VIENNA — After a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country, Russian forces were closing in on Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on Saturday. City officials warned of street fighting and urged residents to stay inside and take cover.
Here are the things to know about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the security crisis in Eastern Europe:
Central Kyiv appeared quiet Saturday. Ukrainian officials reported some success in fending off Russian 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.
With growing signs that Russia aims to overthrow him and his government, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to “stand firm.”
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko extended the city’s curfew from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. He said “all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
The Biden administration said it was sending Ukraine up to $350 million in arms and other defensive supplies from U.S. stockpiles with another $250 million in defensive support possible. The Czech Republic also approved a plan to send more arms to Ukraine.
WHERE IS UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT?
Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, has been posting video messages of himself and other national leaders in Kyiv since the invasion began on Thursday but his exact whereabouts were not publicly known.
Zelenskyy was urged early Saturday to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. The official quoted the president as saying “the fight is here” and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but “not a ride.”
In his latest message on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russian attempts to forge into Kyiv have been repelled and Moscow’s plan to quickly seize the capital and install a puppet government has been thwarted.
“The real fighting for Kyiv is ongoing,” Zelenskyy said, accusing Russia in a video message of hitting infrastructure and civilian targets. “We will win.”
Since then, Zelenskyy has posted regular updates on his Twitter account about the various world leaders he has spoken with Saturday, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ukrainian military said a battle was underway near a military unit west of the city center. Mayor Klitschko said new explosions shook near a major power plant that the Russians were trying to attack.
A missile slammed into a high-rise building on the southwestern outskirts of Kyiv, Klitschko said Saturday. He said rescue workers were there and posted an image showing a gaping hole on one side of the building.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed Saturday that since the start of Russia’s attack, its military had hit 821 Ukrainian military facilities, 87 tanks and other targets.
Konashenkov didn’t say how many Ukrainian troops were killed and didn’t mention any casualties on the Russian side. Neither his claims nor Ukraine’s allegations that its forces killed thousands of Russian troops could be independently verified.
Konashenkov claimed the Russian military has taken full control of the southern city of Melitopol, 35 kilometers (22 miles) inland from the Azov Sea coast, and said Russia-backed separatists have made significant gains in the eastern region of Donbas.
