“The Russians did not manage to take the country in twenty-four hours”, welcomes a reservist in Kiev

The noose is tightening on Kiev. The day after another night of clashes, the Ukrainian capital is still holding strong, Saturday February 26. “It is our army that controls Kiev and the key towns around the capital”, says President Volodymyr Zelensky. Called within the framework of the general mobilization, reservists invest a large hotel located a few meters from the seat of the presidency. “We are still at the head of the country”says an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency to France 2.

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Outside, the sirens are sounding. The soldiers are deployed in the district of Kiev, where the heart of Ukrainian power is located. Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to take up arms and defend the capital. A call heard by Mustapha Basseej, a reservist officer. “We see that our president is doing well and that our army is resistinghe says, gun in hand. The Russians failed to take the country and the city in twenty-four hours as they thought. Now you can see in Putin’s eyes that he is scared.”