Ukrainian leaders are refusing to back down from their defense of their country amid the ongoing Russian invasion there, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and counting. The Ukrainian capital city, Kyiv, has been among the key targets of Russian military forces, and during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union over the weekend, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko laid out how the fight to beat back Russian invaders would be continuing. So far, those defending Ukraine have kept Russian personnel from completely encircling Kyiv, unlike other areas including Mariupol, where Russian invaders have inflicted further catastrophic impacts, but observers (including U.K. government officials) have shared how it appears as though Russian forces are preparing to further renew their offensive against Kyiv — not that it has completely stopped in the first place. As Klitschko commented on CNN:
‘It’s non-stop, we are under alarm of bombing attack. And right now, the fight north of Kyiv — it’s right around 15 miles from the center of Kyiv. Russians — it’s not secret, the goal. Their target is Kyiv. And the Russians have had this target already two weeks long, and Ukrainian soldiers destroyed the plans of Russians, and they can’t make a circle around Kyiv. That’s why we are ready to fight — we defend our city, and right now, huge, huge patriotic waves, because of people who never ever expected to take weapons in hand right now to defend houses, children, and the future of our country.’
Check out his remarks below:
Mayor Vitali Klitschko describes the fight for Kyiv as Russian forces are attempting to encircle his city: https://t.co/JUxtTHEWOo pic.twitter.com/wstUMiuhnC
— CNN (@CNN) March 13, 2022
A large Russian military convoy that was recently on the way to Kyiv and had essentially stalled out has apparently dispersed, but the forces that were within it appeared to be reorganizing rather than abandoning the push — although not before Ukrainian defenders were able to get in serious hits on the personnel. The convoy had prompted serious concerns — not that those concerns have vanished because of the convoy’s apparent dispersal. Elsewhere in Ukraine, civilian populations are also continuing to face catastrophic impacts from Russia’s onslaught — the reported death toll in Mariupol, where residents have faced ongoing Russian attacks amid what has basically been a siege of the city, has reached 2,100, according to that city’s mayor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated, per The Kyiv Independent, that the “main task now is Mariupol. Our diplomatic effort is focused on aid to reach the city.” Basic utilities such as running water have been cut off there, and critical supplies such as medicines have been difficult to obtain. A staff member for Doctors Without Borders said those in Mariupol “saw people who died because of lack of medication.”
#BREAKING Over 2,100 Mariupol residents killed since invasion began: mayor pic.twitter.com/5MJh8ndrua
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 13, 2022
Featured Image (edited): via Cabinet Ministers of Ukraine and available under a Creative Commons License
