On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published a self-shot video from central Kyiv pledging to stay and defend the capital against Russian invasion with top advisors.
“We’re all here. Our military is here. Citizens in society are here. We’re all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay this way,” he said as they stood outside the Presidency building.
Zelensky seemed to be reacting to pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin, wearing an olive green military-style gear and standing with his prime minister, chief of staff, and other key aides.
On Friday, Russian and Ukrainian troops battled briefly in Kyiv.
Larger forces are said to be closing in on the capital, and citizens are expecting a night of air attacks.
Meanwhile, Putin called Zelensky’s government “terrorists” and “a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis” in a televised address from Moscow, causing anger among the Ukrainian military.
Many Western officials have backed Zelensky in his fight against Putin’s invasion, and European Union chief Charles Michel even reposted the video of the Ukrainian leader.
Michael said, “The spirit of a free and democratic Ukraine is strong.”
For the first time, the European Union is about to slap harsh new economic sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion, and Putin himself has been placed on a sanctions list.
Kyiv, on the other hand, has been pressuring EU and NATO countries to do more, particularly in terms of delivering advanced weaponry and blocking Russia from global financial networks.
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