Russian troops enter Kyiv, Ukraine under siege
Several Ukrainian cities and villages were shelled and attacked with missiles, helicopters, tanks and ships, while ground forces invaded the country, the kyivindependent.com reported.
Kyiv: Russian troops donning the uniform of Ukraine military entered Kyiv on Friday as the Russian military’s advance continued on multiple fronts, leaving at least 137 people dead and the entire country under siege.
Even as Russia assured the world that there will be no occupation of Ukraine and that Ukrainian people will decide their country’s fate, media reports spoke of a full-scale invasion of the European nation as Russian forces pushed in from numerous directions.
Several Ukrainian cities and villages were shelled and attacked with missiles, helicopters, tanks and ships, while ground forces invaded the country, the kyivindependent.com reported.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said 137 Ukrainians had so far been killed and 316 injured in the Russian onslaught.
Describing one of the brashest moment Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said, the Russian military seized two vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian soldiers quickly changed into Ukrainian uniform and were moving into the center of Kyiv followed by Russian military trucks,
Russian envoy to Japan, Mikhail Yurievich Galuzin, told the media in Tokyo: “President Vladimir Putin’s action was to end the illegal occupation of Kyiv, where power was grabbed after a coup in 2014. And Ukraine is nothing more than a bargaining chip for the West and the US.”
Sirens were activated in central Kyiv after several explosions were reported in the vicinity of the capital around 7 am (local time) on Friday. Sirens were also activated in the western city of Lviv.
A missile strike hit the airport in Rivne city but caused no serious damage, according to its Mayor. Additional multiple rumbling sounds heard not far from the center of Kyiv.
Some military analysts felt that Russia plans to intensify attacks along the Ukraine border, seize one of Kyiv’s airports while saboteurs disconnect the city from electricity and communications. Arson and looting could follow, creating more panic.
The plan would also entail a cyber attack on government websites and create “uncontrolled columns of refugees” from Kyiv to block highways and hinder movement of Ukrainian troops.
Then, Russian forces would try to capture and hold government buildings and seize the leadership of the state to force them to sign a peace agreement on Russian terms.
The end result would be a partition of Ukraine, like East and West Germany.
