Volodmyr Zelensky has declared a marine who blew himself up along with a bridge near Crimea to repel advancing Russian forces a hero of Ukraine.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vitaly Shakun was manning the Henichesk bridge in the Kherson region when Kremlin troops advanced and the battalion decided the only way to stop them was to blow up the bridge.
It was mined, and Shakun had no time to get out. He texted them and told them he was going to blow up the bridge. Seconds later, they heard an explosion, a post on their Facebook page said. Shakun’s efforts dramatically slowed down the Russian advance and allowed his comrades to regroup and re-deploy, the Ukrainian General Staff added.
In a video message to the besieged nation, the Ukrainian President also accused Moscow of attempting to seize Kyiv, overthrow the government and install a ‘puppet’ regime ‘like in Donetsk’, one of two separatist regions which warmonger Vladimir Putin officially recognised before launching an all-out invasion.
Declaring ‘we derailed their idea’, Zelensky added: ‘The fights are going on in many cities and areas of our state. But we know that we are protecting the country, the land, the future of our children. Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.
‘The [Russian] occupants wanted to block the centre of our state and put here their marionette, like in Donetsk. We derailed their idea.’
He also thanked Russians who spoke out against the war and asked them to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin, saying: ‘Simply stop those who are lying to you, lying to us, lying to the entire world.’
After Ukrainian forces said they had fought off a Russian attack on their capital Saturday, Zelensky shot a selfie-style video outside his office to vow to stay and fight on. He also denounced as disinformation allegations that he had surrendered or fled.
Wearing olive green military-style clothing and looking tired but determined, he added: ‘A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly called on our army to lay down its arms and that evacuation is underway. Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this. This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!’.
As the video hit social media platforms, the sounds of explosions and air raid sirens could still be heard around the capital, as the Russian military said it had fired cruise missiles at Ukrainian military targets.
Last night, the Ukrainian President appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack.
He was urged to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the US 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 that ‘the fight is here’ and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but ‘not a ride’.
In other developments:
Putin urged Ukrainian military to overthrow the country's leadership and negotiate peace; Ukraine and Russia discussed a place and time for talks. The Kremlin accepted Kyiv's offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of the embattled Zelensky instead of a gesture towards a diplomatic solution; Russia vetoes draft UN Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. China abstained from the vote; President Joe Biden instructed the US State Department to release $350million in military aid to Ukraine; Canada, the US, Britain and the European Union said they could act to exclude Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payments system; Ukraine said more than 1,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. Russia did not release casualty figures; NATO allies will provide more weapons to Ukraine and deploy more forces to the eastern part of the alliance; The conflict could drive up to 4million people abroad, the UN warned.Volodmyr Zelensky has claimed that the country’s army has successfully repelled Russian forces advancing on Kyiv and is in control of the capital after a night of brutal fighting that saw terrified residents seeking shelter underground
Vitaly Shakun was manning the Henichesk bridge in the Kherson region when Russians advanced
The Henichesk bridge in the Kherson region at the Crimean crossing which the Ukrainian forces said was a key area of defense. This image was shared by Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform on Thursday
A post on the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Facebook page detailed his heroic efforts
A Ukrainian soldier walks past debris of a burning military truck, on a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2022
Ukrainian soldiers take positions outside a military facility as two cars burn, in a street in Kyiv, February 26, 2022
As fighting persisted, Ukraine’s military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board, with transport planes able to carry up to 125 paratroopers
For their part, US defence officials believe the Russian offensive has encountered considerable resistance and is proceeding slower than Moscow had envisioned, though that could change quickly.
As fighting persisted, Ukraine’s military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board, with transport planes able to carry up to 125 paratroopers.
A second Russian military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 50 miles south of Kyiv, according to two American officials with direct knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine who spoke to the Associated Press. The Russian military has not commented on either plane.
It remains unclear how many people overall have died so far. Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side from the first full day of fighting and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures.
UN officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes. They estimate that up to four million could flee if the fighting escalates.
Zelensky tweeted that he and US President Joe Biden spoke by phone and discussed ‘strengthening sanctions, concrete defence assistance and an anti-war coalition’.
Biden subsequently signed a memo clearing the way for the US to expedite up to $600million in emergency military assistance to the Ukrainian government, though it was not immediately clear how quickly the aid would flow.
Zelensky’s whereabouts were kept secret after he told European leaders in a call Thursday that he was Russia’s No 1 target – and that they might not see him again alive.
His office later released a video of him standing with senior aides outside the presidential office and saying that he and other government officials would stay in the capital.
He later appealed for cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack, but also posted a video just before 8am (6am London) to show he was still alive.
Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution telling Moscow to stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw all troops immediately.
The veto was expected, but the United States and its supporters argued that the effort would highlight Moscow’s international isolation.
The 11-1 vote – with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining – showed significant but not total opposition to Russia’s invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbour.
The resolution’s failure paves the way for backers to call for a swift vote on a similar measure in the 193-member UN General Assembly, where there are no vetoes. There was no immediate timetable for a potential Assembly vote.
Spearheaded by the US and Albania, the Security Council resolution would have deplored Russia’s ‘aggression’ against Ukraine.
It called for Moscow immediately to pull out its military and stop using force against Ukraine, and to reverse a decision to recognise two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine as independent.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they can function as statements of world opinion.
In an Assembly meeting on Wednesday as Moscow’s invasion loomed, dozens of countries condemned Russia or expressed solidarity with Ukraine. Russia and ally Syria defended the Kremlin’s moves.
The US, Britain, the European Union and Canada yesterday doled out further sanctions on Russia on Friday, including against Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called it the ‘harshest’ package ever drawn up by the bloc.
London ordered all assets of both men frozen while the United States and Canada will also impose sanctions on the pair, with Washington including a travel ban. Russia said the sanctions against the pair were ‘a demonstration of the complete impotence of the foreign policy’ of the West.
Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv
Smoke and flames are seen billowing over Kyiv's Peremohy Avenue in the west of the city, near the zoo, in the early hours of Saturday morning
Significant explosions were seen from Beresteiska metro station in the west of Kyiv
Firefighters extinguish fire in a high-rise apartment block which was hit by recent shelling in Kyiv on Saturday
A view shows an apartment building damaged by recent shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday morning
Putin has now issued a chilling warning to its neighbours Sweden and Finland, saying both nations will face ‘military consequences’ if they join NATO.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that such a move in the wake of