Russian troops push toward Ukraine's capital; residents take cover
- 26 Feb 2022
Kyiv residents braced on Saturday for another night sheltering underground, as Russian troops closed in on Ukraine's capital and skirmishes were reported on the outskirts.
Ukraine's leader, meanwhile, claimed the country's forces had repulsed the Russian assault and vowed to keep up the struggle as he appealed for more outside help.
"The real fighting for Kyiv is ongoing,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message in which he accused Russia of hitting infrastructure and civilian targets. "We will win,” he said.
Central Kyiv appeared quiet on Saturday, though sporadic gunfire could be heard. And fighting on the city's outskirts suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces. Britain and the US said the bulk of Russian forces were 30 kilometres from the centre of the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko extended an overnight curfew to run from 5pm on Saturday until 8am on Monday. He said "all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
Russia claims its assault on Ukraine is aimed only at military targets, but bridges, schools and residential neighbourhoods have been hit since the invasion began on Thursday with air and missile strikes and Russian troops entering Ukraine from the north, east and south.
Ukraine’s health minister reported on Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 others had been wounded during Europe’s largest land war since World War II. It was unclear whether those figures included both military and civilian casualties.
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In Kyiv, a missile struck a high-rise apartment building in the southwestern outskirts near one of the city's two passenger airports, leaving a jagged hole of ravaged apartments over several floors. A rescue worker said six civilians were injured.
The conflict has driven thousands of Ukrainians from their homes in search of safety. UN officials said more than 120,000 Ukrainians had left the country for Poland, Moldova and other neighboring nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine after he spent weeks denying that's what he intended, all the while building up a force of almost 200,000 troops along the countries' borders.
He claims the West has failed to take seriously Russia's security concerns about Nato, the Western military alliance that Ukraine aspires to join. But he has also expressed scorn about Ukraine's right to exist as an independent state.
Putin has not disclosed his ultimate plans for Ukraine or said how long the Russian military operation could last. Western officials believe he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
Fighting also raged in two territories in eastern Ukraine that are controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Authorities in the city of Donetsk said hot water supplies to the city of about 900,000 were suspended because of damage to the system by Ukrainian shelling.
The US government urged Zelensky early on Saturday to evacuate Kyiv but he turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. Zelensky issued a defiant video recorded on a downtown Kyiv street early on Saturday, saying he remained in the city.
"We aren’t going to lay down weapons. We will protect the country,” the Ukrainian president said. "Our weapon is our truth, and our truth is that it’s our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that.”
Natali Sevriukova reacts next to her house following a rocket attack in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday. AP
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been on the move, seeking safety in the west of the country or beyond. The UN estimates that up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.
Refugees arriving in the Hungarian border town of Zahony said men between 18 and 60 were not being allowed to leave Ukraine.
"My son was not allowed to come. My heart is so sore, I’m shaking, I can’t calm down, they did not let him come,” said Vilma Sugar, 68.
Hungary and Poland both opened their borders to Ukrainians with or without travel documents. At Poland's Medyka crossing, some said they had walked for 35 kilometres to reach the border.
"They didn’t have food, no tea, they were standing in the middle of a field, on the road, kids were freezing,” said Iryna Wiklenko as she waited on the Polish side for her grandchildren and her daughter-in-law to make it across.
Officials in Kyiv urged residents to seek shelter, to stay away from windows and to take precautions to avoid flying debris or bullets. Many spent Friday night in basements, underground parking garages and subway stations, and prepared to do the same again on Saturday.
"We’re all scared and worried. We don’t know what to do then, what’s going to happen in a few days,” said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel.
Associated Press