KIEV
- After the optimism that prevailed yesterday, Thursday, after the Ukrainian authorities announced that they had repelled the Russian attack in the north and east of the country, such as the Charnihiv region in the north and Kharkiv in the east, the residents of the capital, Kiev, woke up to the sounds of more continuous and intense bombing than it was yesterday.
The continuous shelling on several fronts prompted a massive displacement movement and with some hysteria from the city, cars were rushing outside the city, most of which belonged to residents working in Kiev and living outside it, and other foreign ones, such as those belonging to the Belarusian opposition in Ukraine.
However, the residents who chose to stay inside the city, their suffering was not less than those who left it. They seek refuge in shelters and even basements of houses, although many of them are not equipped to receive arrivals and lack electricity, water and heating services, and a large part of them is intended for storing materials, yet it has become a refuge for many They are on the ground with their necessities and sit on their bags.
Added to their suffering is another suffering represented by the closure of many shops not because of the goods ran out, but because of the fear of bombing and the inability of these shops to bring in more goods, after many trucks that were transporting these goods left Kiev.
Another suffering is called gas stations, most of which are closed inside Kiev, and in its suburbs are either crowded or closed due to lack or scarcity of fuel. President Volodymyr Zelensky himself talked about the quantities of fuel and food supplies sufficient for 10 to 15 days, but it turned out that securing these stocks has become almost impossible.
The streets of Kiev seemed empty except for cars coming out of them (Al-Jazeera)
Street war
In addition, there are fears of the outbreak of a street war inside the capital, which appeared through the spread of military vehicles at the entrances and exits of the city and in places close to residential areas, which indicates that it is preparing for a new phase.
Indeed, local media reported that a street war took place in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, and there was talk of a street war in the Apollon district, north of Kiev, a neighborhood connected to the central district that includes the security square and government departments, and pictures broadcast by local media showed that Russian tanks are present. Already in this neighborhood.
The authorities in Kiev called for avoiding taking to the streets, because the confrontations had already begun in the Apollon neighborhood, and that they are likely to move to other neighborhoods, especially since the focus on targeting Kiev is through the northern fronts from the Belarus side after the Russian forces took control of the city of Chernobyl, which witnessed the disaster of the reactor explosion on April 26, 1986, a city adjacent to Kiev, and this means that the Russian forces are a few kilometers from the capital, and the images transmitted by the media about the movement of many columns of Russian tanks towards Kiev reinforce the fears of the population.
Residents waiting for departure at Kiev Central Railway Station (European)
What makes the situation bleaker is that the indicators indicate that the Ukrainian forces are in a difficult situation, and this is something that President Zelensky himself confirmed, as they are facing a shortage in their numbers, a lack of capabilities, and a letdown from the West.
Yesterday, Thursday, the border guards announced that they would prevent the exit of men between the ages of 18 to 60 years, and today, Friday, the Ukrainian Defense Minister announced that those over 60 years of age who are in good physical and moral health and who can carry weapons can receive a weapon in the framework of what is known as regional defense, which is Practically "PDF".