Friday, February 25, 2022

Fierce street battle as first Russian troops hit Kyiv

MM:

Fierce street battle as first Russian troops hit Kyiv



Bodies of Russian servicemen wearing Ukranian service uniform lie inside and beside a vehicle after they forming a raiding party were shot during a skirmish in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 25, 2022. — AFP pic


KYIV, Feb 25 — A dead man in civilian clothes lay sprawled on the sidewalk of a residential neighbourhood in northern Kyiv today, as Ukrainian soldiers took up positions under the cover of a two-story building.

Two dozen metres away, medics were rushing to help another man, who had been driving a civilian car that was completely crushed under the tracks of an armoured vehicle.

An advance party of Russia’s invasion force left a trail of damage in its wake as clashes erupted inside Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for the first time, amid rising fears the city is about to be stormed or come under siege.

Pedestrians ran for safety as small arms fire and explosions erupted in the Obolonsky district in the city’s north.

The larger blasts could be heard in the city centre, where residents endured a first tense night under curfew and the sounds of bombing.

Eyewitnesses said they saw corpses of what looked to be two dead Russian soldiers near the truck, but the Ukrainian military, who were inspecting the wrecked car, did not allow AFP to come closer.

“Two infantry fighting vehicles with hidden identification marks were driving along the road. I didn’t see the unit insignia,” said civilian Yevgen Nalutay, 39.

“One hid right in the underpass and the other went further along the road, but then turned into the courtyard of the house and I didn’t see him further. People were fleeing.”

‘Need for this’

Resident Viktor Berbash, 58, told AFP he ran out to his balcony after he heard shooting this morning.

“I saw an armoured vehicle and there was automatic fire. And here this car, with probably an anti-aircraft gun on it, was already here.”

He watched as the civilian in a car was crushed by a tank — an intentional move, he said — unsure if the driver survived or not.

“Two armoured vehicles were driving along the road, and the second of them deliberately drove into the oncoming lane,” he said.

“It was not by chance, it was for fun, there was no need for this. And it just ran into this car. Stopped, reversed over it again and drove on.”

The Ukrainian ministry of defence said the clash had been provoked by “an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group”.

Russian forces first arrived on the outskirts of Kyiv on Thursday when waves of helicopter-borne troops assaulted the Gostomel airfield just outside the city, close to Obolonsky.

The Ukrainian military claims to have repulsed the attack on the airbase, but Russian ground forces have also been pushing down the west bank of the Dnieper river from Belarus.

As the reconnaissance party arrived in Obolonsky, the Ministry of Defence called on civilians to resist.

“We urge citizens to inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails, and neutralise the enemy,” it said in an online posting.

The fighting on the broad highways and in between the densely inhabited multi-storey apartment blocks of northern Kyiv may be an omen of what is to come if Russian forces assault the city of some three million people.

President Vladimir Putin appears intent on overthrowing the Ukrainian government, and Western intelligence expect his forces to descend on the capital within hours or days.

Overnight ballistic missiles were fired at targets within Kyiv ahead of what Washington warns will be a Russian operation to “decapitate” President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration. — AFP


7 comments:

  1. It is almost 100% certain Ukrainian forces will be defeated by Russia...
    but what comes next will be a different story...
    It all depends on Ukrainians willingness to fight for their country.
    $500 Million dollars per year for Ukrainian Freedom Fighters will be plenty to turn this into a graveyard for Russian soldiers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wakakakaka…

      Whose 500 Million dollars per year for Ukrainian Freedom Fighters?

      US? EU?

      BTW, how much money has the Yank 'invested' in Afghanistan to free it from a group of ragtaging Taliban?

      In yr wet dream, lessons ain't for learning!

      Delete
  2. Here's the reality Russia faces once the USA and Europe fully wake up to the threat from Russia.

    USA GDP $ 23 Trillion
    NATO Non-USA GDP $ 12 trillion
    Russia GDP $ 1.5 Trillion

    Russia wants to take on NATO ?... go ahead...make my day...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If GDP is the guide for winning a war, wakakaka… look no further from this recent US military debacle in Afghanistan.

      Oooop… "Russia wants to take on NATO ?"

      Where is NATO NOW when the Russko bears r reaching Kyiv?

      Where is yr uncle Sam?

      U can make it own day in yr wettest dream, that's a sure bet.

      Delete
  3. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/02/25/malaysia-a-true-friend-but-needs-to-make-stand-clearer-ukrainian-envoy-says/2043927

    Singapore and Indonesia have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but stupid Malaysia following orders from Malaysia's DaGe can't even mention the "Invasion" word.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ‘Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war’ ~ Julius Ceaser

    Lots of body bags. The thug that is sitting in the Kremlin. He has to answer, for dead Russian soldiers and dead Ukrainians. All, because , he needs a, buffer between Russia and NATO. The coward wont asmit Communism failed. The Eastern Bloc failed because of its policies. They had control of the Ukraine. Backyard bully who wont, let go recreating, a Pax Communist Bloc…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Without creating a buffer zone NOW, future Russia would face a very tough war from a encircled NATO forces!

      This is the encumbranced idea - the current generation fights a difficult yet necessary war to free the future generation for a devastating war!

      Only a farsighted statesman can see that far into that future. & only a benevolent leadership who loves the country would plan that far into the future for the country.

      Maybe lots of body bags now. SO that there will still be a relevant Russia many years into the future. A Russia NOT dictates by the whines & fancy the demoNcratic West, in the mold of Japan, SKorea, EU & banana states.

      Western demoNcracy is tied to a short term election that has long been manipulated by bipartisan political plays of opposing elites! Thus signed treaties/policies r been abolished/changed as the administration alternates between interested groups! There is NO consistency in ideological implementation except enshrined self-interests that overwrite the nation well-being!

      A Pax Communist Bloc… ain't Putin's future for Russia.

      But it's DEFINITELY A Pax DemoNcratic Bloc… for the Yankee!

      Delete