Ukrainian forces able to slow Russians near Kyiv despite being outgunned
Ukrainian forces slowed the advance of Russian troops Saturday despite being outmanned and outgunned as they fought to defend the capital, Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelensky proclaimed in the morning that the city had “survived the night.”
Residents prepared to take shelter for another night as Russian troops met up with a fierce response to the invasion that held them back about 19 miles away from the city.
Ukrainian forces are putting up “very determined resistance” to the Russian onslaught, a Pentagon official told reporters Saturday. The Russians have pounded Kyiv and other cities with more than 250 missiles, the US said.
“We know that (Russian forces) have not made the progress that they wanted to make, particularly in the north. They have been frustrated by what they have seen is a very determined resistance,” the Pentagon official said, offering no specific evidence.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said “the speed of the Russian advance has temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”
Artillery and missile attacks continued Saturday as small Russian units tried to clear the way to the center of the capital for the main forces to follow. Sporadic gunfire and explosions were heard in the center of the city as well.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko maintained there was no major Russian military presence in the city. He pulled the start of a citywide curfew back to 5 p.m. and extended it to 8 a.m. Sunday, warning on social media that “all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
The Kremlin claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to stop advancing on Friday but they restarted their advance on Saturday after Kyiv refused to negotiate.
An adviser to Zelensky said Russia had attached unacceptable conditions to its offer to talk. He also said it was untrue that Russia had paused troop movements on Friday.
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Russia claims its assault is aimed only at military targets, but it has hit bridges, schools and residential neighborhoods since the invasion began Thursday with air and missile strikes and Russian troops entering Ukraine from the north, east and south.
A U.S. defense official said that more than half of the over 150,000 troops that were massed along Ukraine’s borders had entered the country, but said Russia has had to adjust logistics to provide more fuel and other support inside Ukraine than originally anticipated.
It appeared Russian commanders did not plan for enough fuel and basic logistics support, and were now trying to adjust, the Pentagon said. One video posted on social media by a Ukrainian citizen showed tanks stuck on the side of a rural road waiting for fuel.
Separately, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region and a Putin ally, said that Chechen fighters were deployed to Ukraine and urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.
Kyiv residents prepared to shelter for another night in the subway stations. “We’re all scared and worried. We don’t know what to do then, what’s going to happen in a few days,” said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel.
Many others tried to flee. UN officials said more than 120,000 Ukrainians had left the country for Hungary, Poland, Moldova and other neighboring nations.
With Post wires
