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'I need ammunition, not a ride': Ukrainian president refuses evacuation offer

President refuses to evacuate

The Canadian Press & Castanet Staff - | Story: 361127

UPDATE 9:15 p.m.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is refusing to leave the capital Kyiv as Russian forces start to encircle the city.

The United States asked Zelensky to evacuate, but he turned down the offer, reports The Associated Press.

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky responded to the Americans, according to a U.S. defense official.

His whereabouts have been kept secret after Zelenskyy told European leaders in a call Thursday that he was Russia’s No. 1 target — and that they might not see him again alive.

Intelligence officials in the U.S. and U.K. have said they believe Russia’s push towards Kyiv is a part of an effort to “decapitate” the Ukrainian government.

As the sun rises on day three of Russia’s invasion, air raid sirens are blaring in multiple cities. Residents are being told to shelter.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' says "heavy battles are ongoing" in Kyiv and "active combat" is taking place in the streets. Residents are being told to stay away from windows and balconies or take up arms. Ukrainian TV has been broadcasting instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails.

Loud bangs and gunfire were heard near the centre of the city overnight, but dawn has brought some quiet.

The Ukrainian said some of the explosions in the west of the city were the destruction of a “column of equipment of the occupiers.”

"According to preliminary information, it is about 2 cars, 2 trucks with ammunition, and also with the help of NLAW anti-tank missiles an enemy tank was destroyed," said the military.

Ukraine was supplied with NLAW anti-tank missiles by the U.K. in the weeks leading up to the invasion, reports the BBC.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m.

The battle for the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is underway.

Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications said early Saturday that gunbattles are happening in the city’s eastern suburb. The agency said fighting is taking place near the CHP-6 power station. The attack could be an attempt to cut power to the city.

CNN is reporting loud explosions are lighting up the still-dark sky, heard to be coming from the west and south. The BBC is reporting that artillery strikes hitting the centre of Kyiv can be heard across the city.

The Kyiv Independent is reporting more than 50 explosions and heavy machine gun fire near the city’s zoo.

“There are also reports of heavy gunfire by the Beresteiska metro station, near to a Ukrainian military unit that is located there,” said the news outlet.

Prior to the full assault, the Ukrainian military says they had their hands full with Russian saboteurs in the city. About 60 saboteurs were killed on the second day of the war.

At one point, Russian agents disguised as Ukrainian national police drove up to a checkpoint south of Kyiv and shot Ukrainian soldiers. The claims, which constitute a war crime, have been unverified.

Ukraine’s military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board. Transport planes can carry up to 125 paratroopers.

Russia’s military said it seized a strategic airport outside Kyiv, allowing it to quickly build up forces to take the capital. It claimed to have already cut the city off from the west — the direction taken by many to escape the invasion — leading to lines of cars snaking toward the Polish border.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have blocked off the cities of Sumy and Konotop and said that the offensive had netted dozens of Ukrainian military assets. The statement could not be independently confirmed.

Earlier in the day, the United Nations said up to five million refugees could flee to other counties due to the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in the city.

“We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine," he said in a video posted to social media from the streets of the city.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.

Russian forces are closing in on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Our main goal is to finish this slaughter. The enemy losses are very grave — today there were hundreds of killed soldiers who crossed our border and came on our land,” Zelensky said in a late-night address to the nation, reports CNN.

Russia has taken an airbase just north of the city and are now approaching from the north and east.

"The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now,” Zelensky continued, adding that they need to “stand ground.”

“This night will be very difficult, and the enemy will use all available forces to break the resistance of Ukrainians."

“I am turning to our defenders, male and female, on all fronts: this night the enemy will use all the forces it has to crush our defence in a treacherous, harsh and inhumane way,” he said. “Tonight they will attempt a storming.”

The UK Ministry of Defence says Russian forces have made advances throughout the day but are facing stiff resistance. They confirmed reports that they are trying to encircle Kyiv.

Russia has likely conducted an amphibious landing in southern Ukraine, the ministry added.

Ukraine still holds all key cities.

Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council action on Ukraine, as expected, although western powers viewed the fact that China abstained from the vote as a win — showing Russia’s international isolation.

UPDATE 1 p.m.

Stiff resistance from Ukraine has slowed the advance of Russia’s invasion, according to a US defense official.

“Their momentum, particularly as it comes to Kyiv, has slowed over the last 24 hours,” the official told reporters, reports Al Jazeera.

Russia has yet to seize any major cities and still has not achieved air superiority.

The U.K., meanwhile, says Russia’s advance on Kyiv continues.

“Russian forces continue to advance on two axis towards Kyiv. Their objective is to encircle the capital, to secure control of the population and change the regime,” defence intelligence chief Jim Hockenhull said.

The White House says that Kyiv falling is a real possibility.

The city continues to be pounded by rocket attacks.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Twitter that five blasts had been heard near the city’s power station.

