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‘FIGHTING BACK’ Ukrainian forces capture ‘hundreds of Russian POWs’ near Kyiv as Putin’s troops fail to take capital in overnight blitz

UKRAINIAN forces have captured “hundreds” Russian troops near the capital Kyiv, one of the country’s MPs has claimed.

Sviatoslav Yurash was speaking after an overnight attempt by Vladimir Putin’s forces to storm the city failed in the face of fierce resistance.

Air raid sirens in Kyiv forced people to take cover

Air raid sirens in Kyiv forced people to take coverCredit: Reuters
A soldier stands beside two burning cars as fighting rumbles on in Kyiv

A soldier stands beside two burning cars as fighting rumbles on in KyivCredit: AP
Damage done to a tower block near an airport in the Ukrainian capital

Damage done to a tower block near an airport in the Ukrainian capitalCredit: Twitter/IAPonomarenko
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a defiant message as dawn broke

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a defiant message as dawn brokeCredit: AFP

 

Harrowing images from the Ukrainian capital show burning vehicles, buildings blasted by missiles and flames lighting up the night sky.

At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed and 1,115 people wounded so far, the Ukrainian government has said.

Speaking to Sky News before he went to the front, Mr Yurash said Russian forces were about 1.8 to 2.5 miles from where he was.

“Russians don’t have a good time here, to say the least,” he said.

“We have hundreds of POWs, we are issuing videos, showing Russians coming to Ukraine.”

“Everything is at stake, I’m no soldier, I don’t have much experience with the gun.

“When you are fighting for your life you learn very quick. The reality is Ukraine doesn’t have a choice.

“Russia wants to destroy us and we will not let that happen. I was born in independent Ukraine and I will die in independent Ukraine.”

Mr Yurash was echoing the defiance of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who refused a US offer of evacuation reportedly saying:  “I need ammo not a ride.”

“The fights is here,” he told US officials amid as Russian forces stormed the capital, encountering fierce Ukrainian resistance.

In video messages, he also quashed rumours he has called for a surrender.

“We will not put down weapons, we will defend our state. Glory to our defenders, both male and female. Glory to Ukraine!”

Ahead of the fighting, Zelenskyy said he was top of tyrant Vladimir Putin’s hitlist as he warned that Ukraine’s outgunned warriors faced a long and hard night.

But he warned bully Putin that Friday night would prove to be “very difficult” as Russia looks to use all available forces to break Ukraine’s resistance.

He told his nation in a stirring battle address: “We have to persevere tonight.”

Ukrainian Interior Ministry said there was “active fighting on the streets of our city” as the conflict intensified and later air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv, sending soldiers and civilians scrambling for cover.

With dawn breaking over the city, the extent of the damage inflicted on Kyiv became clear with images showing smouldering blocks of flats.

Fighting appeared to be raging close to Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) in Kyiv with video residential tower blocks hit by missiles and residents pulled from the rubble.

Soldiers were seen next to the charred remains on vehicles in the city’s roads.

Russian troops also attacked an army base in the city but were successfully repelled, Ukraine’s military claimed in a Facebook post early on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said: “We are stopping the horde as best as we can, the situation in Kyiv is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our citizens.”

Separately, the Interfax Ukraine agency said Russian soldiers were trying to capture one of Kyiv’s electricity generating stations.

Loud artillery blasts were heard coming from close to the city centre, while a reporter for the Kyiv Independent claimed “extremely hard combat” was underway near Kyiv Zoo.

Google Maps is showing a number of major roads in and out of the city have been closed, including around Maidan Square, and major thoroughfares leading to and from the city’s airports.

Residents have been urged to stay inside shelters, including underground stations and hotel basements.

Outside of Kyiv, air raid sirens were heard in multiple Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, Lutsk, Rivne, Uman, and Vinnytsia.

“The situation now – without exaggeration – is threatening for Kyiv,” he said. “The night, close to the morning, will be very difficult.”

STREET FIGHTING

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry has urged people in Kyiv to make their own petrol bombs to repel the Russian invaders.

More than 10,000 assault rifles have been handed out to ordinary citizens in the city as part of a last-ditch defence of the capital.

A number of Ukrainians have also reportedly made Molotov cocktails to fight off the onrushing Russian forces.

Kira Rudik, 36, a Ukrainian MP, shared a picture of herself holding a Kalashnikov, after vowing to stay and fight.

