War against Ukraine: Explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv

The Russian army also engaged in heavy fighting with Ukrainian troops during the night. There are said to have been several explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv. But according to US information, the Russian advance is faltering.

The Russian offensive against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv will continue, according to the Ukrainian military. According to the state information service of Ukraine, there were several explosions in the metropolises of Kyiv and Kharkiv. It was said that the capital Kyiv had been quiet for several hours beforehand.

In northern Kiev, the Russian army tried to build a pontoon bridge to cross the Irpin River, the Ukrainian General Staff wrote on Facebook. Another attempt to capture the city of Irpin just outside of Kyiv was unsuccessful, it said.

Klitschko hopes for support

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko praised the citizens’ morale but worried about how long they could hold out. Men and women who wanted to defend Kyiv picked up weapons at specially set up distribution stations, he said. At the same time, the city is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. There is still electricity, water and heating in the apartments, said Klitschko. “But the infrastructure is destroyed to deliver food and medicine.”

The US company Maxar, which specializes in high-resolution satellite images, reported that a kilometer-long Russian convoy consisting of troops, tanks and supply vehicles was moving towards Kyiv.

Ukrainian army: 4500 dead Russian soldiers

So far, nine civilians have been killed in Kyiv, including a child, Klitschko said. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported 352 civilians killed across the country, including 14 children. 1684 people were wounded, including 116 children. Russia has repeatedly assured that its troops are only targeting Ukrainian military installations. The Ukrainian civilian population is not in danger.

For the first time, however, the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted that there were dead and injured among its soldiers. In addition, “a few” Russian soldiers were captured. Exact numbers were not given.

According to the Ukrainian army, around 4,500 soldiers have been killed on the Russian side since the beginning of the war. In addition, helicopters, tanks and other military vehicles were destroyed, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian information could be independently confirmed.

Targets in southern and eastern Ukraine

Meanwhile, many bombers and fighter planes are said to have taken off from Crimea in the direction of Ukraine. In addition to Kyiv, cities in the south and east are among the targets, according to the Ukrainian agency Unian. According to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Russian troops were advancing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson towards Mykolaiv. Again, this information cannot be independently verified.

In the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, not far from the border with Belarus, a rocket is said to have hit a residential building. As a result, a fire broke out, as the state information service of Ukraine wrote on Telegram. There was initially no information about injuries.

US Pentagon: Russian advance halts

Earlier, Russian troops had already captured the southern Ukrainian city of Berdyansk on the Sea of ​​Azov, said Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The port city of Mariupol on the Sea of ​​Azov, which is considered a main target of the Russian forces, is holding out, according to Arestovich. Heavy fighting also raged in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, according to Ukrainian sources.

According to estimates by the US Department of Defense, the Russian advance is being slowed down by the fierce resistance of the people in Ukraine. “Ukrainians are putting up fierce resistance,” a senior ministry official said in a briefing for journalists. “It’s heroic, it’s inspirational, and it’s very clear for the world to see.” One also observes “fuel and logistics bottlenecks” of the Russian troops, it said. Likewise, the Ukrainian air defense is intact, albeit weakened.

Belarus before possible entry into the war

According to US intelligence information, Belarus could join Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine this Monday. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s decision to send troops to the neighboring country depends on the outcome of talks between Russia and Ukraine, a senior US intelligence official said. Negotiations were to take place in a place on the Belarusian border.

Paratroopers are said to have already received orders to fly to Ukraine in the morning, the Ukrainian agency Unian reported. She relies on information from the non-governmental organization Bysol (Belarus Solidarity Foundation), which works for those affected by political repression in Belarus. This, too, could not be verified independently.

First peace talks expected

It is expected that there will be initial talks on a possible peace settlement between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. This is reported by the Russian state agency Tass and the “Ukrainska Pravda”. The meeting, which was supposed to start on Sunday, will take place on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Gomel region of Belarus.

Kyiv had not set any conditions, the Ukrainian Presidential Office had previously announced. However, President Zelenskyy was skeptical: “I don’t believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let’s try.”