Ukrainian troops have taken control of bridges into the city, while others have been destroyed, while checkpoints are being set up as the Russians grow closer. Firearms are being distributed to residents and all able-bodied men are being urged to fight. Instructions on how to create Molotov cocktails are being broadcast over the radio.

“The situation now – without exaggeration – is threatening for Kyiv. The night, close to the morning, will be very difficult,” Klitschko said.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has warned that “thousands and thousands” of Russians will die in the invasion.

He called on Russian citizens to take to the streets to protest the war.

There has been some talks of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian leaders. The Kremlin says they are open to a summit in the Belarusian capital Minsk, while Ukraine has asked for the meetings to take place in Poland.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price dismissed the Russian offer for talks as diplomacy ‘at the barrel of a gun’ and called on Russia to stop the bombing if they are serious about diplomacy.

Ukraine says they are collecting evidence of war crimes.

UPDATE 10:40 a.m.

Horrific video from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shows a tank swerving into and crushing a car with a civilian still inside.

Multiple versions of the video were posted from different vantage points in the city, in addition to the rescue effort of the neighbourhood's residents.

The Ukrainian ministry of defense said soldiers were fighting "an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group” in the area at the time. The Ukrainian tank that hit the vehicle had reportedly been stolen by the Russian saboteur group. The Russian attack group was eliminated in a machine-gun battle shortly afterwards.

Miraculously, it appears the driver of the vehicle was alive while residents extricated him with an axe.

Resident Viktor Berbash, 58, told AFP the tank’s swerve into the oncoming car looked intentional.

"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."

In another remarkable video posted to social media, a lone Ukrainian civilian was videotaped trying to block a line of Russian armoured vehicles.

The footage was captured in the southern city of Kherson and has echoes of Tiananmen Square’s “Tank Man.”

As the full-scale Russian assault on Kyiv nears, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a video of him still in the capital with a military uniform.

“We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine,” he says in the clip.

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m.

Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop.

With reports of hundreds of casualties from the warfare — including shelling that sliced through a Kyiv apartment building and pummeled bridges and schools — there also were growing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government. It would be his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.

In the fog of war, it was unclear how much of Ukraine remains under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized. The Kremlin accepted Kyiv's offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of Ukraine's embattled president instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.

The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world’s economy and energy supplies, threatening to further hit ordinary households. U.N. officials said millions could flee Ukraine. Sports leagues moved to punish Russia on global playing fields. And U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders held an urgent meeting to discuss how far they can challenge Putin without engaging Russian forces in direct war.

Day 2 of Russia’s invasion focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn and gunfire was reported in several areas.

Russia’s military said it had seized a strategic airport outside Kyiv, allowing it to quickly build up forces to take the capital. It claimed to have already cut the city off from the west — the direction taken by many of those escaping the invasion, leading to lines of cars snaking toward the Polish border.

Intense gunfire broke out on a bridge across the Dneiper River dividing eastern and western Kyiv, with about 200 Ukrainian forces taking defensive positions and sheltering behind their armored vehicles and under the bridge. Another key bridge leading to the capital was blown away, with smoke rising from it.

Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures, and it was not possible to verify the tolls.

U.N. officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes, estimating up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.

“When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans.”

A U.S. defense official said a Russian amphibious assault was underway, and thousands of Russian naval infantry were moving ashore from the Sea of Azov, west of Mariupol. The official said Ukrainian air defenses have been degraded but are still operating, and that about a third of the combat power that Russia had massed around Ukraine is now in the country. All told, the official estimated Russia had fired more than 200 missiles into Ukraine, with some hitting residential areas.

Britain’s defense ministry said the bulk of Russian forces advancing on Kyiv were still more than 50 kilometres from the city centre, with sporadic clashes in the capital’s northern suburbs.

Zelenskyy pleaded with Western powers to act faster to cut off Russia's economy and provide Ukraine military help. His whereabouts were kept secret, after he told European leaders in a call Thursday night that he was Russia's No. 1 target — and that they might not see him again alive.

UPDATE: 9:20 a.m.

Russian authorities on Friday announced the “partial restriction” of access to Facebook after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday it demanded that Facebook lift the restrictions it placed Thursday on state news agency RIA Novosti, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru. The agency said Facebook didn't reinstate the media outlets.

The restrictions on the accounts, according to Roskomnadzor, included marking their content as unreliable and imposing technical restrictions on the search results to reduce the publications’ audiences on Facebook.

Roskomnadzor said its “partial restriction” on Facebook takes effect Friday, without clarifying what exactly the move means.

In its official statement, Roskomnadzor cast its action as ’“measures to protect Russian media.” It said Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s office found Facebook “complicit in violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian nationals.”

ORIGINAL: 6:40 a.m.

Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop.

Amid growing casualties from the deadly warfare — including shelling that sliced through the facade of a Kyiv apartment building, bridges and schools — the Kremlin said Russia was ready to talk with Ukrainian officials.

That came even as there were also increasing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government, in his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.

