Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Friday that Russian forces attacking his country have halted their advance in most directions. Zelensky confirmed that Russia resumed missile strikes at 4 AM local time on Friday, but its forces have "been prevented from advancing in most directions." In a televised address, he mentioned that the Russian strikes targeted both military and civilian objectives, according to Reuters. He deemed the "sanctions imposed on Russia as insufficient," adding that "the world continues to watch what is happening in Ukraine from afar."
On Thursday night, the Ukrainian president reported that Russian forces had infiltrated Kyiv. In a video speech posted on the Ukrainian presidency's account, he stated, "We received information about enemy sabotage groups entering Kyiv," urging residents to remain vigilant and adhere to the curfew. Zelensky pledged to stay in Kyiv, warning that "the enemy has identified me as the number one target. My family is the second target. They want to politically destroy Ukraine by eliminating the head of state." He noted that 137 military and civilian personnel lost their lives in the fighting on Thursday, with hundreds more injured.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned the Russian missile strikes targeting Kyiv at dawn on Friday, which resulted in at least three injuries, following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kuleba tweeted: "Horrific launch of Russian missiles on Kyiv," adding: "The last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany. Ukraine defeated that devil and will defeat this devil too." The ground forces of the Ukrainian army noted on their Facebook account that there was "a launch of missiles" targeting Kyiv, confirming that they had destroyed two of those missiles in flight.
