most effective defence of the city and the safety of its people. A previous daily curfew had run from 10pm to 7am.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said: ‘All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.’
Meanwhile, defiant president Volodmyr Zelensky today pledged to ‘destroy the occupiers’ as he said his country’s army had successfully repelled Russian forces advancing on Kyiv.
In a video message to the besieged nation, Zelensky accused the Kremlin of attempting to seize the capital, overthrow the government and install a ‘puppet’ regime ‘like in Donetsk’, one of two separatist regions which warmonger Vladimir Putin officially recognised before launching an all-out invasion.
Declaring ‘we broke their idea’, he added: ‘The fights are going on in many cities and areas of our state. But we know that we are protecting the country, the land, the future of our children. Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.
On Saturday morning, the upper floors of a building in Kyiv were struck by a Russian rocket (pictured). Reports suggesting at least two people were killed in the explosion
A column of Russian military vehicles is seen near the village of Oktyabrsky, Belgorod Region, near the Russian-Ukrainian border, on February 26, 2022
Ukrainian tanks move on a road before an attack in Lugansk region on February 26, 2022
‘Each Ukrainian should keep one thing in mind: if you can stop and destroy the occupiers – do it. Everyone who can come back to Ukraine – come back to defend Ukraine.’
Even as Zelensky spoke, the Ukrainian interior ministry was warning Kyiv’s residents to shelter in place and not venture out onto the streets.
Ukraine’s armed forces on Saturday morning claimed 3,500 Russians had been killed overnight, and 200 taken prisoner. They said 14 Russian aircraft, eight helicopters, and 102 tanks had been seized.
Natalia Balansynovych, mayor of Vasylkiv, about 25 miles south of Kyiv, said Russian airborne forces landed near the city overnight and tried to seize the base. She added that fierce fighting also raged in Vasylkiv’s central street.
She said Ukrainian forces repelled the Russian attacks, and the situation is now calm. Ms Balansynovych said there were heavy casualties, but did not give any numbers.
More than 50 explosions and heavy machine gun fire were reported in the district of Shulyavka, near Beresteiska metro and the zoo, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The northern suburb of Troieshchyna was also coming under sustained attack for another night, as Russia tried to wrest control of the thermal power plant on the banks of the Dnieper river. Unconfirmed reports suggested dozens of Russians had been arrested.
Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the military struck a range of installations with long-range Kalibr cruise missiles.
He said that since the start of Russia’s attack on Thursday, the military has hit 821 Ukrainian military facilities, including 14 air bases and 19 command facilities, and destroyed 24 air defence missile systems, 48 radars, seven warplanes, seven helicopters, nine drones, 87 tanks and eight military vessels.
A destroyed Russian military vehicle is seen on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine
A fragment of a destroyed Russian tank is seen on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26, 2022
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk region on Saturday
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to the borders on Saturday as invading Russian troops pressed on with their march toward Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.
At least 150,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighbouring countries in the wake of the Russian invasion, the UN refugee agency said Saturday.
Some walked many miles through the night while others fled by train, car or bus, forming lines miles long at border crossings. They were greeted by waiting relatives and friends or headed on their own to reception centres organised by neighbouring governments.
‘The numbers and the situation is changing minute by minute,’ said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
‘At least 150,000 people have fled, they are refugees outside of Ukraine. At least 100,000 people – but probably a much larger number – have been displaced inside Ukraine.’
The agency expects up to four million Ukrainians could flee if the situation deteriorates further.
Those arriving were mostly women, children and the elderly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy banned men of military age from 18 to 60 from leaving.
Some Ukrainian men were heading back into Ukraine from Poland to take up arms against the Russian forces.
In contrast to other conflicts around the globe, Russia’s unprovoked attack on the Western-looking democracy has ignited a huge outpouring of support for the fleeing Ukrainians.
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