Ukrainians have been filmed desperately trying to clamber onto a packed train in Kyiv as the Russian army continues to heavily shell the city and move in on the capital.
Vladimir Putin ’s forces are bombarding Ukrainian cities despite worldwide condemnation and strict sanctions which are threatening to cripple the economy.
There have been continual reports of destruction from Russian missiles with buildings blown up and heavy military and civilian casualties.
But the Russians have not been able to take a major city and are slowly encircling Kyiv with a 40 mile military convoy on its way.
Russia 's defence ministry urged Kyiv residents to flee and said it would strike unspecified areas used by Ukraine's security services and communications. Russia describes its assault on Ukraine as a special operation, not an invasion seeking territory.
Ukraine is still showing considerable resolve to repel the invasion while hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing the war-torn country with women and children allowed to leave but men aged 18 to 60 must remain.
And images have emerged showing the desperation of people, some with young children, trying to get out of Kyiv as they tried to find space on a train.
There have also been long queues and chaos at the Ukraine border as people look to escape to Poland and other neighbouring countries.
Russian troops have not had the immediate breakthrough that they are believed to have expected but they remain a massive force and are causing considerably damage.
Kyiv's mayor published a video showing the moment when a tall TV antennae in the city was engulfed in flames, apparently hit by a rocket.
West of Kyiv, in the city of Zhytomyr, four people, including a child, were killed on Tuesday by a Russian cruise missile, a Ukrainian official said.
Elsewhere, rocket strikes on the centre of Kharkiv killed at least 21 people, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said.
Similar strikes that killed and wounded dozens in Kharkiv the previous day involved cluster bombs, experts said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before meaningful talks on a ceasefire could start, as a first round of negotiations this week had yielded scant progress.
"It's necessary to at least stop bombing people, just stop the bombing and then sit down at the negotiating table," he said.
Ukraine has called on the NATO alliance to implement a no-fly zone - a request rejected by Washington, which fears stoking a direct conflict between the world's two biggest nuclear powers.
Washington and its allies have instead sent weapons to Kyiv, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States had agreed with partners to convene a task force "to freeze and seize the assets of key Russian elites".
The move "will inflict financial pain on the powerful individuals surrounding Putin and make clear that no one is beyond our collective reach," Yellen said in a statement following a Tuesday call with Group of Seven officials.
The West is shutting off Russia's economy from the global financial system, pushing international companies to halt sales, cut ties, and dump tens of billions of dollars' worth of investments.
