As fighting nears downtown Kiev, the Ukrainian army and President Volodymyr Zelensky challenge Vladimir Putin, determined to defend their capital.
Friday night, “following a second day of fierce fighting across the country”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “surrounded by the country’s top leaders, dressed in fatigues, posted a video from the heart of the capital, claiming : ‘We are all here, and we will defend our independence’”reports the American business daily The Wall Street Journal.Russian soldiers entered Kiev on Friday: violent clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces were reported in the Obolon district in the north of the city. And if it is not yet the large-scale attack that the Ukrainians expect and fear, the fighting in the capital has indeed begun.
“More than 50 explosions and machine gun fire were reported [samedi avant l’aube] in the neighborhoods of Shulyavka and near the Kiev zoo, according to the English site Kyiv Independent. And heavy gunfire was also heard at the Beresteiska metro station, not far from the position of a Ukrainian military unit”.
The Ukrainian army also claimed, on Saturday on its Facebook page, to have “repelled” an attack by the Russians on the Avenue de la Victoire, one of the capital’s main thoroughfares.
“Many citizens spent the night [de vendredi à samedi] in the shelters where they found refuge” – continuously woken up by “anti-aircraft sirens”says the special envoy ofThe countrywhile the agglomeration of 3 million inhabitants has looked like a ghost town since Friday.
“Bravery and Determination”
On Friday followingnoon, President Zelensky had urged his fellow citizens to defend Kiev, saying that the assault on the capital by Russian troops would occur overnight from Friday to Saturday, recalls The evening. “We cannot lose the capital”solemnly declared the Ukrainian President.
“I address our defenders,
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