As Russian forces intensified attacks on the Ukrainian capital on the third of the military intervention, Russian troops clashed with Ukrainian forces throughout the night in the streets of the capital, Kyiv.
According to Ukraine’s official news agency Ukrinform, a residential building on the street. Lobanovsky was hit by a Russian missile.
The agency said the rocket hit 17-18 floors of the building, and evacuation is underway.
Firefighters extinguished smoke and fire after the Russian rocket damaged the apartment building in suburban Kyiv.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency Video News (AAVN), the head of press department of the Ukrainian Emergency Service Svetlana Vodolaga said “80 people were evacuated from the apartment, six people were injured.”
She also said “It was determined that the apartments between 16 and 20 floors of the building were damaged and six apartments were completely destroyed.
According to Kyiv Independent News Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said that Russia’s army has not entered the city. He added that more airstrikes are expected and encouraged people to stay in bomb shelters.
He also said five people including two children injured in a Russian attack on the capital last night.
Sirens blared in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday morning following media reports of Russian troops clashing with Ukrainian forces in Kyiv streets throughout the night.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the night would be difficult and Kyiv should not be lost, the sounds of clashes and explosions were heard mostly in residential areas of the city until the morning.
It was stated that Russian troops tried to enter the city through street clashes from Victory Street at the western entrance of Kyiv.
Ukrainian Land Forces press service reported that as of 4.08 a.m local time (0208GMT), the attack on the military unit around Victory Street was repulsed and the situation was calm.
Intense armed clashes took place in the Vasylkiv settlement in Kyiv, according to media reports.
Vasylkiv Mayor Nataliia Balasynovych told the 1+1 television channel that a large number of Russian soldiers parachuted into the region. Balasynovych said there were clashes in the city and that Russian soldiers carried out rocket attacks, and that there were deaths among the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter: “Kyiv, our splendid, peaceful city, survived another night under attacks by Russian ground forces, missiles. One of them has hit a residential apartment in Kyiv. I demand the world: fully isolate Russia, expel ambassadors, oil embargo, ruin its economy. Stop Russian war criminals!”
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military intervention Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.
He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring country but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.
Zelensky accused Russia of trying to install a puppet government and said Ukrainians will defend their country against Russian aggression.
(Reuters)
