In an effort to prevent a Russian column of forces from reaching the capital, airborne assault troops have blown up a bridge over the Teteriv River at Ivankiv, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Kyiv, said Ukraine's Defense Ministry.
The Ukraine Ministry claims Russian advance was stopped. Meanwhile, on Friday early morning, the US tops officials calculated Russian forces which entered Ukraine through the Belarus border and said they were only 32 kilometers (20 miles) away from the capital.
Early on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine with explosions heard across the country and its foreign minister warning a "full-scale invasion" was underway. In the following hours, blasts were heard at several major cities across the eastern European country, and news agency Reuters reported missile strikes at Ukrainian military installations in the capital Kyiv. The military said that it shot down five Russian planes and one military helicopter was shot down in the Luhansk region. Moments later, Russia officially accepted that it destroyed Ukrainian airbases and air defenses.