Explosions in Kyiv were heard in the early hours of Saturday morning. It is still unclear if these were Russian or Ukrainian strikes. Fighting continues in the outskirts of the capital city with the northern part remaining the most vulnerable. Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, as well as the district of Vyshorod further north of Kyiv, have seen heavy fighting.
It would seem that the Russians are planning to encircle the city and eventually cut off any supplies to it. They would then come to overthrow the current president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, the city has enough food and supplies that could last for two weeks.
Ukrainian forces were able to fortify the city and prepare for the Russian attack. Many civilians have also signed up to assist in any way that they can. There are anti-tank barriers all around the city that would make it harder for the Russian forces to enter.
This tactic is a reflection of World War two when one side launches an artillery attack destroying most of the buildings. This would create many casualties as buildings and infrastructures collapse. After a barrage of artillery, the tanks will be rolling in with thousands of infantrymen.
Kyiv is not the only one under attack as cities Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk have also been under attack. For the past 24 hours, air and missile attacks bombed the city.
UK Ministry of Defense has applauded the efforts of Ukrainian forces.
“The staunch resistance of the Ukrainian air defense forces is compelling Russia to rely on ‘stand-off’ munitions to conduct attacks against targets deep inside Ukraine,” the ministry said.