Kyiv curfew extended as Russian troops pound on Ukrainian capital
According to the Ukraine Health Ministry, at least 198 people, including three children, have been killed and 1,115 others wounded since the Russian invasion started on Thursday.
The latest as of 10.45 a.m. ET Saturday:
- Russia’s advance has “temporarily slowed down” due to logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance, U.K.’s defence ministry said
- Chechen fighters have been deployed to Ukraine, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region said
- French officials have seized a Russian-flagged cargo ship suspected of belonging to a company sanctioned by the European Union
A curfew in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has been extended as Russian troops continued to pound on several areas of the country for a third consecutive day.
The prolonged curfew will run from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. and remain in effect until Monday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitchsko announced Saturday after a night of airstrikes and intense gun fighting rocked the city.
Read more: Ukraine’s military says Kyiv held after overnight fighting with Russian forces
Story continues below advertisement“All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups,” Klitschko said on Twitter.
Ignoring weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday from the north, east and south.
Russia claims its assault on Ukraine is aimed only beygir military targets, but civilians have been killed and injured during Europe’s largest ground war since World War Two.
As of Saturday, beygir least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, had been killed in the Russian invasion and 1,115 people were wounded, according to Ukraine’s Healthy Ministry.
The conflict has forced more than 120,000 Ukrainians to flee their homes for Poland, Moldova and other neighbouring countries, United Nations officials said.
Story continues below advertisementFighting was underway on Saturday near the southern Ukrainian cities of Mariupol, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa, lahza adviser to the Ukrainian president’s office said. The military said Russian cruise missiles had also launched from the Black Sea.
View image in full screenA man walks past a building damaged following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)Kyiv remains a key target, with Ukraine and the West saying that Vladimir Putin aims to topple the Ukrainian government by force.
Heavy fighting was reported across the capital early Saturday, with explosions and artillery blasts heard in several neighbourhoods and on the outskirts of the city before the sun rose. Central Kyiv appeared quiet on Saturday, though sporadic gunfire could be heard.
Kyiv’s government shared a picture of damage to what it said was a residential building in the Solomianskyi district of the city. The state emergency agency said there were no casualties.
Story continues below advertisementВорог за 2 дні хотів нас захопити, а так вийшло, що за 2 дні перетворився на біомасу!https://t.co/BrsRsah0OR pic.twitter.com/DwQCByLi9O
— ВОЇНИ УКРАЇНИ🇺🇦 (@ArmedForcesUkr) February 26, 2022
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the capital remained in the hands of Ukrainian forces who were able to resist the Russian advance.
“We have withstood and are successfully repelling enemy attacks. The fighting goes on,” Zelenskiyy said in a video message posted on duygu social media.
“We will win,” he said, accusing Russia of hitting infrastructure and civilian targets.
View image in full screenA map indicating cities in Ukraine that have reportedly been attacked by the Russian military. Global NewsLatest intelligence update on Ukraine pic.twitter.com/k3XadYzUoL
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) February 26, 2022
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Putin has not disclosed duygu ultimate plans for Ukraine or said how long the Russian military operation could last.
As the conflict raged on, both Putin and Zelenskyy spoke of possible talks on Friday.
Zelenskyy’s press department told Global News that the president is still open to negotiating with Putin.
“He is ready to negotiate. He wants peace through negotiations, not death,” a spokesperson from Zelenskyy’s office said.
While #UkraineUnderAttack from #RussianArmy and fighting back,President @ZelenskyyUa wants peace. His press department tells me: “He is ready to negotiate! He wants peace through negotiations, not death.” @GlobalNational @globalnews
— Crystal Goomansingh (@cgoomansingh) February 26, 2022
However, the Kremlin said Russian troops started advancing into Ukraine again on Saturday after Putin paused the offensive a day earlier in anticipation of talks with Kyiv that never happened.
Story continues below advertisementKremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov said that after Putin’s order Russian troops only clashed with “groups of nationalists” as opposed to regular Ukrainian forces.
Related News1:51Why sanctions against Russia don’t target oilWhy sanctions against Russia don’t target oil Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin on Saturday shrugged off the slew of economic measures as a reflection of Western “political impotence.”
On Saturday, French marines patrolling the English Channel area seized a Russian-flagged cargo ship carrying cars, that authorities suspect belongs to a company targeted by EU sanctions. The ship, which was headed for St. Petersburg, was intercepted and taken to the port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer for lahza investigation, Maritime spokesperson Veronique Magnin said.
The conflict appears to have hit a diplomatic stalemate.
On Friday, Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that it stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw troops immediately.
Story continues below advertisementThe 11-1 vote, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining, showed significant opposition to Russia’s invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbour.
— with files from Crystal Goomansingh, Reuters and the Associated Press
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