The Ukrainian army said in a statement on Monday February 18 that Moscow had “slowed down the pace of the offensive” on the fifth day of its invasion of the country. A few minutes earlier, the Ukrainian army said on its Facebook page that the situation is “under control” in Kiev, the capital. “The enemy continued to try to break through the defenses of Kiev. Columns of Russian troops repeatedly tried to storm the outskirts of the capital“, can we read in the message posted Monday morning by Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi. He says that “all attempts by the Russian occupying forces to achieve the goal have failed“, stating that columns of Russian equipment were destroyed and that the Russians have “suffered major personnel losses.”
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In the streets, the deafening silence of the Ukrainian capital of nearly three million inhabitants is interrupted night and day by two sounds. The first is artillery fire, multiple rocket launchers, missiles. The other sound that punctuates the days in Kiev: that of the city’s anti-aircraft sirens. Again, difficult to sleep in these conditions.
“In fact, I discover that the human being adapts to everything: to sirens, to explosions to gunfire. It’s terrible to say but you’re getting used to it, says Anna, 29. But deep in my heart, I want the Russian soldiers to return home and to return to a normal and happy life.“And Anna is getting so used to these sounds that she now associates moving furniture, slamming doors with explosions. The violence is, in fact, almost continuous.
However, thehe country is not immersed in fear. After the amazement, the Ukrainians swung into action. The tone is more belligerent. Anna, for example, shows a video where we see a Russian soldier being arrested by his friends who force him to say “Glory to Ukraine“. And this type of content in a “3.0” war remobilizes the troops.
“I am extremely proud of the Ukrainian army, our president, our soldiers and all the volunteers who are revolting.”
“The first day, yes, I was scared. On the second day, I was in a panic. But since Saturday, seeing how well we manage to defend ourselves, it cheers me up. Even hotel employees who had never touched a weapon joined the ranks of the army. It’s huge, this cohesion I find it magnificent“, assures the young woman.
There remains a major problem: there is a lack of everything here, starting with food, water, gasoline. The inhabitants live holed up in shelters. “We can last a week like that but after that, there will be nothing. We’ll have to stock up! We can’t stay at home or hide in basements for months“, explains Gakik, the hotel’s restaurant chef. Before letting go:But I’ll stay here, I’ve lived here for 30 years, where do you want me to go?“
While thousands of people have left the city, those who remain are determined and as a senior Pentagon official points out, the Russian military is indeed currently facing “creative” resistance from the population. But the latest threats brandished by Vladimir Putin, with the alert of the nuclear deterrent force, worry.
“Of course nuclear weapons scare us, breathes Alexey, a former policeman who manages the security of the hotel. But I think that Putin’s entourage who also has an influence on this decision will not give him this possibility. I think these people are a little less crazy than him“. Alexei constantly looks at his phone: he too likes these images of humiliated or killed Russian soldiers. It’s war and he thinks he’s winning: “I think, one or two days maximum, and then it will be the end!” he hopes.
Direct talks between Ukraine and Russia are to begin on Monday morning, February 28, one of the representatives of the Ukrainian President announced. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations will meet on the border between Ukraine and Belarus, on the Pripyat river, not far from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.