Fierce Fight still Around Kyiv, Civilians Take up Arms to Defend Ukraine
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 26: Ukrainian civilian volunteers have taken up weapons and joined the war to defend of Kyiv and are ready to face Russian tanks responding to the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeal as the Russian troops continued to press towards the Ukraine’s capital city on Saturday after a night of explosions and street fighting.
As many as 198 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the Russian attack, the Ukrainian health minister Viktor Liashko claimed. The Ukraine government also claimed that its soldiers have killed over 3,500 Russian soldiers and have virtually “derailed” the Russian attack.
Britain’s defence ministry said on Saturday that the bulk of Russian forces involved in the advance on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv were now 30 km from the city centre. Britain, which earlier disputed Russian reports that Russian forces had captured the southeastern city of Melitopol, said the Ukrainian military was continuing to put up staunch resistance across the country. “Russian forces have continued their advance on Kyiv with the bulk of their forces now 30 km from the centre of the city,” the defence ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.
Zelenskyy in a short video released on Saturday morning said he had rejected an offer from the United States to evacuate and insisted that he would “very much stay put at the centre of Kyiv. He said he had told the US that Ukraine needed weapons and not a ride. “Ukraine needs weapons, not ride,” he said.
The president also dismissed rumours that Kyiv had fallen to the Russian forces or that he had called upon the army to lay down arms and appealed to the people not to believe in rumours. “Kyiv had not fallen. Any reports of Ukraine laying down its arms was a lie, Zelenskyy said. “I’m here. We are not putting down any arms. We will protect our country, because our weapons are our truth. The truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will protect them all,” he said. “That is it. That’s what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine.” He also referred to the support Ukraine received from 43 countries at the UNSC and said the “world” was with Ukraine in their fight against the Russian “aggression” and the “final victory will be ours.”
Despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned compared to the advancing Russian forces, Ukrainian officials reported some success in fending off assaults, but fighting persisted near the capital. Russia claims its assault on Ukraine was aimed only at military targets, but civilians have been killed and injured during Europe’s largest ground war since World War II. The conflict has already driven hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from their homes. Saturday’s street clashes followed two days of massive air and missile strikes as Russian soldiers moved in from the north, east and south. “Ukrainian forces are putting up resistance and inflicting damage on Russia’s invading military,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said after an alliance video summit.
The Ukrainian health minister had claimed that besides 198 killed, more than 1,000 people have been wounded in the Russian offensive. Lyashko also said on Saturday that there were three children among those killed. His statement made it unclear whether the casualties included both military and civilians. He said another 1,115 people, including 33 children, were wounded in the Russian invasion that began Thursday. His statement came even as fighting continued in the streets of Kyiv on Saturday. At least 35 people, including two children, were injured in overnight shelling and fighting in the city,
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko imposed an intensified curfew as Russian troops pressed in on the city on Saturday. Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app that he was extending the curfew hours to run from 5 pm until 8 am. “All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups,” Klitschko said. The curfew imposed two days ago previously lasted from 10 pm until 7 a.m.
Zelenskyy also stated on Saturday that he had spoken with prime minister Narendra Modi and urged India to lend them political support in the UN Security Council, even as Russia accused Ukraine of prolonging the conflict by refusing negotiations. Zelenskyy, in a tweet, said, “Informed (Mr. Modi) of the course of Ukraine repulsing Russian aggression. More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings.” President Zelenskyy had sent a letter to Modi three days ago requesting a telephone conversation at his “convenient earliest.” Ukraine’s Ambassador to India Igor Polikha sent it to PM Modi through an emissary.
Zelenskyy said he also spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron on Saturday morning. “A new day on the diplomatic frontline began with a conversation with @EmmanuelMacron. Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working!” he tweeted.
Earlier, Ukrainian President’s spokesman Sergii Nykyforov said on social media that Ukraine and Russia were discussing a place and time for talks. The Kremlin said earlier on Friday it had offered to meet with Ukrainian officials in the Belarusian capital Minsk, but that Ukraine had instead proposed Warsaw as a venue, resulting in a “pause” in contacts. “Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace,” Nykyforov said.
The US State Department spokesman Ned Price, however, said Russia’s offer of talks was an attempt to conduct diplomacy “at the barrel of a gun”, and that President Vladimir Putin’s military must stop bombing Ukraine if it was serious about negotiations.
In a bid to clamp down on spread of information, Russia seems to have restricted access to Twitter. Netblocks, an account that monitors the internet, has found that Twitter could not be accessed on many providers.
Refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to pour across its western borders on Saturday, with around 100,000 reaching Poland in two days, finding temporary sanctuary in sports halls and train stations. As Russian forces launched coordinated cruise missile and artillery strikes on several cities, including the capital Kyiv, fearful families thronged European Union borders hoping to enter Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.
Russia said on Saturday it was closing its airspace to flights from Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic in response to punishment over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “Air carriers of these states and/or registered in them are subject to restrictions on flights to destinations on the territory of the Russian Federation, including transit flights through the airspace of the Russian Federation,” the federal air transport agency Rosaviation said.
Meanwhile, the first batch of Indian students entered Hungary from Ukraine through the Zahony crossing point on Saturday. The students are being taken to Budapest for return to India by an Air India flight, the Indian embassy in Hungary said. “First batch of Indian students enter Hungary from Ukrainian side at Zahony crossing, travelling onward to Budapest for return to India by AI flight today,” it tweeted.
India on Friday managed to set up camp offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine to facilitate the transit of Indians to Hungary, Romania and Poland. India is trying to evacuate its nationals through Ukraine’s land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Ukrainian government closed the country’s airspace following the Russian military offensive.
