After a night of attacks on cities, including Kyiv, the capital remained under Ukrainian control as the sun rose Saturday morning, writes NBC NEWS.

The city was braced for battle heading into the weekends as Russian troops continued to advance and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had issued a desperate plea for help.

“The fate of Ukraine is being decided now”, - Zelenskyy said in an address on social media. “Special attention is on Kyiv - we should not lose the capital. The enemy will use all the possible forces they have to break our resistance. They will be mean and hard. Tonight they will begin a full scale storm”.

Russian troops bore down on the city as the global backlash mounted against the unprovoked attack on a European democracy.

Explosions, air raid sirens and the sound of gunfire filled the air over Kyiv. Officials in Kyiv urged citizens to take shelter and street fighting was occurring. Explosions were heard overnight.