The Ukrainian forces resisted the Russian army’s advance on the capital. As the U.S., EU and other countries rushed weapons to Kyiv, they announced new and powerful financial sanctions to further isolate Moscow.
The government enforced a 39-hour curfew to prevent people from walking on the streets. The United Nations warned that more than 150,000 Ukrainians fled to Poland, Moldova, and other nearby countries if fighting escalates.
Large explosions erupted in the sky south of Kyiv on Sunday morning. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of the explosions occurred near Zhuliany Airport. Vasylkiv’s mayor, who is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of the capital said that an oil depot was damaged.
Although President Vladimir Putin has not revealed his final plans, Western officials believe that he intends to overthrow Ukraine’s government and install his own regime, redrawing Europe’s map and returning to Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
The U.S. has pledged $350 million more in military aid to Ukraine to help it resist. This includes anti-tank weapons and body armor, small arms, and small arms. Germany stated that it would send anti-tank weapons and missiles to the besieged nation and would also close its airspace for Russian planes.
The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have agreed to block certain Russian banks from SWIFT’s global financial messaging system. This allows money to move around more than 11,000 financial institutions around the world. It is part of a new round sanctions that aims to punish Moscow for its invasion. They also agreed to impose “restrictive actions” on Russia’s central banks.
It was not clear how much territory Russian forces had seized, or how long their advance had been stalled. The Ministry of Defense of Britain stated that the Russian advance had temporarily slowed due to logistical problems and strong Ukrainian resistance.
According to a senior U.S. defense officer, more than half the Russian combat power positioned along Ukraine’s borders has entered the country. This means that Moscow has had more fuel supply and support units in Ukraine than initially anticipated. An official from the U.S. defense department spoke under anonymity to discuss internal assessments but did not give further details.
Through Monday morning, the curfew that forced everyone to stay inside Kyiv was in effect. Gunfire occasionally disturbed the relative calm of the capital.
The fighting on the city’s outskirts suggests that small Russian units tried to block the main forces from entering. Although small groups of Russian troops were reported in Kyiv as being present, Britain and the United States stated that the majority of the forces were located 19 miles (30 km) away from the city’s centre by the end of the afternoon.
Russia claims it’s assault on Ukrainefrom the north, east, and south is only directed at military targets but bridges and schools have been damaged.
The health minister of Ukraine reported that 198 people were killed, three children included, and over 1,000 more were injured in Europe’s most extensive land conflict since World War II. It wasn’t clear if these figures included civilian and military casualties.
A missile hit a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv’s southwest outskirts. It was located near one of the city’s two passenger airports. The impact left a jagged scarred trail of apartments that had been ravaged over many floors. Six civilians sustained injuries, according to a rescue worker.
Oksana Markarova (Ukraine’s ambassador to America) said that troops in Kyiv were fighting Russian “sabotage” groups. According to Ukraine, around 200 Russian soldiers have been captured, and many others have been killed.
Markarova stated that Ukraine was collecting evidence of the shelling of residential areas, kindergartens, and hospitals in order to submit to The Hague for possible crimes against humanity.
In a video message Zelenskyy stated that he was open to talks with Russia and welcomed an offer by Turkey and Azerbaijan for diplomatic efforts. However, these efforts have so far failed.
While the Kremlin confirmed that Putin had called Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani President, but did not mention the possibility of resuming talks, Zelenskyy had offered to negotiate with Russia a key demand: the abandonment of NATO ambitions.
After denials for several weeks, Putin sent troops to Ukraine while simultaneously building up a force that included almost 200,000 troops at the borders of the two countries. He claimed that the West failed to consider Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO, the Western military alliance Ukraine wants to join. He also slammed Ukraine’s independence.
This effort already came at a great cost to Ukraine and, apparently, to Russian forces.
According to the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine, a Russian missile was shot down as it was heading for the dam at the reservoir that supplies Kyiv. A Russian convoy was also destroyed, according to the government. Video footage showed soldiers inspecting the vehicles that had been destroyed by the 101st brigade of Ukraine. They reported that they destroyed a column consisting of two light vehicles and two trucks, as well as a tank. This claim was not verified.
Checkpoints were placed along the highways to Kyiv from east with young men wearing civilian clothes and carrying automatic rifles. Although it wasn’t clear if these were Russian or Ukrainian, low-flying aircraft patrolled the skies.
The Russian attack on Ukraine appeared to be focused not only on Kyiv but also on the economically vital areas of the coast, from the Black Sea port Odesa to the west to the Azov Sea port Mariupol to the east.
Mariupol’s Ukrainian soldiers guarded bridges and prevented people from reaching the shoreline, amid fears that the Russian navy might launch an attack from the sea.
Ruzanna Zubenko said, “I don’t care anymore who wins or who doesn’t,” after her large family was forced to leave their Mariupol home due to damage from shelling. “It is important for our children that they grow up smiling, not crying.”
Two territories in eastern Russia, which are controlled by pro-Russian separatists, saw fighting. Donetsk authorities stated that hot water supplies to the city, which is home to approximately 900,000.000 people, were cut off by Ukrainian shelling.
According to an American intelligence official who was directly aware of the conversation, the U.S. government tried to convince Zelenskyy to leave Kyiv on Saturday morning. However, he declined the request. Zelenskyy made a defiant video on a downtown street and stated that he was still in the city.
“We won’t lay down weapons. The president of Ukraine stated that he would protect his country. “Our weapon is truth. And our truth is that it is our land, country, and children. We will defend it all.”
Both Poland and Hungary opened their borders to Ukrainians.
According to refugees arriving at Zahony, a Hungarian border town in Zahony, men aged between 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine.
“My son wasn’t allowed to come. Vilma Sugar (68) said, “My heart is sore, my heart is shaking.”
Some claimed that they had walked 15 miles (35 km) to get to the border at Poland’s Medyka crossing.
Iryna Wiklenko stated that they didn’t have food or tea and were waiting on the Polish side for their grandchildren and daughter in law to get across.
Officials in Kyiv advised residents to stay clear of windows to prevent bullets and flying debris. Many people hid in basements, underground parking lots and subway stations.
Some pharmacies and grocery stores had few shelves, so people were concerned about how long their medicine and food supplies would last.
While the U.S. and its allies have increased their forces on NATO’s Eastern flank, they have so far ruled out sending troops to fight Russia. Instead, the U.S. and its allies have imposed broad-ranging sanctions against Russia, which include freezing assets of individuals and businesses, as well as Putin’s foreign minister.
Dmitry Medvedev , deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, warned that Moscow could respond by opting out of the last nuclear arms pact and freezing Western assets, as well as cutting diplomatic ties.
Medvedev stated that maintaining diplomatic relations is not necessary. “We might look at each other through binoculars or gunsights.”
