71 children killed in Ukraine so far: parliament official

At least 71 children have been killed in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war on February 24, a Ukrainian parliament official said on Thursday.

"From the start of the Russian invasion and up to 11:00 am (0900 GMT) on March 10, 71 children have been killed and more than 100 wounded," Lyudmyla Denisova, parliament's point person on human rights, wrote in a Telegram message.

Russian forces have rolled their armoured vehicles up to the northeastern edge of the Kyiv, an AFP team saw on Thursday.

Ukrainian soldiers described a night of heavy battles for control of the main highway leading into Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading for NATO to impose a no-fly zone, but the alliance is wary of any step that might draw it into direct conflict with Russia.