Kiev survived another “brutal” night of shelling as Ukrainian forces prevented Russian troops from capturing the city for a fourth day.
Volunteers, including former Miss Ukraine Anastasia Lena, took up arms to fight Vladimir PutinRussia’s army, with “long queues” of citizens waiting to be issued weapons at Kiev’s recruitment centers.
Ukrainian forces managed to halve the Russian offensive in the capital by blowing up bridges in the city to prevent an offensive by Moscow’s forces.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian servicemen were filmed wandering downtown Kiev to impose a 39-hour curfew to keep people away from the streets.
The mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko warned that those outside after 5 pm and before 8 am will be considered part of the “sabotage and intelligence groups of the enemy.”
Two clouds of smoke were filmed over the city this morning, although at least one was reportedly caused by Ukrainian forces blowing up a bridge to the capital.
A second was reportedly fired by a Russian cruise missile in Troyeschina, a northeastern suburb of the city.
And by Sunday afternoon, the Ukrainian military had warned that Belarusian special forces were preparing for airstrikes in the capital, a sign that Alexander Lukashenko had officially joined Russia’s war.
Volunteers, including former Miss Ukraine Anastasia Lena, have taken up arms to fight Vladimir Putin’s army in Kiev after the city held back on the third night of “brutal” shelling.
Two clouds of smoke were filmed over the city this morning, although at least one was reportedly caused by Ukrainian forces blowing up a bridge to the capital. A second was reportedly fired by a Russian cruise missile in Troyeschina, a northeastern suburb of the city.
There were “long queues” of citizens waiting for weapons to be issued at recruitment centers in Kiev after President Vladimir Zelensky called on Ukrainians to take up arms against Russian troops (pictured: man with prosthetic leg on patrol after joining to the Civil Protection Forces)
Ukrainian forces (pictured training civilians to use assault rifles) have halved Russian troops’ progress toward the capital by blowing up bridges in the city to prevent Moscow’s forces from advancing.
The youngest Ukrainian MP 26-year-old Svyatoslav Yurash was seen on the street with his weapon to protect Kiev
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian servicemen were filmed wandering around downtown Kiev to impose a 39-hour curfew to keep people away from the streets.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that those outside after 5pm and before 8am would be considered part of “enemy sabotage and intelligence groups” (pictured soldiers patrolling downtown during curfew)
Territorial Defense fighters receive weapons and ammunition and learn how to use them in Kiev, Ukraine
This map shows the strikes that Russia has so far been known to have inflicted on Ukraine, with more explosions rocking the country in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Kiev spokesman Mykola Pvoroznik shared an update on Facebook on Sunday morning to confirm that the capital remains in Ukrainian hands
Lena, who won the Miss Ukraine pageant in 2015, posted a picture of herself on Instagram when she announced that she had joined the country’s resistance against Russian troops.
Lena, who usually works as a public relations manager in Turkey, posted the image with two hashtags – stay with Ukraine and hands away from Ukraine.
This is not the first time she has been photographed with a pistol and previous publications show that she trains with a pistol in wooded arenas and indoor training grounds.
She joins hundreds of volunteers, including a man with a prosthetic leg and a young couple who postponed their May wedding to tie the knot before joining the Civil Protection Force the next day.
President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly called on citizens and foreigners to take up arms to defend the country.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reiterated today its call on foreigners to join its armed forces and fight Putin’s army.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba called on the people to contact his department. “Together we defeated Hitler and we will defeat Putin,” he said in a Twitter post this morning.
Pharmacies had queues for more than an hour and ran out of basic first aid supplies, including bandages, antiseptics and antibiotics, until early Sunday, while most stores closed and ATMs ran out of money.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains alive – and is fast becoming an international hero – while Vladimir Putin’s efforts to overthrow the government in Kiev and create his own puppet cabinet run into problems
Lena, who won the Miss Ukraine pageant in 2015, posted a picture of herself on Instagram when she announced that she had joined the country’s resistance against Russian troops.
This is not the first time Lena has been photographed with a pistol and previous publications show that she trains with a pistol in wooded arenas and indoor training grounds.
Ukrainian servicemen take refuge in combat positions at Vasilkov Military Air Base in Kyiv Oblast
Russian forces appear to be concentrating their attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city in the east on Sunday morning, with fierce street-to-street clashes between Kiev forces and Russian troops.
It came after the Vasilkov oil depot, 25 miles southwest of Kiev, burned to the ground in the early hours of Sunday after being hit by a Russian missile while the capital was solid.
President Zelensky warned of Russia’s plans to “attack everything” in the country in an attempt to conquer the country.
On Sunday morning, Russian missiles appeared to have struck a nuclear waste depot outside Kiev – and destroyed equipment that could detect leaks of radioactive material, as at least 240 Ukrainian civilians were found dead.
Ukrainian news site TSN reported that at least one child, a six-year-old boy, was killed after Ohmadit Children’s Cancer Hospital in Kiev was hit by artillery fire Sunday morning.
The Kyiv Independent reported that at least two children and two adults were injured in the attack, while a photo allegedly showing material covering a child’s body was shared by former Ukrainian Ambassador Alexander Sherba.
Whatever New York Times denied the allegations, saying that although gunfire had been heard near the hospital, it had not been the subject of artillery fire.
Local newspaper The Kyiv Independent wrote that an oil depot was blown up at Vasilkov Air Base. The city, located about 40 kilometers southwest of Kiev, near a key airport.
Vasilkov Oil Base, 25 miles southwest of Kiev, burned to the ground in the early hours of Sunday after being hit by a Russian missile strike during a “brutal” shelling of the city
An ominous orange glow illuminates the sky in Vasilkiev after Russian missiles hit an oil refinery located at a local air base
The oil depot is depicted as a fire in the Ukrainian city of Vasilkov, southwest of Kiev, in the early hours of Sunday. Mayor Natalia Balasinovic says the fire was the result of a Russian ballistic missile attack
The president of Ukraine said he was ready for peace talks with Russia, but not in Belarus – which was the scene of Moscow’s invasion.
Speaking in a video message Sunday, President Vladimir Zelenski named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues.
He said other places were possible, but made it clear that Ukraine did not accept Russia’s choice of Belarus.
The Kremlin said on Sunday that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Gomel for talks with Ukrainian officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation included the military and diplomats.
“The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,” Peskov said.
Putin is said to be increasingly angry at his stalled efforts to conquer Ukraine. Its fire and manpower far surpass those of Ukraine, and it is believed that Russia will eventually conquer its neighbor.
But the surprisingly effective defense, mounted by the smaller nation, has severely tarnished Russia’s military prestige, with the Kremlin still far from their goal of capturing the capital Kiev and setting up its own government.