Brave Sun man takes cover from Russian shells exploding on front line as Ukraine soldier shows trophies of enemy kills

THIS is the dramatic moment Sun reporter Jerome Starkey was forced to take cover from Russian shells exploding on the front line today.

Russian missiles pounded Ukraine on Friday as families cowered in shelters and air raid sirens wailed across the major cities.

But Russia also appeared to be advancing on the outskirts of Kharkiv nearly 300 miles away as Russian forces drove deeper into Ukraine.

Our Sun man Jerome was forced to duck for cover with Ukrainian troops as Russian shells rained down nearby.

Reporting from the outskirts of the city, Jerome said: "Everyone just had to take cover... we could hear the shells going over."

Dramatic footage filmed on the front line showed a Ukrainian soldier diving in front of our defence editor in the thick snow as explosions are heard in the distance.

A Ukrainian soldier later showed off his trophies of enemy kills to Jerome as they stood in the trenches.

The soldier could be seen standing in the blizzard holding up a collection of patches he claimed to have taken from slain Russian troops.

Jerome had been on his way to Kharkiv to confirm reports of Ukrainian troops using weapons from the West to fight the onslaught of the Russians in the city.

And in the back of a police car, he was shown a weapon supplied by the British Army.

Earlier, reporting from the side of a road, he said: "This is the road to Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, which was the first place to really face a major armoured assault when the Russian invasion started yesterday.

"We're on our way there to try and find out a little bit more about exactly what happened. There were reports of a number of Russian tanks destroyed by Ukrainian, British and American weapons.

"You can see from the weather it's really changed to quite heavy snow.

"The traffic behind me is travelling away from the city - we've been going the other way. We're one of the only cars on the road at the moment.

"The snow on the road is as much of challenge as the risk of running into Russians."

Standing at a checkpoint outside the city, he said: "We've just reached the edge of Ukrainian-held territory on the edge of Kharkiv - and you can see the soldiers here behind me manning a checkpoint, and the sound of shelling.

"We're just trying to get across just about 100 metres beyond this position - where we can see the wreckage of one of the blown up tanks."

'HARDEST DAY'

Ukrainians were warned they faced their "hardest day" with an expected all-out offensive by the Russians.

At least 137 Ukrainians are already dead across the country at the hands of Putin's forces after the assault began at 3.30am on Thursday.

Kyiv faces an uncertain future as the country comes under attack from air, land and sea by Russia.

US intelligence now fears Putin could topple Kyiv in just 96 hours as Russian forces move within just 20 miles after seizing nearby Chernobyl.

Ukrainian sources said they agreed the capital would be surrounded within the next four days.

But they insisted the government would not collapse.

Ukrainians remain defiant and have put up a staunch resistance to the Russian invaders.

But they find themselves facing an uphill struggle as Putin brings his massive military to bear against his neighbour.

Boris Johnson has now called for more support for Ukraine as a matter of "the greatest urgency" in a meeting with the Baltic states.

The PM's spokesperson said: "The leaders agreed that more sanctions were needed, including focusing on President Putin's inner circle, building on the measures that had already been agreed.

"More support must be given to Ukraine, as a matter of the greatest urgency, the prime minister urged."