Exclusive from BNT envoys in Ukraine: We spent the night at a petrol station where Ukrainian military forces were deployed

In Ukraine, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult for the civilian population. A curfew is in force, the amount of fuel that can be filled in cars is limited, thousands of people are trying to reach the borders with Romania, Moldova and Slovakia.

BNT team is at the epicentre of the fighting. BNT special envoys in Ukraine on February 25 report that many are spending the night in their cars because of the ban on traffic during the hours of darkness. The BNT team did the same.

"We spent the night at a petrol station, where Ukrainian military forces were stationed, people are spending the night in such lighted places. There are Bulgarian citizens in Melitopol, Mykolaiv and Kherson. We are now 150 km away from Odessa. There are fewer and fewer people on the roads, the possible routes from Eastern to Western Ukraine are becoming fewer and fewer. Thousands of people are heading to the border with Romania, Moldova and Poland," BNT reporter Alexander Markov said.

BNT colleagues Alexander Markov, Vladimir Bogdansky and Robert Vetsov are the only Bulgarian team at the epicentre of the conflict in Ukraine.

He said tankers continue to travel along the country's main roads to eastern Ukraine, where fuel is most needed. In Odessa, a curfew has been imposed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. No one is allowed to drive on city and suburban roads, no one is allowed to fill up more than 20 litres of fuel.

"Some Bulgarians of Bulgarian ethnic origin, who do not have Bulgarian passports, asked us for assistance in contacting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be included in the evacuation process. There is no problem with the supply of food, the big problem is fuel," Alexander Markov added.

The second day of the Russian military operation in Ukraine began at 4.00 this morning. In the north near Kiev, a Russian tank column was stopped near the town of Ivankov after the Ukrainian army blew up a bridge to stop this advance. The capital itself has been targetted with missiles, a Russian plane has been shot down, an apartment building has been damaged.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has said that Russian sabotage groups have already entered the capital. Late last night, it was reported that Russian forces had also gained control of Chernobyl. To the west, a local airport near the city of Rivne was hit this morning by two missiles, the runways destroyed. Fighting is continuing in the south - Russian forces have hit the town of Primorsk, resulting in deaths and injuries, the Ukrainian army said.