Kyiv mayor: 'No Russian troops in the capital'

Ukraine's Minister of Health Oleh Liashko gave an update via Facebook on the current death toll in the country.

He said, according to an NBC News translation, that since the start of the Russian invasion, 198 Ukrainians have died, including three children, with 1,115 wounded, including 33 children.

—Matt Clinch

The below images from Getty show the Kyiv apartment building damaged by what the Ukrainian government says were Russian missiles.

—Matt Clinch

Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv's mayor, posted a video on Telegram giving a figure on the overnight casualties in the city.

"The night was difficult, but there are no Russian troops in the capital," he said, according to a NBC translation.

"The enemy is trying to break into the city, in particular, from Hostomel, Zhytomyr. The aggressor was neutralized there. Now, unfortunately, SRGs are operating in Kyiv. As of the 6 a.m. in the morning there are 35 injured people, including 2 children."

—Matt Clinch

A Kyiv apartment building has been damaged by what the Ukrainian government says were Russian missiles.

Ukraine's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "Kyiv, our beautiful, peaceful city, has spent another night under attack by Russian ground forces and missiles. One of them hit an apartment building in Kyiv," according to an NBC translation.

NBC News has not been able to verify the allegation by Kuleba and information about any casualties is still being gathered.

—Matt Clinch

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video on his Twitter feed early Saturday denying claims that he has called his army to stand down.

"There is a lot of fake information online that I call our army to put down arms and there is evacuation going on," he said, according to an NBC translation.

"I'm here. We won't put down [our] weapon, we'll protect our country because our weapon is our truth and it is our land, our country, our children and we will defend all of it. That's it. That's what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine."

—Matt Clinch

Street fighting broke out in Ukraine's capital as city officials urged residents to take shelter, the Associated Press reported.

It was unclear whether that fighting was sporadic or signified a larger Russian breach of the city.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in the early morning hours Saturday local time that a Russian assault on Kyiv was imminent. Sounds of combat could be heard from within the city on Friday night, according to NBC News.

U.S. and U.K. officials have said Russian troops were facing stubborn opposition on multiple approaches to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy warned that multiple cities were under attack, though the U.K. Defence Ministry said on Friday that all "key cities" remain in Ukraine's control.

Zelenskyy refused a U.S. offer to evacuate, AP said.

Ukraine Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova told reporters on Friday that Zelenskyy is still in Ukraine and intends to stay there. She adds that Zelenskyy will "fight until our victory."

U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to overthrow Ukraine's government and replace it with a regime of his choosing, AP reported.

The White House will ask Congress for $6.4 billion in supplemental funds for assistance to Ukraine, four sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Citing two of those sources, NBC reported that $3.5 billion would go to the U.S. Department of Defense, while $2.9 billion would go to the State Department and USAID. Some will go to the Commerce Department and Treasury as well.

An omnibus government funding bill is being finalized now, but one of the sources said it's not clear whether the funds for Ukraine would be tacked onto that measure.

—Ted Kemp

Russian forces are going to attack Ukraine's capital city tonight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"This night, they are going to storm. All of us should understand what is awaiting us this night," he said in a video address.

"We have to hold out. Ukraine's destiny is being decided right now," Zelenskyy said, according to a Reuters translation.

The president said Ukrainians have been fighting for their country on every front, but "this night will be harder than the day."

Special attention is on Kyiv, he said. "One can't give up one's capital."

— Abigail Ng

Kazakhstan, Russia's neighbor and one of its closest allies, has denied a request for its troops to join Russian forces in Ukraine, officials said, according to NBC News.

"We welcome Kazakhstan's announcement that they will not recognize the LPR and DPR," the National Security Council said in a statement. "We also welcome Kazakhstan's refusal to send its forces to join Putin's war in Ukraine."

—Riya Bhattacharjee

Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the country's military aggression against Ukraine.

