Today, the official Ukrainian news agency reported that the Russian army attempted once again to breach the defenses of Kyiv late Sunday, but "all its attempts failed." The agency quoted Colonel Oleksandr Syrskiy, the Ukrainian ground forces commander, stating that the situation in Kyiv is "under control," with "Russian forces suffering significant casualties." The Ukrainian ground forces announced that a Russian army convoy attempted to break into the suburbs of Kyiv in vain, asserting that "all enemy movements are under control." According to Syrskiy, Russian troops are "frustrated and exhausted," and the Ukrainian military leader added, "We have shown that we know how to protect our home from uninvited guests."
The Government Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine mentioned hearing explosions in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv on Monday morning. The service noted in a brief statement on the Telegram app that Kyiv experienced a period of calm for a few hours before the explosions were heard. Aerial footage captured by Maxar showed large crowds of Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv, seemingly waiting for the order to breach.
The Russian army began its attempts to control Kyiv early on after President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, but it appears that breaching the city's defenses has not been an easy task. Ukraine has repeatedly talked about the resilience of its forces in the capital, inflicting heavy losses on the Russian army in terms of personnel and equipment.
A video showed the devastation caused by Russian shelling on a residential building in the Saltivka area of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. The facade of the ten-story building appeared almost completely destroyed, and debris also affected a parked car on the street, according to images published by Reuters. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city after the capital Kyiv, has been at the center of the Russian-Ukrainian fighting since the invasion began days ago.
On Monday morning, the Government Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine confirmed the sound of explosions heard in Kharkiv and Kyiv. Local sources in Kharkiv reported on Sunday that the city was back under the control of Ukrainian forces just a few hours after announcing the arrival of the Russian army in its center. Local official Oleg Synegubov wrote on social media, "Kharkiv is under our complete control," confirming that the operation to "drive the enemies out of the city" is underway. According to him, "the Russian enemy is completely frustrated and abandoning its vehicles," and groups of Russian soldiers "have surrendered to the Ukrainian army."
Kharkiv, with a population of 1.4 million, is the main city in northeastern Ukraine, located near the Russian border and territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.
