Ukraine forces slowed Russia’s advance into Kyiv but western officials warned of a “long fight” ahead as Moscow attacked strategic positions around the country.
Officials in Kyiv said the centre of the city remained under government and military control on Saturday, as outgunned troops continued to resist the biggest invasion force in Europe in half a century. Gunfire and explosions were heard in several parts of the capital overnight.
“We held firm . . . we have withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks,” said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
The scale of the overnight fighting for Kyiv and the Ukrainian military’s ability to defend most of the city suggested Russia had not yet succeeded in encircling the capital. Doing so would allow it to deploy “overwhelming” force, western military officials said.
The Kremlin said its forces had on Saturday paused the main phase of the assault on Ukraine following an order from Vladimir Putin, who subsequently ordered the attack to resume after Kyiv ignored Moscow’s call for negotiations.
But Ukraine said it had not rejected talks. “Ukraine, without a doubt, never rejected negotiations,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky.
Russia has increased the use of artillery and long-range missile strikes on Kyiv, as it struggled to make incisive troop gains on Friday night. “This is going to be a long fight,” said one western official.
With thousands of people fleeing Kyiv, Ukraine’s military called on those who were staying to fight the invading force. But western military officials warned that the arrival of tens of thousands of troops advancing south from Belarus and north from Crimea would put intense pressure on Kyiv that could lead to the capital falling within days.
Battles have continued in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the country’s east. The Zelensky administration also said there was fighting in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa.
Podolyak said that as of Saturday morning, Ukraine had killed more than 3,500 Russians and captured just under 200 more. Oleksiy Arestovych, another adviser to Zelensky, said Russian forces had lost about 14 aircraft including Ilyushin IL-76 transport planes carrying paratroopers, eight helicopters, 102 tanks and 536 armoured personnel carriers.
Moscow claimed it had captured the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Russian and Ukrainian military claims cannot be independently verified.
As western powers discussed hitting Russia with heftier sanctions, including possible curbs on its access to the Swift payments system, the US released an additional $350mn to support Ukraine’s military effort.
Meanwhile, Nato said it would continue supplying military weapons to Ukraine, including air defence systems. “We are in this for the long haul,” said Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary-general, after the alliance held a crisis meeting on Friday.
The US, EU and UK have also imposed sanctions directly on Putin and Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.
Russian airlines were cut off from an increasing swath of European airspace on Saturday, after Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia all announced bans on Russian airlines flying over their countries.
The Baltic states joined the UK, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Poland in sealing off their skies. Russia has responded with like-for-like bans, and several airlines including British Airways and Aeroflot have begun to make costly diversions on some routes.
In a phone call with European Council president Charles Michel on Saturday, Zelensky urged European countries to open the door to Ukraine’s membership of the EU.
“It is a crucial moment to close the longstanding discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine’s membership in the EU,” he said in a tweet.
S&P Global cut Russia’s credit rating to “junk” status overnight in the latest sign of how western sanctions are already hurting the country’s financial market. The move strips Russia of its investment-grade standing at one of the main three rating agencies, pushing Moscow into a league of riskier countries that typically pay higher borrowing costs.
S&P said it could make a further reduction in the next three months, while Moody’s Investors Service placed Russia’s rating on review for a potential downgrade. Moody’s and Fitch both still assign Russia an investment-grade status.
Russia’s markets have been rocked by the invasion of Ukraine, with the country’s stock market this week shedding a third of its value in US dollar terms.
Additional reporting by Polina Ivanova in Chisinau and Philip Georgiadis and Adam Samson in London
Ukraine forces slow Russia’s Kyiv advance as western officials warn of ‘long fight’ ahead
Pinoy Variant