She tweeted: “I learn to use Kalashnikov and prepare to bear arms. It sounds surreal as just a few days ago it would never come to my mind. Our women will protect our soil the same way as our men!”

If verified, the attack could be the biggest single loss of life yet suffered by Russian invaders.

Ukraine armed forces general staff made the claim as Putin’s fighters struggled to find a foothold in Kyiv on the second day of the campaign.

Illia Ponomarenko, defence reporter with The Kyiv Independent newspaper, reported just before 4am Ukrainian time (2am GMT) that a second Russian Ilyushin Il-76 had been downed.

Quoting Ukraine’s State Agency for Special Communications, he said the fighter jet was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 48 miles southwest of Kyiv city centre.

On Thursday night, 13 Ukrainian soldiers told a Russian warship to “go f*** themselves” as they made a heroic last stand.

UKRAINIANS DEFIANT

Tasked with defending Snake Island in the Black Sea, the defiant border guards were ordered to surrender by a Russian warship.

A brave Ukrainian woman was also filmed confronting two Russian soldiers in the port city of Henichesk, less than 18 miles from the annexed territory of Crimea.

Russia has ramped up its efforts to seize control of Ukraine after making slower-than-expected progress on Wednesday and Thursday, allegedly killing civilians in the process.

Ukraine claims it has killed or captured 2,800 troops, destroyed 80 tanks, and shot down seven warplanes as their troops launched a bloody resistance against the Russians.

It follows a day of fighting which saw Russian forces reportedly fail to gain as much ground as expected.

Earlier on Friday, Russia was accused of bombing a nursery after pictures emerged showing the school in the eastern Ukrainian city of Okhtyrka “surrounded by bodies”.

Bodies of at least two adults were seen lying outside the “Sunshine” nursery in pools of blood as people crouched alongside them.

Burning vehicles in the street after the overnight Russian attack

Burning vehicles in the street after the overnight Russian attackCredit: AFP
The Ukrainian flag continues to fly in Kyiv

The Ukrainian flag continues to fly in KyivCredit: AFP
Smoke billowing across the Ukrainian capital

Smoke billowing across the Ukrainian capitalCredit: East2West
Video appears to show a blazing vehicle hit in shelling in Kyiv

Video appears to show a blazing vehicle hit in shelling in KyivCredit: twitter/mil_in_ua
Kyiv has been hit by a second night of shelling

Kyiv has been hit by a second night of shellingCredit: reuters/gleb garanich
Firefighters tackling a blaze in a tower block that was hit by a missile

Firefighters tackling a blaze in a tower block that was hit by a missileCredit: Reuters

The front of the building – which has a sandpit, play area, and slide – appears blown out with its shutters scattered on the ground.

Kyiv’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of war crimes and said his government was putting together a report which it would send to the Hague.

In another disturbing video, a Russian tank was filmed driving over a moving car in Kyiv, completely crushing it.

Miraculously, the elderly man behind the wheel survived the shocking incident.

Elsewhere, a soldier blew himself up on a bridge to stop Russians storming in from Crimea.

And a viral video clip showed a fearless man walking up to armoured cars.

Putin’s elite Spetsnaz troops backed by undercover assassins and armoured vehicles were reported to be locked in gun battles in Kyiv’s suburbs while the main Russian force lay in wait 30 miles north.

The UK’s Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt Gen Sir Jim Hockenhull warned Russia would continue its bombardment and encirclement today.

He said: “Russian forces continue to advance on two axes towards Kyiv. Their objective is to encircle the capital to secure control of the population and change the regime.”

Western intelligence sources confirmed that Russians were trying to encircle Kyiv but were being beaten back.

A security source said: “The Ukrainians have done excellent work taking down bridges to slow them.

“Russia has largely not met its Day One objectives and its battleplan ­timings are slipping. The conflict is the choice of Putin, this is now not a war of choice, but one of necessity, so he has to win.

In Russia, there has been backlash to the invasion, both from ordinary Russians and public figures.

More than 1,500 have been detained in protests across the country, while the daughter of Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich was among those who appeared to criticise Putin’s actions.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik poses with her Kalashnikov

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik poses with her KalashnikovCredit: Twitter/@kiraincongress
Some 10,000 assault rifles have been given to citizens in Kyiv

Some 10,000 assault rifles have been given to citizens in KyivCredit: Eyevine

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