Ukraine today he is struggling to maintain control over his capital, as US intelligence warns Russia hopes the lightning attack on the city is the quickest way to end the war and transfer control of the country back to Moscow.
Intelligence sources, who told reporters in the early hours of Friday, outlined what they thought was Russia’s battle plan – starting with columns of armor and troops moving toward the city from the north and east.
The goal would be to encircle Kiev, besiege it, and then take over one of the two intact airports – Sikorsky or Borispol – which are located near the city center and its eastern outskirts.
Once the airports are secured, a force of 10,000 Russian paratroopers will be sent on Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes, backed by a Beriev A-50 communications support aircraft.
The paratroopers will then be tasked with leading an attack on the city itself, with the aim of finding and capturing President Vladimir Zelenski, his ministers and parliamentarians, and forcing them to sign a peace agreement. The deal will return control of Russia or a Moscow-backed puppet regime.
Such an attack could be combined with an attack from the south and east – Crimea and Donbass – to hold back Ukrainian army units fighting there, preventing them from strengthening the capital.
Sabotage attacks on Kiev’s power grid, along with bombings, could also be used to sow panic and make people flee – clogging roads and making it harder for forces already in the city to move.
Russia’s plans to capture Kiev and forcibly end the war in Ukraine have been uncovered by US intelligence, which says troops and armor will be used to capture airports before a force of 10,000 paratroopers is sent to capture the city. government and force them to sign a peace agreement to regain control of Russia’s country
The Ukrainian National Guard formed in the streets of Kiev on Friday as it prepared to defend the city from Russian attack shortly before heavy gunfire and explosions were heard.
Two Ukrainian National Guards are seen taking up positions on the streets of Kiev, awaiting a Russian offensive
A Ukrainian soldier sits by the roadside in Kiev after being shot in clashes with Russians while another stands guard
Sources from American intelligence passed the plan to the American author Michael Weisswhile several Ukrainian sources also briefed journalists in the country on the plan on Friday morning.
Russia is believed to have tried to carry out the plan on the first day of the fighting, when about 20 helicopters landed a troop of troops at Antonov Airport, about 15 miles from the city center.
After a fierce day of fighting back and forth, Ukrainian National Guard troops announced they had recaptured the airport late Thursday night. The runway has been deliberately destroyed, making the airport unusable.
A second attempt to implement the plan appears to be underway on Friday, with Russian armor fighting 20 miles north of the city in the early hours.
This was followed by reports of Russian troops entering the northwestern suburbs before National Guard units were filmed deploying rifles in the streets – with explosions and gunfire heard soon after.
Then there were reports of power outages in parts of the capital, along with fighting on the road to Sikorski Airport.
Another column of Russian armor was advancing on the city from the east, but was detained after encountering heavy resistance around the city of Chernigov. It is now believed that the forces have diverted around the city, capturing Konotop, providing them with another route to the capital.
“The most difficult day will be today. The enemy’s plan is to break through with tank columns from the side of Ivankov and Chernigov to Kiev, “Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko told Telegram.
As the Russian noose tightens around Kiev, President Joe Biden and NATO allies have tried to reassure members of the alliance’s eastern flank that their security is guaranteed as Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the capital Kiev.
Ukrainian troops occupy a position on a bridge in the city of Kiev, while the Russians advance within the city limits
Ukrainian soldiers occupy a position under a bridge during an exchange of shootings with Russians in the city of Kiev
Ukrainian soldiers take up position on the road during an exchange of shootings with Russians in the city of Kiev
After Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called for help, NATO members, ranging from Russia’s neighboring Estonia north down the western part of conflict-affected Ukraine to Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast, called for urgent consultations on their security. Only Hungary abstains.
Leaders meeting by videoconference plan to take stock of NATO’s own military build-up. The world’s largest security organization previously had about 5,000 troops stationed in the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – and Poland, but has significantly strengthened its defenses over the past three months.
“Make no mistake, we will defend every ally against every attack on every inch of NATO territory,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who will chair the summit, told reporters on Thursday. “An attack on an ally will provoke a response from the whole alliance.”
Some of NATO’s 30 members supply weapons, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, but NATO as an organization does not. It will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine, which is a close partner but has no prospect of joining.
However, the Baltic members said that the West “must urgently provide the Ukrainian people with weapons, ammunition and any other type of military support to protect themselves, as well as economic, financial and political assistance and support, humanitarian aid.”
NATO began strengthening its defenses in Northeast Europe after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Recently, some members also sent troops, planes and warships to the Black Sea region, near allies Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
In the short term, NATO is activating an emergency planning system to allow commanders to move forces more quickly. The Pentagon said Thursday it was sending 7,000 troops to Europe in addition to 5,000 recently deployed.
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a bullet-ridden vehicle they say was driven by Russian saboteurs dressed in Ukrainian army uniforms who were discovered and then shot.
Ukrainian military medic approaches the bodies of Russian servicemen dressed in Ukrainian uniforms lying next to and inside a vehicle after being shot during a clash in the Ukrainian capital Kiev
NATO reconnaissance planes have started patrolling Allied territory. The planes will be able to monitor the movement of Russian fighter jets and vehicles in Ukraine, just as they watched the planes in Syria from Turkish airspace.
Leaders are likely to consider on Friday whether to activate the NATO Response Force, which can number up to 40,000 troops. A rapidly deploying ground brigade, part of the NRF – made up of 5,000 troops and commanded by France along with Germany, Poland, Portugal and Spain – is now on high alert.
Lithuania declared a state of emergency on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed troops to Ukraine. Lithuania borders the Kaliningrad region of Russia to the southwest, Belarus to the east, Latvia to the north and Poland to the south.
The Baltic side’s move allows for more flexible use of state reserve funds and increased border protection, giving border guards greater powers to stop and search people and vehicles in border areas.
“We cannot accept the luxury of being a discussion club,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said last night at an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders to impose a “high price” on Russia through sanctions. We need to take action.