Russian forces pound Ukraine for third day but Kyiv still in Ukrainian hands

Kyiv – Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for a 3rd day working however a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian palms.

As a whole bunch of 1000’s of Ukrainians fled westwards in the direction of the European Union, prime Russian safety official and ex-President Dmitry Medvedev mentioned Moscow’s army operations could be waged relentlessly till their objectives have been achieved.

Ignoring weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday from the north, east and south, an assault that threatens to upend Europe’s post-Chilly Conflict order.

In a big ratcheting up of Russia’s rhetoric, Medvedev mentioned on social media that new Western sanctions had helped unite Russians and hinted at a severing of diplomatic ties with Western nations, saying it was time to “padlock the embassies”. He mentioned Moscow may additionally restore the dying penalty.

After an evening of airstrikes, there have been some indicators of panic within the middle of Kyiv. Reporters noticed Ukrainian troopers with weapons and a bunch of girls working alongside the road. Close by, Ukrainian troopers pressured a person in civilian garments to lie down on the pavement.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko mentioned there was at the moment no main Russian army presence in Kyiv, however added that saboteur teams have been energetic. The metro system is now serving solely as a shelter for residents and trains have stopped working, he mentioned.

Klitschko mentioned 35 folks, together with two youngsters, had been wounded in a single day.

A minimum of 198 Ukrainians, together with three youngsters, have been killed and 1,115 folks wounded to this point in Russia’s invasion, Interfax quoted Ukraine’s Well being Ministry as saying. It was unclear whether or not the numbers comprised solely civilian casualties.

“Now we have withstood and are efficiently repelling enemy assaults. The preventing goes on,” Zelenskyy mentioned in a video message posted on his social media. “Now we have the braveness to defend our homeland, to defend Europe.”

Britain mentioned the majority of Russian forces have been now 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the middle of Kyiv and mentioned Russia had but to realize management of Ukraine’s airspace.

Resistance

Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million folks, received independence from Moscow in 1991 and desires to affix NATO and the EU, objectives Russia opposes. Putin says Ukraine is an illegitimate state carved out of Russia, a view Ukrainians see as geared toward erasing their distinctive historical past and id.

Western intelligence sources say Russian forces have encountered far stronger Ukrainian resistance to their invasion than they’d anticipated.

Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned its forces had captured Melitopol, a metropolis of 150,000 in southeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officers weren’t instantly accessible to remark and Britain solid doubt on the report.

If confirmed, it might be the primary vital inhabitants middle the Russians have seized.

Ukraine mentioned greater than 1,000 Russian troopers had been killed. Russia didn’t launch casualty figures.

Putin has mentioned he should eradicate what he calls a severe risk to his nation from its smaller neighbor and has cited the necessity to “de-Nazify” Ukraine’s management, accusing it of genocide in opposition to Russian-speakers in japanese Ukraine — a cost dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as baseless propaganda.

Zelenskyy signaled on Friday a readiness to debate a ceasefire and peace talks, as did the Kremlin, however tentative diplomatic contacts have to this point produced no outcomes.

About 100,000 folks have crossed into Poland from Ukraine since Thursday, together with 9,000 who’ve entered since 7 a.m. on Saturday, Polish Deputy Inside Minister Pawel Szefernaker advised a information convention.

At Medyka in southern Poland, refugees described a 30 kilometer line on the border. Ukrainians have been additionally crossing the borders into Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

Ukraine has evacuated its embassy employees in Moscow to Latvia, the Baltic nation’s international ministry mentioned on Saturday.

The mayor of Chernihiv, some 150 km (93 miles) northeast of Kyiv, advised residents on Saturday: “We have to put together for road fight. These of you who know and perceive what I’m speaking about, put together the petrol bombs.”

Preventing was additionally underway on Saturday within the northeastern metropolis of Sumy, the municipal administration mentioned.

Sanctions

Western nations, in addition to Japan, have introduced a raft of sanctions on Russia, together with blacklisting its banks and banning know-how exports.

They’ve stopped wanting forcing Russia out of the SWIFT system for worldwide financial institution funds, however the governor of a central financial institution within the euro zone mentioned Saturday such a choice was “only a matter of time, very quick time, days.”

“Is it ample? No. Is it needed? Completely. Sanctions solely make sense if there are prices for each side and this might be expensive,” the central banker mentioned.

Zelenskyy mentioned he hoped “Germany and Hungary may have the braveness to help” such a choice, which might trigger financial disruption to Western nations reliant on Russian power in addition to to Moscow.

Medvedev mentioned sanctions confirmed the West’s impotence to vary Moscow’s course. Moscow will reply symmetrically to the seizure of cash of Russian residents and firms overseas by seizing the funds of foreigners in Russia, he mentioned.

The USA has imposed sanctions on Putin, International Minister Sergey Lavrov, Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Basic Workers Valery Gerasimov. The European Union and Britain earlier froze any property Putin and Lavrov held of their territory. Canada took related steps.