This was stated by the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko on Monday afternoon on the air of BFMTV. The former world heavyweight boxing champion assessed the situation in his city, which was besieged by Russian troops, and assured the population of determination.
He expects a Russian attack “any minute.” This Monday, at the beginning of the day, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko answered questions from BFMTV. While his city is in a state of siege before the advance of troops sent by the Kremlin, he hammers at it: the capital is holding out, but it knows that the most formidable is yet to come. Because, he still insisted, “fights could break out at any time.”
“Large-scale clashes are taking place on the outskirts of our city, thousands of people have died,” he said.
2 million people still live in Kyiv
The former boxer and world heavyweight champion, elected in 2014 as the head of the Ukrainian capital city council, informed about the financial situation in Kyiv as the fight approaches: “We still have electricity, water, heating. get out of town.” However, “the sirens sound twenty times a day”, complained Vitali Klitschko, emphasizing that many of his fellow citizens had to take refuge in bunkers or in the subway.
Others fled. “Before the war we had 3.5 million inhabitants in the city, today we estimate the population at just under 2 million. Most of the women and children have left,” said a member of the city council, before paying tribute to the resistance put up by the people of Kiev against the Russian army.
“Kyiv is an outpost. Some fight when they never thought they would take up arms. I have met doctors, actors, musicians who take up arms. They do not want to leave, but to defend their city,” the mayor began. “The Russians didn’t expect so much support from our citizens,” he said. “We protect our families, our homes. There is a lot of patriotism here.”
against the clock
Although he said he was “grateful for the supplies of food and medicine” from Ukraine’s allies, he addressed his country’s foreign partners: “Please stay with us. Together we can win.” “This is a challenge for the French, for the entire democratic world,” he added. In the preamble, he remarked: “We are fighting not only against Russia, but also for democracy in Europe.”
As the Russian noose tightens, Vitali Klitschko pointed out that Kyiv and Ukraine, no matter what, are in a nightmarish race against time: “Every hour counts.”
Robin Werner, BFMTV journalist