Russian push to capture Kyiv ‘derailed’: Zelenskiy
The president said Ukrainians had been fighting against Russian troops in Odessa, Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said Ukraine’s force had halted the Kremlin’s push to capture Kyiv and oust him and urged Russians to pressure leader Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion.
Speaking in a new video address, Zelenskiy accused Moscow of seeking to overthrow him and establish a puppet state in Ukraine. “We’ve derailed their plan,” the 44-year-old leader said, stressing that the Ukrainian army was in control of the capital Kyiv and main cities around it.
Zelenskiy said Russians have deployed “missiles, fighters, drones, artillery, armoured vehicles, saboteurs, and airborne forces” against Ukraine and have hit “residential areas”.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainians had been fighting against Russian troops in a number of cities including the southern city of Odessa, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv.
The western city of Lviv and other cities in western and central Ukraine have been targeted with airstrikes, he said.
Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, has “already” earned the right to join the European Union and urged the EU leaders to make that decision.
“This will be key evidence of our country’s support,” he said.
Zelenskiy also urged Germany and Hungary to back severing Russia from the SWIFT banking system to punish Moscow for invading his country.
“There is already almost full support from the EU countries to disconnect Russia from SWIFT. I hope that Germany and Hungary will have the courage to support this decision,” Zelenskiy said.
The Ukrainian president - a former comedian who came to power in 2019 - also thanked Russians who spoke out against the war and asked them to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin.
“Simply stop those who are lying to you, lying to us, lying to the entire world,” he said.
“Thousands of victims. Hundreds of those taken prisoner,” he added.
“The sooner you tell your government that the war must immediately stop, the more of your people will survive.”
198 civilians killed in Russian invasion
Ukraine’s health minister said on Saturday that 198 civilians, including three children, have been killed so far by Russian forces attacking the pro-Western country.
“Unfortunately, according to operative data, at the hands of the invaders we have 198 dead, including 3 children, 1,115 wounded, including 33 children,” Health minister Viktor Lyashko wrote on Facebook.
US president approves $350mn in military aid
President Joe Biden instructed the US state department to release $350 million in military aid to Ukraine on Friday as it struggles to repulse a Russian invasion. In a memorandum to secretary of state Antony Blinken, Biden directed that $350 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine’s defence.
100,000 Ukrainians cross border into Poland
Polish deputy interior minister Pawel Szefernaker on Saturday said 100,000 people have crossed the border into Poland from Ukraine since Russia’s invasion this week.
“From the onset of warfare in Ukraine through today, along the entire border with Ukraine, 100,000 people have crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland,” Szefernaker told reporters in the border village of Medyka, southeastern Poland.
The head of the Polish border guard, Tomasz Praga, added at the press conference that on Friday alone nearly 50,000 people had crossed into Poland from Ukraine.
Poland, which was already home to an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainians before Russia’s invasion and which has expressed steadfast support for Ukraine, has so far seen the bulk of those fleeing Ukraine cross into its territory.
“Latest update is that almost 116,000 have fled to neighbouring countries since February 24 - mainly Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania,” the UN refugee agency UNHCR tweeted on Saturday.
“Numbers are rising,” it added. Szefernaker said 90% of the refugees have concrete places to go in Poland, such as the homes of friends or family, but that the remainder are seeking help at nine reception centres set up along the border.