Russian forces on Friday entered Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, as they continue their push to overrun the whole country and topple President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government.
This is coming just 48 hours after the invasion of the country by the Russian army on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.
Also on Friday during a televised address, Putin urged the Ukrainian military to seize power from Zelenskyy, saying “it will be easier for us to make a deal with you than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.”
Reports Friday afternoon indicated that the Russian forces entered the Obolon district in the north of the city, just a few miles from the centre of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian President had said he was the target of the Russian invasion, vowing not to abandon his country.
According to the BBC, the Russian forces in Kyiv massed around the northern district of Obolon.
Videos online show armoured vehicles rolling down almost empty roads in the district. There are also videos appearing to show fighting between civilians and people in military uniform.
Kyiv has also reportedly being attacked from the air, with residents taking shelter in underground railway stations.
City officials are said to have told citizens in the Obolon district to stay at home to avoid “active military operations”.
Earlier in a Twitter post, Ukraine’s ministry of defence had appealed to the district’s residents to “inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails (firebombs) and neutralise the enemy”.
Also, the Ukrainian forces reportedly pushed the Russian forces back, having blown up the city bridge to stop their advancement.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow was ready for talks “as soon as the armed forces of Ukraine respond to our call and lay down their arms”.
The Russian government had also said Putin was ready to send a delegation to Minsk, capital of Belarus, for negotiations with representatives of Ukraine.
The development comes after the Russian leader held a phone call with President Xi Jinping of China.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, told the Russian leader he would “create the conditions” for such a summit.
Peskov said Russia did not intend to occupy Ukraine, saying their aims were clear –“demilitarisation and de-Nazification”.
Peskov added that the decision to open talks with Ukraine was in response to the request of President Zelenskyy.
“Following Zelensky’s proposal to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine, Putin can send representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Ministry and his administration for negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation,” the readout said.
The readout added that Minsk was chosen as the venue for the proposed talk.
As pressure to capture Kyiv heightens, the Ukrainian government has armed volunteers at Kyiv with 18,000 machine guns and tasked them to defend the capital city.
Authorities have called on the population to resist the invading troops by all means.
The Interior Ministry adviser, Vadym Denysenko, stated that 18,000 machine guns “have been handed out in Kyiv to all volunteers, all those who want to defend our capital with weapons in their arms.”
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry had earlier posted a leaflet containing step-by-step instructions of how to make petrol bombs on its social media.
The Ministry of Defence and the Interior Ministry had sent an appeal to residents of Kyiv to inform the authorities of the movements of the invading troops.
Putin has called on the Ukrainian military to seize power in their country.
Speaking on Friday during a televised address, Putin told the Ukrainian military it would be “easier for us to make a deal with you” than with “this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.
He accused the Ukrainian leadership of using civilians as “human shields”.
“I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis to use your children, wives, and elders as human shields,” he said.
“Take power into your own hands. It will be easier for us to reach an agreement.”
Meanwhile the United Nations on Friday condemned numerous “arbitrary arrests” of people in Russia for protesting the country’s invasion of Ukraine and urged their immediate release.
“Arresting individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of expression or a peaceful assembly constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of liberty,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
She said the agency understood that “more than 1,800 protesters were reportedly arrested. It is unclear whether some have now been released.”
Her comment came a day after Putin defied Western warnings to unleash a full-scale ground invasion and air assault on Ukraine that quickly claimed dozens of lives and displaced at least 100,000 people.
Protesters turned out in cities around the world, including in Russia.
An independent monitor said police had detained protesters in 51 cities across Russia, cracking down on dissent after authorities warned citizens against marching.
“We call on the authorities to ensure the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained for exercising these rights,” Shamdasani said.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned Thursday that the Russian invasion “clearly violates international law and puts at risk countless civilian lives.”
“It must immediately be halted,” she said.
Bachelet said her office would continue to closely monitor the situation and warned that “an information war is also underway.”
“It is particularly crucial at this time that we continue to closely monitor and attempt to verify reports of human rights violations, including civilian casualties, damage to civilian objects, including critical infrastructure, and other impact on human rights on the ground,” said Bachelet.
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