According to the British Ministry of Defense, the majority of the Russian ground forces are located about 25 kilometers from the center of Kiev. The British news service BBC reports that there is shelling and heavy fighting in the small towns north-west and north-east of the Ukrainian capital.
According to Russian news agencies, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday morning that it would “continue the offensive in Ukraine on a broad front”. According to the BBC, Ukrainians are defending their city with guns and drones. At the same time, the Russian military is struggling with logistical difficulties and supply bottlenecks. According to CNN, shelling for “minutes” could be heard from a distance in Kyiv on Saturday morning.
Ukraine is bracing for a new wave of attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donbass areas, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential chief of staff said. However, Ukraine does not assume that Belarus will join the Russian invasion forces.
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Air base near Kyiv apparently destroyed
An air force base in Vasylkiv near Kyiv and the intelligence center of the Ukrainian armed forces in Brovary were put out of action, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on Saturday.
An ammunition depot was also hit in Wassylkiv, the Ukrainian branch of the Russian news agency Interfax quoted the mayor of the town as saying. This information has not yet been independently verified.
The BBC also reports fighting in the city, which is only 13 kilometers away from Kyiv. Ukrainian forces would try to repel the advance of the Russian armored column with heavy artillery.
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Russian military column scattered in front of Kyiv
According to British intelligence, a large Russian military column has partially dispersed north of Kyiv. This is likely to aid a Russian attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital, the UK MoD said.
It could also be a Russian attempt to reduce its own vulnerability to Ukrainian counterattacks. These would have already taken a heavy toll on the Russians.
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escape from the cities
According to information from Kyiv on Saturday morning, more than a dozen escape corridors were planned to rescue civilians from embattled Ukrainian cities. According to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, there should also be corridors for several places north-west of Kyiv, including Hostomel, Makariv and Borodyanka. The Russian army has been established there for days and is still trying to block the capital from the west.
In addition, there were renewed evacuation attempts in the north-east of the country, including from the city of Sumy. Vereshchuk said she hopes Russia will honor a promised ceasefire to allow civilians to be evacuated. (with Reuters, dpa)
