Intense fighting breaks out as Russian military enters Kyiv

Russian military enters Kyiv with intense fighting breaking out around the capital

A fierce battle is underway for the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, with reports of intense fighting going on in the early hours of Saturday, February 26. Videos of explosions in the west of the city, close to Beresteiska metro station have been posted on social media.

Another battle is taking place on the banks of the Dnieper river, in the northern suburb of Troieshchyna, for control of a thermal power plant. Multiple reports also speak of intense fighting near a strategic airfield some 20 miles south of the city.

Two Russian IL-76 military transport planes have allegedly been shot down just outside Kyiv, according to government reports. Both were believed to have been transporting paratroopers.

Nexta, a local media outlet, reported that one was brought down 20 miles south of the capital, near Vasylkiv, while the second aircraft was shot down 50 miles south of Kyiv, near Bila Tserkva. There was no immediate report as to the fate of the occupants, but that type of plane can carry between 150 and 250 fully-equipped soldiers.

According to Nexta, in an incident in Vasylkiv, at around 3am local time, Russians disguised as Ukrainian troops attacked a checkpoint. Their site reported, ‘Immediately after that, a group of Russian military in a truck came in. There is a heavy fight going on”.

Around midnight, shortly after the two transport planes were downed, the Ukrainians claimed that an S-300 surface-to-air missile system in Donblas took out a Sukhoi Su-25 jet, plus a helicopter.

Earlier on Friday evening, Volodymyr Zelensky, the 44-year-old President of Ukraine had addressed the nation via a video recording, in which he urged his people to fight the invaders. Western officials have been claiming that Kyiv is surrounded and that the fall is only a matter of time, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

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