Kyiv is under heavy bombardment as of Friday morning according to the latest reports from Ukraine. The Russian forces and tanks are just 20 miles from the capital. The news comes as Ukrainian soldiers put up a brave display of guts and glory in defending the country from Putin's army.
One missile was shot out of the sky by Ukraine's anti-missile defense systems, according to the defense ministry. According to the administration, another missile hit a residential structure in the city. Meanwhile, Ukraine's government on Thursday night claimed to have retaken an airfield on the outskirts of Kyiv that had been seized by Russian airborne soldiers.
Kyiv Under Attack
According to multiple media reports, Kyiv was under heavy bombardment on Friday morning, with Russian tanks just 20 miles away from the capital. Reports are also that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed not to leave the capital. Instead, he has ordered obligatory enlistment and barred all men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.
Emma Graham Harrison, a Guardian reporter, said she heard what sounded like a big explosion, while Luke Harding, a Guardian reporter, stated explosions are taking place in Kyiv. According to Harding, one explosion occurred between metro stations Poznjaky and Kharkivska, and Ukraine's operational headquarters claims that its anti-aircraft defenses are targeting Russian planes and drones.
In a separate incident, a Ukrainian SU-27 fighter was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
In a statement issued at 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET), Ukraine's Armed Forces stated they estimate more than 60 Russian battalion tactical groups — the equivalent of 30,000 to 60,000 troops – have been deployed on Ukrainian soil.
According to Ukraine's border guard agency, a missile hit a Ukrainian border post in the Zaporizhzhya region. At 4.25 a.m. local time, a strike was reported at the Primorsky Pasad border unit in the Zaporizhia area. Border guards were killed and injured in the incident, according to Ukraine's military forces.
Officials have warned that Kyiv will be seized this weekend.
Fighting Till the Last Breath
Videos on social media and live footage show massive destruction in Kyiv. Reports are coming in that at least two residential buildings are on fire in south-east Kyiv after they were hit by falling debris from an aircraft that was shot down.
Live footage also shows empty streets being rocked by explosions. In a video message addressed to his nation after midnight from a bunker somewhere in Kyiv, the president called his fallen compatriots "heroes" after 137 were killed on the first day of fighting, and insisted he will stay until the bitter end.
"They're killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets. It's foul and will never be forgiven. We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don't see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid," Zelensky said, slamming NATO for not helping Ukraine during the crisis.
He went on to say that the enemy had already infiltrated Kyiv and that citizens should be careful and follow curfew laws, admitting that he was "target number one." According to US security sources, the Ukrainian capital is anticipated to be surrounded by Russian forces this weekend, effectively crippling the country's defense.
Amid the chaos happening in Kyiv, members of the Russian community have gathered in cities across the world to demonstrate their opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
