The capital of Ukraine, Kiev, continues to resist the invasion that Russia began on Thursday, February 24.
This Monday, the authorities lifted the curfew imposed a few days ago and many of the residents who remained in bunkers left their shelters in search of food and their families.
Many also came to see the state of their homes after the Russian attacks.
The World Health Organization, on the other hand, warned that oxygen supplies to treat patients with covid and other diseases, as well as the war-wounded, are reaching critical levels.
Trucks have been unable to transport the tanks from factories to hospitals, including in Kiev, where it is feared they will run out within the next 24 hours.
Kiev resists
Most of the offensives on the Ukrainian capital have been by air.
The mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, affirmed this Sunday that there were no Russian troops in the city and that the “saboteurs” had been “detected and neutralized.”
“We show that we can protect our home from uninvited guests”the commander of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, confirmed in a statement in the early hours of Monday.
However, the Kiev authorities warn that the war is far from over, as street clashes continue in almost all districts of the city.
different urban landscape
According to the BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, the aerial alarms were heard until shortly before first light, with explosions around the city throughout the night.
“It seems that even on the day that talks between Russia and Ukraine are going to start, Russia has not abandoned its efforts to move closer to the heart of Kiev,” reports Doucet.
Over the weekend there were repeated explosions, which appeared to be mostly contained on the outskirts of central Kiev.
Those in Kiev will see a very different urban landscape than they are used to, authorities warned ahead of the lifting of the curfew.
“When you leave the city after 8 am, you will see fortifications, anti-tank hedgehogs and other fortifications that have appeared on the streets,” the Kyiv City government said.
Meanwhile, video footage released overnight showed a fire in a residential building in Chernihiv, which broke out after being hit by a Russian missile.
Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv in the country’s east, which was the scene of a fierce conflict on Sunday after Ukrainian forces recaptured Ukraine’s second largest city from Russian forces.
Explosions were heard at an oil depot in Vasylkiv, south of the capital, in the early hours of Sunday, sparking fears of toxic gas emissions and residents were warned to close their windows and stay indoors.
Many Ukrainian civilians they have received firearms to defend themselves if necessary and organize themselves in the neighborhoods to make molotov cocktails with which to receive the Russian troops.
The army also claimed it managed to prevent an attempt to land Russian airborne troops at an airport south of Kiev, even reporting that a large plane carrying troops had been shot down. The BBC was unable to verify this information.
“The invaders wanted to blockade the center of our state… We broke their plan,” added President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I don’t know how to explain what I feel”
Kiev experienced moments of extreme tension in recent days where explosions were heard as Russian forces approached the city.
A missile hit a block of flats in the city, leaving at least four apartments destroyed.
Yuri Shevchuk – who is 49 years old and has lived in the area for more than 20 years – surveyed the damage with an air of incomprehension. “I don’t know how to explain what I feel,” he told the BBC. “It is the first time in my life that I see such a level of damage, in my city and in times of peace.”
Authorities reported that two people died due to the impact of the missile. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said six people were also seriously injured.
Earlier, the mayor had reported that 35 people were injured in nightly fighting in the city, including two children. It is not yet clear if he was referring only to civilians.
“There are no Russian troops in the city,” he said, adding that people should stay in shelters as more airstrikes are expected.
On Saturday, President Zelensky warned Ukrainians that they “cannot afford to lose” Kiev.
The president broadcast a video from the streets of the city.
“There is a lot of false information on networks that says that I asked the Army to lay down their weapons and that we are evacuating,” he said.
“I’m here. We will not lay down our arms. We will defend our state”.
A “war of necessity” for Putin
Paul Adams, BBC Diplomatic Affairs Correspondent
Western officials say the Ukrainian military has so far been effective in stemming the Russian advance on the capital, Kiev.
But they worry that the Russians, eager to impose a quick victory, may resort to more drastic measures.
“My fear is that if they don’t meet their deadlines and goals…they will use violence indiscriminately,” said one of these officials.
“The problem is that [Vladimir Putin] has committed itself in the way that it has. For him, this is no longer a war of choice, but a war of necessity.”
Fear beyond the capital
Fear and caution are not unique to Kiev.
“I am writing these lines from a bomb shelter several floors below ground with a crowd of people, four dogs and a pet rabbit,” Sarah Rainsford, BBC correspondent, tells from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the fourth largest in the country. in Eastern Europe.
“Hotel staff ran past and banged on doors shortly after midnight before ushering us down the stairs at high speed. Earlier, we had visited Hanna Syva and her family in a giant apartment block across the street,” she details.
“Hanna is a mother of two and seems optimistic, but she admits that she is smiling so as not to worry her children,” explains Rainsford.
“Yesterday they cried, they’re very nervous, so I can’t afford to be scared,” Hanna tells the reporter.
Source: Eluniverso
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