No other members of the 15-nation council voted against the resolution. China surprised onlookers by abstaining, rather than joining Russia in opposition to the resolution. India and the United Arab Emirates also abstained.

Russia presided over the vote because it happened to hold the seat of the presidency, which rotates among the council members, for the month of February.

In a tweet after the vote, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the members who voted to stop Russia's "treacherous attack." Russia's veto "is a bloodstain on its plaque in the Security Council" and the world, he said.

— Kevin Breuninger

The Biden administration is imposing an array of sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the White House confirmed.

The U.S. and other nations, as well as the European Union, have already announced waves of sanctions on Russia. President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled penalties aimed toward Russian elites and financial institutions, including the state-owned VTB Bank.

But the latest U.S. sanctions targeting Putin himself mark an escalation in the international response to the Kremlin since its military aggression began days earlier.

Read more about the new sanctions from CNBC's Christina Wilkie.

— Kevin Breuninger

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains in his country's capital despite two days of brutal Russian airstrikes.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova confirmed to reporters Friday afternoon that Zelenskyy intends to remain in Kyiv.

"The intention of our president and of all Ukrainians is to fight until our victory," Markarova.

The revelation follows a somber video call with European Union leaders where Zelenskyy said "this might be the last time you see me alive."

— Amanda Macias

The second day of Russia's attack on Kyiv brought further destruction of life and property to the capital of Ukraine.

The sound of air raid sirens and explosions echoed throughout central Kyiv as Ukrainian troops attempted to hold defensive positions at bridges around the city, according to the Associated Press. The news agency said that Kyiv's mayor noted gunfire and blasts in several parts of the city.

The AP also reported that five explosions struck near a major power plant on Kyiv's eastern outskirts and the Russians has seized a strategic airport outside the capital. Russia's control of the airport allows Moscow to quickly build up troops.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who remained in Ukraine on Friday, said that 137 Ukrainians had died on Thursday and that another 316 had been injured. The Ukrainian government has said that it has killed over 1,000 Russian troops while holding off the Russian offensive.

He tweeted that he and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on the phone to talk about "strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an antiwar coalition."

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. defense official told NBC News that the Russian advance appears to have lost some momentum on Friday given stiff Ukrainian resistance. "We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected," the official told NBC News. "They are fighting for their country."

Another U.S. defense official said that Russia's amphibious attack is underway, and that thousands of Russian forces were moving ashore from the Sea of Azov, according to the AP. The official added that about 33% of the combat power that Russia gathered around Ukraine is now inside the country.

— Thomas Franck

Washington Capitals Captain Alexander Ovechkin, the National Hockey League phenom and native Russian, said Friday he was in favor of "no more war" after days of silence on the invasion of Ukraine, according to sports publication the Athletic.

"It's a hard situation. I have family back in Russia and it is scary moments," Ovechkin told reporters. "But we can't do anything. We just hope it going to be end soon and everything is going to be all right."

He added: "Please, no more war. It doesn't matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries — I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world."

Ovechkin has been a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Instagram profile photo shows the popular athlete with Putin. But in answering questions from reporters on Friday, he said, "He is my president. But how I said, I am not in politics. I am an athlete and you know, how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon."

The 36 year-old forward is a 12-time all star and one of the top all-time goal scorers in the NHL. Born in Moscow, he has been heavily involved in Russia's national hockey teams and has been a long time supporter of President Putin. Ovechkin is in the midst of a five year contract worth $47.5 million.

— Brad Howard

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Friday agreed to activate its NATO Response Force for the first time ever in a defensive capacity to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.

The NATO Response Force consists of 40,000 highly trained and combat ready soldiers from NATO countries, but Stoltenberg said only part of the force was being called up.

In a separate statement, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Tod Wolters said the alliance has "operationally aligned its maritime, land, air, space, and cyber forces to defend our NATO sovereignty."

