Featured Image Credit: @abdujalil/@strategywoman/Twitter
Topics: Kyiv, Ukraine, World News, Russia
Hannah Smith
Topics: Kyiv, Ukraine, World News, Russia
Kyiv residents have returned to the streets of the capital following a 36-hour curfew, with Ukraine's forces remaining in control of the city.
At 8.00am on Monday, February 28, the curfew which had ordered Kyiv residents to stay indoors for most of the weekend was officially lifted, with many residents venturing outside in an attempt to stock up on food and other essentials.
Images taken by residents and journalists at the scene showed long queues growing outside shops, though the mood was described as 'patient and polite.'
It's not clear whether the impact of the Russian invasion has begun to affect the availability of food and other essentials, however in an interview with AP yesterday Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko warned the situation could soon become dire as troops continued to move on the capital.
Advert
'We are at the border of a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. 'Right now, we have electricity, right now we have water and heating in our houses. But the infrastructure is destroyed to deliver the food and medication.'
While images shared from the capital appear to show that most civilians have remained calm in the face of adversity, with no reports of looting or similar activity having yet emerged since Russian forces first invaded five days ago, one journalist reporting from Kyiv described the situation inside stores as 'chaos,' saying that 'shelves here are getting bare and there’s little chance of a resupply.'
Kyiv residents are braving hours-long queues to buy water, bread and other groceries amid an apparent break in Russia's attempts to enter the capital.
Since the implementation of the curfew on Saturday, roadblocks and checkpoints have sprung up on all corners of Kyiv, with the city's authorities confirming that Russian saboteur groups were believed to be operating in the capital.
Ukraine's defence ministry has claimed its forces have successfully slowed the Russian advance on Kyiv, with foreign intelligence assessments suggesting the bulk of the invading forces remain around 30km outside the city.
In an update provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, Russian forces were said to have been 'frustrated' by a combination of 'logistical failures and staunch Ukrainian resistance.'
However amid the slower-than-expected progress, it's feared that Russia may turn to more brutal attacks on Kyiv in its attempts to take control of the city, which will return to a curfew at 10.00pm tonight.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information