Russian troops moved closer to Ukraine’s major cities – including the capital, Kyiv – on Thursday night and Friday morning, an indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin might soon try to topple the democratically elected government.
“According to the available intelligence, the enemy marked me as a target No. 1 and my family as the target No. 2,” said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a Friday morning address to the nation. “They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of the state.”
Axios’ Barak Ravid reports that Zelensky offered an even dire warning to European leaders on a Thursday night video conference, saying “This might be the last time you see me alive.”
In his address to his countrymen, Zelensky said Russian saboteurs had already infiltrated Kyiv and the Russian military said it has seized an airport just outside the city. Yet Zelensky pledged to remain in the capital. He added that 137 Ukrainians, including civilians, have died during the invasion.
“They are killing people and transforming peaceful cities into military targets,” Zelensky said of the Russians. “That’s villainous and will never be forgiven.”
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leader introduced sanctions on Russia designed to discourage further aggression. But Zelensky expressed frustration with the lack of foreign troops willing to come to Ukraine’s aid. He said Ukraine is “left alone in defense of our state.”
“Who will fight along with us now? To be honest, I see no one.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
The Washington Post reports:
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Thursday that the Biden administration was examining ways to provide Ukraine with more defensive equipment, and ways that it could continue training Ukrainian soldiers outside Ukraine even if the government in Kyiv falls.
Zelensky also expressed a willingness to engage Putin on Ukraine’s NATO status. “We aren’t afraid to talk about neutral status; we aren’t in NATO at the moment,” he said. “But what guarantees and, most importantly, which precise countries would give them to us?”
The Kremlin said Putin was prepared to engage Ukrainian officials directly on such talks.
As gunfire and shelling continued in Ukraine’s metropolitan areas, the United Nations estimates that 100,000 resident have fled their homes and anticipate that number could swell to 4 million within the coming days.
CBS News reports:
A steady stream of people were crossing into Poland from western Ukraine on Friday, as thousands fled with their country under attack by Russian forces. Many families with small children were among those crossing the border.
One woman shuffled her feet as she carried a toddler, looking exhausted and on the verge of tears. Asked if she needed help, she shook her head and kept walking.
Many Ukrainians are sheltering in subway stations, bomb shelters, and basements.
Reporting from Lviv, Marc Santora of The New York Times writes:
There was a noticeable shift in the mood in this city on the second day of war. The sense of security was replaced by edgy anger and growing exhaustion. The incessant wail of air raid alarms. The frantic calls from friends for a place to stay. The failed bids to find a way to get to the border. All this while watching reports shared from friends in Kyiv and Kharkhiv and other cities where the fight was raging. Just 48 hours ago it was filled with music and the European charm that had made it a magnet for tourists.