Russian forces pound Ukraine for third day, Kyiv still in Ukrainian hands

Russian forces meet resistance in Ukrainian cities; Ukraine's president defiant but some panic in Kyiv

Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for a third day running but a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian hands.

As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled westwards towards the European Union, top Russian security official and ex-president Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow's military operations would be waged relentlessly until their goals were achieved.

Ignoring weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday from the north, east and south, an assault that threatens to upend Europe's post-Cold War order.

In a significant ratcheting up