What’s the situation in Ukraine: An Overview

Kiev in defense mode:

The city administration of the Ukrainian capital Kiev called on people on Monday morning to only leave their homes if there was an urgent need. The authority announced this on Telegram. Street fights continue to take place in practically all districts of the city. People should only leave their homes if they need to get groceries or medicine, for example.

Overall, the night was relatively quiet, apart from a few skirmishes and fights with sabotage and reconnaissance groups, it said. The city was mainly busy preparing further for its defense. So, should people leave the house, they would see new fortifications, tank traps, and other defensive structures.

In the north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the Russian army has tried to build a pontoon bridge to cross the Irpin River, according to the Ukrainian military. Another attempt to capture the city of Irpin just outside of Kyiv was unsuccessful. According to a report by the State Information Service of Ukraine, there were several explosions in Kyiv itself. They are in the metropolis of Kharkiv on Monday night. Interfax-Ukraine agency says, Russian troops were advancing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in the direction of Mykolaiv.

A large convoy of Russian military vehicles is advancing on the Ukrainian capital from the south, said the advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of the Interior. And also Vadym Denysenko, according to the portal “strana.news” on Sunday. “But we know where they are going, where they are going, and we do prepare.”

Russia’s advance: 

According to estimates by the US Department of Defense, the Russian advance is being slowed down by fierce resistance from the Ukrainians. “The Ukrainians are fiercely resisting,” a senior ministry official said in a briefing for journalists on Sunday (local time). “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. The information could not be verified.

“We have indications that the Russians are increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress over the past 24 hours, particularly in northern Ukraine,” a senior US Defense Department official said Sunday. In the meantime, the Russian armed forces have invaded Ukraine with “tens of thousands” of soldiers. The Russians now have “more than 50 percent” of their combined combat troops on Ukrainian territory.

In the southeast of the country, however, Russia has taken the city of Berdyansk, Ukrainian authorities said. The Ukrainian army was not deployed there. In the east, there were attempts by the Russian army to advance into the center of the city of Kharkiv. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Sunday that the nuclear power’s “deterrent weapons” be put on special alert. Putin ordered this in a video distributed by the Kremlin. He spoke of “deterrent weapons” and did not explicitly mention nuclear weapons.

(Source : SRF)