The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world’s economy and energy supplies, threatening to further squeeze ordinary households. U.N. officials said they were preparing for millions to flee Ukraine. Sporting authorities sought to punish Russia on global playing fields. And NATO leaders called an urgent meeting to discuss how far they can go to challenge Putin without engaging Russian forces in direct war.

Day 2 of Russia’s invasion focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn and gunfire was reported in several areas. Ukrainian authorities used armored vehicles and snowplows to defend Kyiv and limit movement, and said Russian spies were seeking to infiltrate the city.

Russia's military said it had seized a strategic airport outside Kyiv that allows it to quickly build up forces to take the capital.

It claimed to have already cut the city off from the west — the direction many of those escaping the invasion are heading in, with lines of cars snaking toward the Polish border.

Intense fire broke out on a bridge across the Dneiper River dividing the eastern and western sides of Kyiv, with about 200 Ukrainian forces establishing defensive positions and taking shelter behind their armored vehicles and later under the bridge.

Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on the Ukrainian side and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures, and it was not possible to verify the tolls.

U.N. officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes and estimated up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Russia’s government to hold talks, and with Western powers to act faster to cut off Russia's economy and provide Ukraine military help.

“When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine,” he said. “When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans.”

Zelenskyy’s whereabouts were kept secret, after he told European leaders that he was No. 1 on Russia's list of targets.

He also offered to negotiate on one of Putin's key demands: that Ukraine declare itself neutral and abandon its ambition of joining NATO. And the Kremlin responded that Russia was ready to send a delegation to Belarus to discuss that.

After denying for weeks he planned to invade, Putin argued that the West left him no other choice by refusing to negotiate on Russia’s security demands.

The autocratic leader hasn’t said what his ultimate plans for Ukraine are. Lavrov gave a hint, saying Friday: “We want to allow the Ukrainian people to determine its own fate.” His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as Ukraine's president, but wouldn’t say how long the Russian military operation could last.

Ukrainians, meanwhile, had to abruptly adjust to life under fire, after Russian forces started moving in to their country from three sides in an invasion telegraphed for weeks, as they massed an estimated 150,000 troops nearby.

In a Kyiv apartment building, residents woke to screaming, smoke and flying dust. What the mayor identified as Russian shelling tore off part of the building and ignited a fire.

“What are you doing? What is this?” resident Yurii Zhyhanov asked — a question directed at Russian forces. Like countless other Ukrainians, he grabbed what belongings he could, took his mother, and set out to flee, car alarms wailing behind him.

Elsewhere in Kyiv, the body of a dead soldier lay on the ground near an underpass. Fragments of a downed aircraft smoked amid the brick homes of a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found beside them. And people climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.

As air raids sirens sounded in the capital early Friday, guests of a hotel in the city center were directed to a makeshift basement shelter, lined with piles of mattresses and bottles of water.

“We’re all scared and worried. We don’t know what to do then, what’s going to happen in a few days,” said one of the workers, Lucy Vashaka, 20.

Meanwhile, the mayor of the city in the rebel-controlled east said Ukrainian shelling hit a school building.

The Ukrainian military on Friday reported significant fighting near Ivankiv, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Kyiv, as Russian forces apparently tried to advance on the capital from the north. Russian troops also entered the city of Sumy, near the border with Russia that sits on a highway leading to Kyiv from the east.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv “could well be under siege" in what U.S. officials believe is a brazen attempt by Putin to install his own regime.

With social media amplifying a torrent of military claims and counter-claims, it was difficult to determine exactly what was happening on the ground.

The assault, anticipated for weeks by the U.S. and Western allies, amounts to the largest ground war in Europe since World War II. After repeatedly denying plans to invade, the autocratic Putin launched his attack on the country, which has increasingly tilted toward the democratic West and away from Moscow’s sway.

Zelenskyy, whose grasp on power was increasingly tenuous, appealed to global leaders for even more severe sanctions than the ones imposed by Western allies and for defense assistance.

“If you don’t help us now, if you fail to offer a powerful assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door,” said the leader, who cut diplomatic ties with Moscow, declared martial law and ordered a full military mobilization that would last 90 days.

The invasion began early Thursday with a series of missile strikes on cities and military bases, and then quickly followed with a multi-pronged ground assault that rolled troops in from several areas in the east; from the southern region of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014; and from Belarus to the north.

After Ukrainian officials said they lost control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, Russia said Friday it was working with the Ukrainians to secure the plant. There was no corroboration of such cooperation from the Ukrainian side.

As Western leaders rushed to condemn and punish Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden announced new sanctions that will target Russian banks, oligarchs, state-controlled companies and high-tech sectors, saying Putin “chose this war” and had exhibited a “sinister” view of the world in which nations take what they want by force. He added that the measures were designed not to disrupt global energy markets. Russian oil and natural gas exports are vital energy sources for Europe.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced sanctions, freezing the assets of all large Russian banks and planning to bar Russian companies and the Kremlin from raising money on British markets.

“Now we see him for what he is — a bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest,” Johnson said of Putin.

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