KYIV: Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said early Saturday, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would attempt to take Kyiv before dawn.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion on Thursday that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of a new Cold War in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would stay in Kyiv as he appeared in a video filmed outside his office in the capital city.
I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,” he declared, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled.
The Russian army has targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure with air- and sea-based cruise missiles, the defence ministry said, as Moscow pressed on with the invasion of the pro-Western country.
“During the night, the armed forces of the Russian Federation launched a strike with long-range precision weapons using air- and sea-launched cruise missiles against the military infrastructure of Ukraine,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised remarks.
Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that deplored “in the strongest terms” the country s “aggression” against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.
Eleven of the UNSC 15 members voted for the motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow’s veto power as a permanent member of the council.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg the alliance was deploying its rapid response force for the first time ever to bolster defences in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is still a fluid situation. What we have seen is that the Ukrainian forces are fighting bravely and are actually able to inflict damage on the invading Russian forces,” Stoltenberg said after a video summit of NATO leaders.
“It is a full invasion of Ukraine. They are moving towards Kyiv and the stated goal is to change the government of Ukraine.”
Read more: World left Ukraine alone to fight with Russia: President Zelensky
