DEFIANCE OF A NATION

Ukrainian president Zelensky leads brave defence of Kyiv as Russian troops surround capital

AS THE world stands horrified at the spiralling humanitarian crisis engulfing Ukraine, fears are growing that Vladimir Putin is about to unleash terrifying new weapons after his invasion of Ukraine stalled.

Defiant resistance by Ukrainian soldiers has stopped Russia from seizing major cities and destroyed several armoured military convoys. Some reports already put the Russian death toll at 1,000 troops.

Two transport aircraft, potentially carrying more than 300 Russian paratroopers, are believed to have been shot down.

Harrowing images of mothers and children

wrenched from their menfolk and forced to scatter to neighbouring countries have led to a strengthening of resolve among world leaders to tighten sanctions against the invading force.

Last night the EU moved to remove selected Russian banks from the Swift global inter banking payments system – an initiative that had been resisted by Germany.

More than 100,000 have already fled across borders. In all, some four million Ukrainians may be forced from their homes by the conflict, potentially the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the collapse of Yugoslavia.

Last night the Twitter account of the Ukrainian Government led by President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: ‘To the free people of the world! We feel your support. We see your demonstrations with our flags. We hear your chants. This helps us fight the horrific Russian evil. Ukraine holds its ground. We. Will. Not. Fall. #StandWithUkraine’

The Mayor of Kyiv, the former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Vitali Klitschko, last night announced a city-wide curfew until Monday morning.

Mr Klitschko said anyone seen in the streets will be considered a Russian ‘saboteur’ and so the population is hunkering down in homes, shelters, basements and metro stations as they await a fresh Russian assault.

There were growing fears that a rattled Putin is on the verge of unleashing terrifying new weapons after his invasion of Ukraine stalled.

Last night, disturbing evidence emerged of a lorry carrying TOS-1 thermobaric rockets – dubbed the ‘father of all bombs’ – rumbling towards northern Ukraine.

During another frenzied day of activity:

■ Intelligence sources said strong Ukrainian resistance and ‘acute logistical difficulties’ appeared to have slowed Putin’s onslaught, but with the bulk of his troops massing around Kyiv, Russia’s defence ministry last night ordered a fresh wave of attack on all fronts

■ Intense street fighting broke out in Kyiv early yesterday as families sheltered underground from a ‘rolling thunder of explosions’.

■ Dramatic footage showed a Russian missile slamming into a high-rise Kyiv apartment block, obliterating part of the building. Six were wounded but, astonishingly, no one was killed.

■ Ukraine’s civilian death toll reached 198, including three children. Another 1,115, including 33 children, have been wounded.

■ In an extraordinary act of defiance, President Zelensky rejected an offer by Washington to fly him to safety, declaring: ‘I need ammunition, not a ride.’

■ Ukraine is increasing pressure on Turkey to ban Russian warships from the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

■ China, India and the United Arab Emirates were condemned after abstaining from a UN Security Council resolution that would have ‘deplored’ Russia’s invasion.

■ Billionaire Roman Abramovich handed the ‘stewardship and care’ of Chelsea FC to the club’s charitable foundation amid criticism of his links to the Russian state, but a source insisted the club was not for sale.

Amid a mass exodus of families fleeing the bloodshed, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said around 54,400 people have crossed the border into Poland, 26,000 into Hungary and 21,228 into Moldova. It fears four million may flee Ukraine if the situation escalates further. The Polish health ministry said it has readied 7,000 beds in 120 hospitals in preparation for a wave of war casualties.

Afshan Khan, Unicef’s regional director for Europe, said the conflict in Ukraine ‘is quickly escalating into a humanitarian crisis’ that is spreading ‘by the hour’.

He added: ‘For those staying in Kyiv, life has gone underground with significant numbers of people moving to subways and shelters to protect themselves. In eastern Ukraine … thousands are without safe water, heat or electricity due to damaged infrastructure.’

The were reports last night that Putin had summoned his inner circle to a meeting in the Ural mountains and voiced his anger at how his battle plan had been derailed.

Former Russian MP Ilya Ponomarev claimed Russia only had enough missiles for ‘three or four days’ more fighting and that other weapons are also ‘in short supply’. He predicted the Kremlin would be forced to negotiate if Ukraine could hold out for another nine days.

His comments came as pictures on social media appeared to show Russian tanks parked on a highway outside Kyiv because they had run out of fuel.

At dawn yesterday, Mr Zelensky again took to Kyiv’s streets to rally his countrymen. Vowing to continue the fight, he said: ‘We will not lay down our weapons. We will defend our state because our weapon is our truth.’

However British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace last night told the MoS the invasion of Ukraine could result in a decade-long campaign of resistance against Vladimir Putin.

‘Thousands without safe water or heat’

‘We will not lay down our weapons’