For years, political leaders across central and eastern Europe have warned about the immediate dangers posed by Russia and now -- amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine -- some blame western Europeans for not heeding those warnings.

A day after Russia attacked, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at the apparent lack of western support provided to his government, despite Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s borders for months.

Several central and eastern European leaders, who for years have been warning about the dangers posed by Russia, were equally scathing.

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Sweden's government says it will summon Russian officials to protest after four fighter jets violated its air space.

Stockholm says that four Russian aircraft briefly flew over Swedish airspace on Wednesday, east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

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UK announces sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov

The Temporary Protection Directive circumvents the traditionally overburdened asylum procedure and offers a quick and simplified path to access protection across the EU.

Ukrainian refugees will be given residence permits to stay inside the bloc for at least one year, a period that will be automatically extended for a further year. Member states can then decide to prolong the exceptional measure by one more year if the war continues to ravage the country.

Although Ukraine is not part of the passport-free Schengen Area, its nationals are entitled to visa-free travel for up to 90 days. The EU's scheme intends to offer a lasting solution once the 90-day limit is exhausted.

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Chernihiv: Russian strike on residential area 'kills 33'

EU member states decided Thursday to grant refugees from Ukraine temporary protection and residency permits.

EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson said Thursday that millions more were expected to move into the 27-nation bloc to seek shelter, employment and education for the young.

Johansson called the quick adoption of the protection rules a “historic result” and said “the EU stands united to save lives.”

The EU Commission has already promised at least €500 million in humanitarian aid for the refugees. Johansson pointed to nations like Poland, where the population has gone out of its way to be welcoming to the refugees, as an example for others to follow.

“They need financial support now because they’re going to have to find accommodation for people to have to find schools for the children,” she said. (AP)

Airbus and Boeing said they would cut off spare parts and technical support to the country’s airlines. The French-based Airbus and U.S.-based Boeing's aircraft account for the vast majority or Russia’s passenger fleet.

German Volkswagen Group decided to halt all its business activities in Russia, including that of subsidiary Skoda Auto, which is halting car production in its two Russian plants and all exports to Russia.

Swedish furniture retailer Ikea says it is closing its operations in Russia, pausing all export and import in and out of Russia and Belarus, a decision that will have "a direct impact on 15,000 IKEA co-workers". The Stockholm-based H&M clothing retailer also said it will temporarily pause all sales in its Russian stores and temporarily close its shops in Ukraine.

A growing number of tech companies are halting business with Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Read our story below:

These tech companies are all shunning Russia over the Ukraine war

From social media giants to software providers and telecom equipment makers, a raft of tech companies are taking a stand on the Ukraine war and pulling out of Russia.

Russian opposition TV channel Dojd suspended

"In 2014, when I signed the Association Agreement between the European Union and Georgia in the capacity of the Prime Minister of Georgia, we assumed a tremendous responsibility towards our country and people to successfully start our journey of European integration and to make a strong and solid foundation to the eventual Europeanisation of our country," Garibashvili said.

"National independence and statehood regained in 1991 was based on the same Constitution of Georgia, European values and became predominantly oriented towards Europe.

"European future is a programme and uncontested action plan of every Government of Georgia entrusted by the people of Georgia," he added.

“We know that when children are on the move, they are at heightened risk of trafficking, abuse including sexual violence and serious psychological distress," Irina Saghoyan, Save the Children’s Eastern Europe Director, said in a statement.

“It is also unconscionable that some children and their families are forced to be outside with no shelter in such freezing temperatures. We are incredibly worried about the risks of illnesses like hypothermia.

“This is before we even start to comprehend the enormous impact of the events of the past week on these children’s mental wellbeing. Their homes, schools and communities have been destroyed, they have been separated from family and friends – their entire lives and everything they hold dear have been ripped from them in the space of a week," she added.

China rejects allegations of asking Russia to delay invasion until Olympic Games end

China on Thursday denounced a report that it asked Russia to delay invading Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics as “fake news” and a “very despicable" attempt to divert attention and shift blame over the conflict.

“We hope the culprit of the crisis would reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, take up their responsibilities, and take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem instead of blaming others,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing.

Wang also repeated China’s accusations that Washington provoked the war by not ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.

The report, cited in a New York Times article, was considered credible by Western officials.

China abstained in Wednesday's UN General Assembly emergency session vote to demand an immediate halt to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.

Fitch, Moody's join others in downgrading Russia's sovereign rating

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Russia’s credit rating, citing a “severe shock” to fundamental conditions due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Fitch stated that the war has raised risks to financial stability and could undermine Russia’s ability to service its government debt.

That, in turn, will weaken the country’s finances and slow its economy, further raising geopolitical risks and uncertainty, it said.

Moody's stated on Thursday that the scope and severity of the sanctions "have gone beyond Moody's initial expectations and will have material credit implication", joining S&P, which also lowered its rating to negative last week.

Additionally, FTSE Russell and MSCI index providers decided to remove Russian equities from all of their indexes on Wednesday, after experts deemed the country's market "uninvestable".

French FM: Siege of Ukrainian cities expected to worsen

"It is possible that the worst is ahead of us" in the Russian-led war in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, as the Russian army surrounded several Ukrainian cities and shelled them.

