Kyiv (Ukraine), 26th February 2022: This is the third day of the Russian attack in Ukraine. Now attacks can be seen on the streets as well. Russian troops entered the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Saturday and a riot broke out in the streets.
Local authorities have appealed to the people to hide. Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine has refused to accept the US offer to leave. He has insisted that he will stay in the capital. “The war is on here,” he said.
Hundreds of people have been injured in the clashes that broke out after two days of fighting. There has been heavy damage to bridges, schools and apartment buildings. US officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and bring it under his rule. New international efforts have begun to end Russian aggression, including outright sanctions on Putin.
Ukraine: Our military confronts Russian troops
An adviser to the President of Ukraine says fighting is going on in the capital and the south of the country and that Ukrainian forces are successfully countering Russian attacks.
Mikhailo Podolik, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Saturday that small groups of Russian forces tried to infiltrate Kyiv and had encounters with Ukrainian troops. He said that Russia wants to capture Kyiv and destroy the country’s leadership, but Russian forces have failed to gain any lead and the situation in Kyiv is under the control of Ukrainian forces.
He said Russian forces were also focusing on the south of the country, where fierce fighting continues in Kherson, in the north of Crimea, and in the Black Sea port cities of Mykolev, Odessa and Mariupol. He said Russia considers capturing the south a priority but has failed to make any significant gains.
The future of Kyiv, shaken
by the explosions and the sound of guns, is in the balance. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalensky has called for a ceasefire. In his desperate statement, he warned that many cities of the country were being attacked. According to a senior US intelligence official, Jalensky has been advised by the US administration to leave Kyiv, but he has turned it down. Officials are directly involved in this matter. “The war is on and they need anti-artillery ammunition, not advice to flee,” the official quoted the Ukrainian president as saying.
Meanwhile, the authorities in Kyiv have appealed to the people to seek shelter somewhere. Stay away from windows and take care to avoid flying debris and bullets.
The Kremlin has accepted Kiyiv’s offer of negotiations, but it appears to be forcing the embattled Jalensky into force rather than a diplomatic solution. On Friday, Russian forces continued to advance, claiming the city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine. Nevertheless, it was unclear in the war how much of Ukraine was still under Ukrainian control and how much or what part was occupied by Russian forces.