Russian Forces Enter Kharkiv amid Heavy Fighting As Kyiv Braces For Assault
Source: Google Images

Ukraine, Feb 27: Amid heavy fighting Russian forces have entered Kharkiv which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, the officials confirmed, as Russia intensified its war on its neighbour.

Oleg Sinegubov who is the head of the Kharkiv regional administration said that light military vehicles had “broken into the city” on the fourth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The report was also confirmed by Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister who shared the video which showed several light military vehicles moving along a street and, separately, a burning tank.

Sinegubov urged residents to stay inside, saying Russian troops appeared to be in the city centre.

“Do not leave shelters! The Armed Forces of Ukraine are eliminating the enemy. Civilians are asked not to take to the streets,” he said in a Facebook post.

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Meanwhile, residents of the Ukrainian capital reported a massive explosion and other blasts early on February 27 as Western powers announced a new, dramatic step in efforts to punish Moscow with sanctions for its aggression.

The explosion hit the southeastern part of Kyiv just after midnight and left a glowing red light over what media reported was likely a military fuel depot. There were no immediate reports on damage or injuries in what could be the start of the final battle for Kyiv and the Ukrainian nation.

Amid reports of clashes near Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in the city, prompting the government to warn people to protect themselves from the smoke by covering their windows with damp cloth or gauze. Another explosion was reported at the civilian Zhuliany airport.

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Ukraine’s army said it held the line against an assault on the capital but was fighting Russian “sabotage groups” that had infiltrated the city, where people hunkered down in homes, underground garages, and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale assault by Russian forces.

“We will fight until we have liberated our country,” Zelensky said in a video message.

There are videos on the internet that showed that Ukrainian people are waiting for a train to Poland.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada, and the United States agreed to block access for a number of Russian banks to the SWIFT banking system, as well as imposing “restrictive measures” against Russia’s central bank for Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

In a joint statement on February 26, the leaders said the measures — which will restrict the Russian central bank’s international reserves and thus hinder its ability to support the ruble — will be implemented in the coming days.

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Experts have said blocking access to SWIFT would be a major step up in the intensity of Western sanctions against Moscow.

The latest moves came as Western experts were saying that Ukrainian forces had put up tougher-than-expected resistance in three days of pitched battles across the country.

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on February 26 that 198 people have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded in the Russian offensive. Russia has not released casualty figures.

The UN refugee agency said on February 26 that over 120,000 Ukrainian refugees have left the country since Russia began its attack this week, mainly fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary.