New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS): By midday Thursday, the skies over Kiev swarmed with Russian attack helicopters which seized Gostomel air base, Daily Mail reported.

However, though Ukrainian forces launched a fight-back, with ground forces moving in to retake the air field as jets streaking over the city, followed by reports that up to four Russian choppers had been shot out of the air, the report said.

Meanwhile Russian tanks, driving out of Crimea, broke through Ukrainian lines near Kherson and were moving towards the Dnieper River where they linked up with more helicopters and seized power plants - with a Russian flag seen raised over Kakhovka Hydroelectric plant in the early afternoon.

Ukrainian forces appeared to be putting up a stiff resistance around Kharkiv, in the east, where multiple Russian tanks and armoured vehicles were pictured having been destroyed by Kiev's forces - with bodies lying in the streets. Two Russian soldiers were also captured by Kiev's forces in the area, the report said.

Border guard units said they were fighting for control of Sumy, also in the east, against Russian forces. Earlier in the day, they had reported coming under attack from Belarus as Russian and Belarusian tanks rolled across the border. Four ballistic missiles were also launched from Belarusian territory, the Ukrainian MoD said, Daily Mail reported.

It came after cruise missiles, guided bombs and GRAD rockets took out targets from east to west - aimed at airfields, military bases, ammo dumps, and command posts including in the capital. Six Russian jets were shot out of the sky over the eastern Donbass region, Ukraine claimed.