Featured Image Credit: @AlchevskUA/Twitter
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, World News, Kyiv
Hannah Smith
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, World News, Kyiv
Social media videos have shown what appear to be Russian military vehicles entering a district of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, as its government warned Russian forces are planning to encircle the city.
The videos were filmed in Obolon, a district to the north of Kyiv's city centre, as the country's Ministry of Defence confirmed that 'enemy' forces had infiltrated the residential neighbourhood.
Footage verified by the BBC shows Russian armoured personnel carriers (APCs) driving through the streets of Obolon, which is about nine kilometres away from the Kyiv city centre.
In one clip, a vehicle can be seen driving over a civilian car parked on the side of a street, while in another an APC is seen driving off the road and over pedestrian areas.
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In a statement posted to Facebook, Ukraine's Defence Ministry urged locals to make molotov cocktails to throw at Russian forces, while urging 'peaceful residents' to take shelter in their homes.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces wrote that a 'reconnaissance and sabotage unit' was roaming the streets in Obolon, and urged residents to share footage of their location and equipment as well as actively disrupt their efforts.
The reports of activity in Obolon come as fighting appears to be moving closer to the centre of Kyiv, with the Defence Ministry tweeting at around 10am local time, February 25, that Russian soldiers had reached the capital.
Residents and foreign journalists in the city have reported hearing explosions and gunfire in the distance, while over the past hour air raid sirens have sounded across Kyiv.
Overnight, hundreds of Kyiv residents slept in underground metro stations as Russian bombarded the capital with missile strikes. Thousands of other citizens have fled out of the city heading west, causing miles-long queues of traffic.
Last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said that Russian 'saboteurs' were believed to have entered Kyiv, though their whereabouts and activities are unknown.
Zelensky has pledged to remain in Kyiv, despite saying he believes that he has been designated the 'number one' target for Russian forces.
Unconfirmed intelligence reports claim that Russian forces plan to capture Kyiv in the coming days, with the Zelensky government expected to be overthrown and a pro-Russian one put in place, per the BBC.
Troops invading Ukraine from Belarus to the north of the country have been engaging with Ukrainian forces defending routes between the Ukraine-Belarusian border and the capital.
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