Evening update
Hello MEE readers. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth day, Moscow seems to have made slow progress against Kyiv's unexpectedly stiff resistance.
Russia now has at least 50 percent of its massive invasion force inside Ukraine, but it has not taken complete control of any city in Ukraine, nor has it gained air superiority over the country, according to US intelligence.
Meanwhile, the people of Kyiv continue to be bombarded by Russian forces. Under curfew until 8 am on Monday, residents were instructed to seek cover in basements and shelters just before midnight when air raid sirens could be heard across the capital. Several large explosions have been reported in the city since.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in Kyiv, according to most recent reports, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauding his "awe-inspiring" "heroism".
Later on Saturday, the UK, US, Europe and Canada moved to block Russia's access to the Swift international payment system as part of another round of sanctions against Moscow.
The measures, which will also include restrictions on the Russian central bank's international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a joint statement.
As the international community rallied sanctions, Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal accused Russia of war crimes and targeting civilians.
Shmyhal said Russia shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and "buses with children" as a drastic resort because it is "failing" in its offensive and called on "all civilized countries" to move in support of Ukraine.
"On whose side are you on?" he asked during a new conference. "Are you on the side of the killers of children, or are you on the side of the great European people who are defending their country?"
For its part, Turkey denied earlier on Saturday what appeared to be a claim made by Ukrainian President Zelensky that Turkey would close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships.
A senior Turkish official told Middle East Eye that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had not made such a commitment to Zelensky, contradicting an earlier tweet by the Ukrainian president, which was posted following his telephone conversation with Erdogan.
Turkey's power over the Black Sea explained
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the passage of vessels between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, making it an essential player in the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
That's it from us here at MEE this evening, make sure to follow us on Twitter @MiddleEastEye and on Instagram @middleeasteye to stay updated.