Russian assaults on the Ukrainian capital Kiev have been met with fierce resistance, as the Ukrainian military says it has fought off several attacks, BBC reported. The military said in a Facebook post early on Saturday that an army unit managed to repel Russian forces near its base on a major city street, the report said. In a new video, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "We won't lay down our arms. We will defend our state." The city government confirmed ongoing fighting and urged people to stay home. City officials put out a statement asking people to stay in shelters and to stay away from windows if they were at home.
But Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov told Ukrainian news site Lb.ua that the army was "in control" of the situation. "We are stopping the horde using all means available. The army servicemen and citizens are in control of Kyiv," said Danilov. In his self-shot video, Zelensky could be seen walking around Kiev's government district in an apparent effort to combat rumours he had called on the army to surrender to Russian troops. Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine's air force command also reported heavy fighting near the Vasylkiv air base, southwest of Kiev, adding that it was under attack by Russian paratroopers, BBC reported. Separately it claimed one of its fighters had shot down a Russian transport plane. (IANS/SP)
(Keywords: Ukraine, forces, Russia, attack, fight, defense, security, citizens, troops, government, resistance.)