Ukraine’s capital Kiev was focused by missile, official stated

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated air raid troops blew up a bridge over the Teterev River in Ivankiv, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Kiev, stopping a column of Russian forces from advancing in direction of the capital. .

For now, Ukraine’s democratically elected authorities stays intact, however President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a video handle late Thursday that “enemy sabotage groups” had entered the town and had been their No. 1 goal. Is.

“They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state,” he stated. In a separate handle, he stated the protests had been persevering with.

He stated, “Russian forces proceed to conduct missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine. They say that they’re solely concentrating on navy amenities, however these are lies. In truth, they don’t differentiate which one they’re. work within the fields.” “Such assaults on our capital haven’t occurred since 1941.”

Two residential buildings were damaged in the early hours of Friday, but it is not clear whether they were deliberately hit or hit by rubble, or if anyone was injured.

Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yesenin told CNN that Ukraine’s Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet was shot down over Kiev. Photos tweeted by emergency forces show a two-story private house on fire, which is visible with the wreckage of a plane nearby. It is not clear whether the house was hit by the jet’s remains.

Separately, the images showed firefighters working to put out a fire in an apartment building on the city’s left bank.

battle for kiev

Just a day earlier, Russian forces entered Ukraine by land, sea and air, prompting a flurry of international condemnation and sanctions amid questions about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s broader ambitions for the country and the capital, Kiev.

Ukraine’s deputy interior minister told CNN on Thursday that Russian forces appeared to be besieging the city and prepared to advance. The country’s officials believe that Russia plans to overthrow the Ukrainian leadership and install a pro-Russian government.

Those fears were shared with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said on Thursday he was “satisfied” that Moscow was going to try to overthrow the Ukrainian government.

If it does, Blinken said he believes “Moscow has developed a plan for widespread human rights abuses — and doubtlessly worse — on the Ukrainian folks.”

Ukraine’s defense ministry said there have been nearly 800 casualties among Russian forces since its armed forces began the attack early Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the ministry was only referring to the number of people killed and CNN has not been able to independently verify Ukraine’s figures.

By the end of Thursday, Putin’s military had launched “a complete of greater than 160 missiles for air strikes”, a senior US defense official said, reminiscent of the late 1930s, fired by train from eastern Ukraine. With underprivileged kids and with metro stations full. They turned into makeshift bunkers as soon as the air raid sirens sounded.

As missiles detonated in the capital, millions of residents remained inside under a government-ordered curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time. Overnight, in an ominous sign that a ground war could escalate, according to the State Border Guard Service, Zelensky barred male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.

Zelensky, in a declaration signed late on Thursday, ordered a general military mobilization “to make sure the protection of the state” to maintain combat and mobilization readiness of Ukraine’s armed forces and other military formations.

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 100,000 people have already fled to areas at risk of attack within Ukraine. The mass movement followed warnings from the US ambassador to the United Nations, who said Russia’s actions in Ukraine could lead to the biggest refugee crisis facing the world today, displacing five million people.

Putin’s broad ambitions

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron positioned himself as a mediator between Moscow and Kiev for a possible ceasefire.

“I think it is my responsibility, first of all, to take such an initiative when requested by Ukraine, and then, while condoning, approving, deciding and continuing to act, to leave this path open so that The day the conditions can be met, we can achieve an cessation of hostilities for the Ukrainian people,” Macron stated at a information convention in Brussels on Friday.

Macron was the primary main Western chief to talk with Putin after the Russian navy crackdown started.

His remarks got here after the European Union introduced new sanctions on Russia, designed to “maximize impact on the Russian economy and political elite”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the sanctions would have an effect on Russia’s monetary, vitality and transport sectors, visa coverage and embody export controls and export financing restrictions.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described Russia’s assault on Ukraine as a “brutal act of war”.

A serious concern for NATO is whether or not Putin’s intentions prolong past Ukraine, a prospect that dangers partaking all 30 members, together with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany, in a wider battle on European soil. .

“You don’t need intelligence to tell you that’s exactly what President Putin wants. He’s made it clear that he wants to reorganize the Soviet Empire, plus he wants to re-establish spheres of influence around neighboring countries.” Were as soon as a part of the Soviet bloc,” Blinken said on the CBS Evening News.

Blinken said NATO would stand in the way if Putin had an end goal.

“Now, in relation to threats past Ukraine’s borders. There is one thing very highly effective in its method. It is Article 5 of NATO, an assault on one is an assault on all,” the top diplomat said.

A senior defense official told reporters that on Thursday, the US Defense Secretary ordered the deployment of 7,000 US service members to Europe, including an armored brigade combat contingent, “to discourage a Russian offensive”. With this deployment, the number of US troops moved to Eastern Europe has increased to more than 14,000.

In his address announcing Russia’s “navy operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, Putin threatened “these tempted to intervene” on the part of Ukraine, saying Russia’s response would be “instant” and “such penalties which you could have by no means skilled in your historical past”. ,” he advised.