He said he would not be surprised if the Russians were to take the lead in the siege, which they have been doing for the past few decades. "Remember Aleppo, Grozny," he said, referring to two cities in Syria and Chechnya that have been destroyed by Russian bombs in recent decades. 

"We should fear the logic of siege", which "the Russians are used to," the top French diplomat told France 2.

IPC: No Paralympic Games for Russian and Belarusian competitors

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympic Games for their countries' roles in the war in Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee said Thursday in Beijing.

The unexpected reversal comes less than 24 hours after the IPC on Wednesday announced it would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete when the Games open on Friday, but only as neutral athletes with colours, flags and other national symbols removed.

The IPC received immediate criticism for its initial decision. It was termed a betrayal that sent the wrong message to Russia's leadership. The IPC also said it was evident that many athletes would refuse to compete against Russians or Belarusians, creating chaos for the Paralympics and damaging their reputation.

Mariupol surrounded, battle for Kherson continues

With fighting going on on multiple fronts across Ukraine, UK Defense Ministry said Mariupol -- a large city on the Azov Sea -- was encircled by Russian forces.

The status of Kherson, a Black Sea shipbuilding city of 280,000, remained unclear.

Ukraine's military said Russian forces "did not achieve the main goal of capturing Mariupol" in its statement which did not mention Kherson.

Putin's forces claimed to have taken complete control of Kherson, which would be the biggest city to fall yet in the invasion. A senior US defence official disputed that.

"Our view is that Kherson is very much a contested city," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Zelenskyy's office stated earlier it could not comment on the situation in Kherson while the fighting was still going on.

Twitter blocks RT and Sputnik accounts in the EU

The popular social network has blocked the accounts of Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik in the European Union, following a ban decided by member states that came into effect on Wednesday.

The two media outlets are accused of being instruments of Kremlin propaganda in its war against Ukraine, according to the bloc's decision.

Additionally, Sputnik and RT television channels and their content in English, German, French and Spanish can no longer be broadcast on television networks and the internet.

OSCE representative among Kharkiv casualties, monitoring organisation reports

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe says one of its members died during shelling in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Maryna Fenina was killed while getting supplies for her family, the group said in a news release on late Wednesday. Fenina worked with the organisation’s monitoring mission in Ukraine.

“In Kharkiv and other cities and towns in Ukraine, missiles, shells and rockets are hitting residential buildings and town centers, killing and injuring innocent civilians — women, men and children alike,” it said.

The organisation’s chairperson, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, and Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid extended their condolences.

“Our deepest condolences and sympathies go to Maryna’s family. Maryna was a valued member of the SMM team, and our colleagues in Ukraine remain in close contact with her family to offer our support,” it said.

The organisation launched its Ukraine monitoring mission in 2014 in response to a request from Ukraine’s government and the consent of the group’s 57 participating states. The mission observes and reports on the situation in Ukraine and aims to facilitate dialogue.

Sputnik Light vaccine producer fears complications

A South Korean pharmaceutical company manufacturing Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine says it is bracing for business complications as the West escalates sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

The recently expanded sanctions include targeted measures against the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund run by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin that globally markets the Sputnik vaccines.

Kim Gi-young, an official from Seoul-based GL Rapha, said the sanctions would not directly impede its production of the jabs as the measures are not aimed at essential medical supplies.

However, the company is concerned about potential problems arising from the financial side as South Korea joins other countries in a move to cut off key Russian banks from global payment systems.

“Right now, we are watching how the situation develops,” Kim said.

Zelenskyy on Russian soldiers: 'Confused children who have been used'

In a video address to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an upbeat assessment of the war and called on Ukrainians to keep up the resistance.

“We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,” he said. “They will have no peace here. They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment.”

Zelenskyy didn’t comment on whether the Russians have seized several cities, including Kherson.

“If they went somewhere, then only temporarily. We’ll drive them out,” he said.

He said the fighting is taking a toll on the morale of Russian soldiers, who “go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat.”

“These are not warriors of a superpower," he said. "These are confused children who have been used.”

He said the Russian death toll has reached about 9,000.

“Ukraine doesn’t want to be covered in bodies of soldiers," he said. "Go home.”

UNHCR: At least 1 million refugees left Ukraine

The UN refugee agency says the number of people who have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion less than a week ago has reached 1 million -- an exodus without precedent in this century for its speed.

The tally from UNHCR amounts to more than 2% of Ukraine’s population on the move based on counts collected by national authorities. 

The UN agency has predicted that up to 4 million people could eventually leave Ukraine but cautioned that even that projection could be revised upward.

On Twitter, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, wrote: “In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries.”

UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said Wednesday that “at this rate” the outflows from Ukraine could make it the source of “the biggest refugee crisis this century.”

Fighting continues outside Kherson

A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson — a claim that the Ukrainian military denies.

The city is under Russian soldiers' "complete control," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn't comment on Thursday on whether the Russians have seized several cities, including Kherson.

"If they went somewhere, it's only temporarily. We'll drive them out," he said.

Four Russian military planes violated Swedish airspace

Sweden says four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.

The four aircraft — two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters — flew briefly over the Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces.

“In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,” Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. “This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side.”