Wolters said the troops "represent a flexible, combat credible force that can be employed in multiple ways and we are utilizing fully their inherent agility."

"As NATO establishes this enhanced vigilance on the alliance's eastern flank, allied military forces will posture and exercise to increase our readiness and interoperability," he said. "Your soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines stand ready to protect every meter of Allied territory."

The announcement followed an emergency meeting Friday morning of the leaders of all NATO member states, as well as the leaders of Sweden, Finland and the European Union.

Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday involving tens of thousands of Russian troops with the apparent goal of capturing Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.

President Joe Biden has pledged that he will not send American troops into Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. But as fighting in Ukraine intensifies, NATO states bordering the besieged country are on high alert.

– Christina Wilkie

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that any attempt by Finland to join NATO would have "military and political repercussions."

The message was a direct threat to the Nordic country, which has been independent for more than a century.

But Russia's unbridled military assault on Ukraine, a sovereign nation that posed no threat to its borders, has made several countries in Europe rethink their decisions not to join NATO.

The invasion was spurred partly by Russian President Vladimir Putin's fear that Ukraine would join NATO and become a fully functioning Western style democracy.

On Thursday, Finish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the Russian invasion would shift the long running debate in Finland around NATO membership.

"Finland is not currently facing an immediate military threat, but it is also now clear that the debate on NATO membership in Finland will change," Marin said, according to YLE News.

On Friday, Finland and Sweden joined a call of all the NATO members' heads of state.

-- Christina Wilkie

Thousands of Ukrainians in Kyiv are sleeping in metro stations, which are serving as bomb shelters days after Russia launched its attack.

Ukrainian citizens around the country are fleeing to the west, hiding from the sounds of exploding bombs, desperately trying to communicate with loved ones and, in some cases, gearing up to fight as the nation comes to grips with an invasion that many thought would never happen.

"People are literally afraid to sleep, because then they might not get to the bunkers or pack their things quickly enough," when the bomb warnings go off, Kyiv native Liza Borysova told CNBC.

Read more from CNBC's Natasha Turak.

— Kevin Breuninger

Research shows that $4.1 million in crypto has been raised by nongovernmental organizations and volunteer groups in Ukraine since the invasion began, including a single $3 million donation early Friday.

That cash is apparently being funneled to the Ukrainian military, according to new data from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.

But the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has made it clear that it won't accept crypto donations directly.

A statement on the government's website said that "national legislation does not allow the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to use other payment systems ('Webmoney,' 'Bitcoin,' 'PayPal,' etc.)."

That means that while the military welcomes donations for logistics and medial support, those contributions ultimately have to go through fiat channels.

– MacKenzie Sigalos

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday that more than 50,000 Ukrainians have already fled the country since Russia's unprovoked invasion on Wednesday.

Grandi tweeted from his official UN account that the majority of the refugees have entered Poland and Moldova, with many more expected in the coming days and weeks.

Early estimates of the number of refugees who are expected to leave Ukraine range from around 2 million to as many as 5 million. Either figure would place an intense strain on Ukraine's neighbors and on the international community.

Departures from Ukraine are complicated by a general mobilization order currently in place that prohibits men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country.

Many of the main exit routes out of Ukraine are manned by soldiers intent on prohibiting the departure of fighting-aged men.

— Christina Wilkie

The major U.S. stock averages rallied for a second day Friday as market participants assessed the latest developments from Ukraine.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 600 points, or 1.9%, by around 11:20 a.m. ET. The blue-chip average is on pace for its best daily performance of the year. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.1%.

"There's chaos on the ground, but there's clarity on sanctions, and I think that's where the market is taking some comfort," said Jeff Kleintop, chief global investment strategist at Charles Schwab.

Meanwhile, the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was little changed on the session, around 1.977%.

Energy prices declined. WTI crude fell 1.6% to 91.32, Brent crude dipped 2% to 97.10 and natural gas retreated 4.5%.

— Hannah Miao