Ukraine crisis: Kyiv residents seek underground shelter

A Ukrainian soldier walks past debris of a burning military truck, on a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. Pic/AP

Russian troops pressed toward Ukraine's capital on Saturday after a night of explosions and street fighting sent Kyiv residents seeking shelter underground. The country's leader refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting he would stay. "The fight is here," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. It was not immediately clear how far Russian troops had advanced. Ukrainian officials reported some success in fending off assaults, but fighting persisted near the capital. Skirmishes reported on the edge of the city suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces.

Russia claims its assault on Ukraine is aimed only at military targets, but civilians have been killed and injured during Europe's largest ground war since World War II. A missile struck a high-rise apartment building in the city's southwestern outskirts near one of Kyiv's two passenger airports, Mayor Vitali Klitchsko said, leaving a jagged hole of ravaged apartments over several floors. A rescue worker said six civilians were injured. The conflict has already driven hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from their homes. UN officials said more than 1,20,000 Ukrainians have left the country for and other neighbouring nations. Ukraine Health Minister Viktor Liashko said that a total of 198 Ukrainians have been killed, including three children till now since the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Along with this, in a Facebook post, he also said that 1,115 Ukrainians have been wounded in three days of fighting. He said that from the total number of wounded, 33 were children.

Ukrainian MP bears arms

A photo posted by Ukrainian Member of Parliament Kira Rudik on Twitter of herself holding a Kalashnikov went viral. Rudik, who is also the leader of Ukraine's Voice Party, is among Ukrainians who have decided to take matters into their own hands in the face of the Russian invasion. "I learn to use #Kalashnikov and prepare to bear arms. It sounds surreal, as just a few days ago it would never come to my mind. Our #women will protect our soil the same way as our #men," Kira Rudik wrote on Twitter. The Ukrainian MP went on to add that she wants to stay in Kyiv. Rudik said that her partner and most of her friends have also picked up arms to fend for themselves.

198
Number of Ukrainians killed since the crisis

120k
Number of Ukrainians left the country

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