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Russian assaults on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have been met with fierce resistance, because the Ukrainian army says it has fought off a number of assaults. – Stories BBC
The army stated in a Fb put up early on Saturday that a military unit managed to repel Russian forces close to its base on a significant metropolis road.
In a brand new video, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated: “We can’t lay down our arms. We are going to defend our state.”
The town authorities confirmed ongoing combating and urged individuals to remain dwelling.
In response to a report by the Interfax-Ukraine information company, metropolis officers put out a press release asking individuals to remain in shelters and to keep away from home windows in the event that they had been at dwelling.
However Secretary of the Nationwide Safety and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov instructed Ukrainian information web site Lb.ua that the military was “in management” of the scenario.
“We’re stopping the horde utilizing all means out there. The military servicemen and residents are in charge of Kyiv,” stated Mr Danilov.
In his self-shot video, Mr Zelensky could possibly be seen strolling round Kyiv’s authorities district in an obvious effort to fight rumours he had referred to as on the military to give up to Russian troops.
“There’s loads of pretend info on-line that I am calling on our military to put down arms, and that there is evacuation,” he stated in opposition to a backdrop of Kyiv’s Gorodetsky Home.
“I am right here. We can’t lay down our arms. We are going to defend our state.”
Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s air pressure command additionally reported heavy combating close to the Vasylkiv air base, southwest of Kyiv, including that it was underneath assault by Russian paratroopers.
Individually it claimed considered one of its fighters had shot down a Russian transport airplane. The BBC was unable to confirm this.
‘We should persevere’
President Zelensky had earlier warned that Russia would attempt to “storm” Kyiv on Friday evening.
“This evening the enemy shall be utilizing all out there means to interrupt our resistance. This evening they’ll launch an assault,” stated Zelensky.
“This evening we should persevere. The destiny of Ukraine is being determined proper now… Our primary purpose is to complete this massacre.”
Whereas Mr Zelensky acknowledged Russian forces had inflicted casualties, he maintained “the enemy has sustained very severe casualties”, too. The BBC can not confirm this declare.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Mr Zelensky stated the nation was ready to carry ceasefire and peace talks with Russia instantly and had been discussing a spot and time to carry talks.
German Overseas Minister Annalena Baerbock stated the Russian president and his prime diplomat had been “liable for the deaths of harmless individuals in Ukraine, and for trampling on the worldwide system”.
“We, as Europeans, don’t settle for that,” she stated, after a gathering of international ministers in Brussels.
As Russian troops shut in on Kyiv, Ukraine has been pleading with the West for sooner and more durable sanctions to punish Moscow for its assault.
Zelensky urged Europe to impose more durable sanctions on Moscow.
He desires leaders to chop off Russia from Swift – the system used for international enterprise transactions.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has additionally urged the West to dam Russia from the funds system to “inflict most ache on President Putin and his regime”.
However the EU has to date opted to not minimize off Russia from Swift – reportedly as a consequence of objections from some member states, together with Germany and Italy.
Nevertheless, Italy’s Overseas Minister Luigi Di Maio stated afterward Friday that it will not veto proposals to ban Russia.
The EU’s newest spherical of sanctions additionally targets Russian elites and make it more durable for its diplomats to journey.
Russia has responded with tit-for-tat measures in opposition to Western sanctions, banning British flights to and over its territory in retaliation to a UK ban on the Russian airline Aeroflot. – BBC
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