UK ‘strengthens the capacity’ of Ukrainian army
RUSSIAN troops closed in on Ukraine’s capital last night after explosions and street fighting sent Kyiv residents seeking shelter or fleeing the city.
The country’s leader claimed Ukraine’s forces had repulsed the assault and vowed to keep up the struggle.
“The real fighting for Kyiv is ongoing,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message, accusing Russia of hitting infrastructure and civilian targets.
In a tweet last night, he said he had talked on the phone with Boris Johnson, adding: “I am grateful to the British Prime Minister for his position, new decisions to strengthen the capacity of the Ukrainian army. Agreed on further joint steps to counter the aggressor.”
Britain’s defence ministry said the bulk of Russian forces were 19 miles from the middle of the city yesterday.
As Russian troops pressed their offensive with small groups of troops reported inside Kyiv, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, extended an overnight curfew to run from 5pm on Saturday until 8am tomorrow.
He said “all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups”.
Ukraine’s health minister reported yesterday that 198 people, including three children, have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded during Europe’s largest ground offensive since the Second World War. It was unclear whether the figure included both military and civilian casualties.
Western officials believe Russian president Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own. The invasion represented Putin’s boldest effort yet to redraw the map of Europe and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
Britain has pledged to continue to supply arms to Ukraine’s embattled military.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Russian troops had not made the progress they might have hoped, with the main armoured columns still some way from the city.
He last night warned that the defenders faced “days, weeks, months more” of heavy fighting as Putin strives to topple the Ukrainian government and impose his writ on the country.