Kyiv braces for blitz

Explosions have rocked the streets of Kyiv as Russian forces hit the city’s main TV tower with two missiles as they ratchet up their assault on the Ukrainian capital. 

Five people are reported to have been killed and five injured. The structure of the tower remains intact although some broadcasts went off air. 

Ahead of the strike, Russia’s defence ministry announced that its forces were preparing to launch “high-precision strikes” against the security services and the psychological warfare centre in the capital, adding: ”We urge Ukrainian citizens… living near relay stations, to leave their homes.”

These targeted attacks on major buildings are likely the prelude to a much bigger Russian assault, and the citizens of Kyiv are braced for worse to come. Ominous satellite images have revealed a huge convoy of Russian armoured vehicles, 40 miles long and estimated to contain as many as 15,000 soldiers, closing in on the capital.

The Russian assault has been stepped up across Ukraine. Dozens of missiles have rained down on the eastern city of Kharkiv – the country’s second largest city, known as the tech capital. 

Russian strikes have hit residential areas and caused a huge explosion in Kharkiv’s central Freedom Square, demolishing government offices, an opera house and concert hall. At least 10 Ukrainians have been killed, including children, and another 20 injured. Rescuers are still sifting through the rubble for bodies. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the use of military weaponry to target a square with no military base, and the deliberate targeting of civilians, as “an act of state terrorism” and “a war crime”.

In the north-eastern city of Okhtyrka, up to 70 Ukrainian soldiers have reportedly been killed in a Russian artillery strike. And in the south-eastern port city of Mariupol, power has been cut following relentless shelling by Russian forces. 

Now, attention is turning to Kyiv as civilians await the ominous convoy. Six days into the conflict, a staunch Ukrainian defence has held Russian troops a full 19 miles outside of the capital’s city centre. But despite this impressive resistance, there is reason to fear what is to come.

It’s thought that only a fraction of the Russian troops have been engaged in combat so far. Now, military experts estimate that Moscow has rapidly moved from having 40% of its forces inside Ukraine to around three quarters. 

Capturing the capital will be Putin’s number one priority – even more so with Zelensky refusing to leave. 

Speaking from his heavily guarded compound, Zelensky urged NATO to impose a no-fly zone on Ukraine. Iain Martin explains why, for all the West’s willingness to support Ukraine, this would be a catastrophic mistake.

Zelensky also said that Russia must stop bombing cities before meaningful talk of a ceasefire could take place. Five hours of talks on the Belarus border yesterday broke up with little progress having been made, although the two sides have agreed for meetings to continue. 

Although hopes of a breakthrough remain slim, any sort of progress could provide a lifeline for Ukraine. Barring a stunning military upset, dialogue will be the country’s only way out of this war.