A Ukrainian government advisor stated on Friday that today will be the hardest day, indicating that Russia will use tanks to invade the capital, Kyiv. Reuters reported him saying, "The defenders of Kyiv are ready with anti-tank missiles provided by foreign allies." Ukraine is experiencing fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces near the outskirts of Kyiv. The advances of Russian troops raise fears of an attack on the capital and have escalated targeted strikes against strategic and governmental objectives within it. Ukraine has declared a general mobilization to try to curb the large-scale attack launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while two explosions were heard in the capital early Friday.
Two loud explosions were heard in central Kyiv on the day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as reported by a journalist from Agence France-Presse. The Ukrainian army noted on its Facebook page the "launch of missiles" targeting Kyiv, explaining that it destroyed two of them in mid-air. The city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, announced that three people were injured, one of them in critical condition, due to missile debris that fell in a residential area in southeastern Kyiv.
On Friday, the Ukrainian foreign minister condemned the launch of Russian missiles targeting Kyiv at dawn. Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter, "A horrifying launch of Russian missiles on Kyiv," adding, "The last time our capital experienced something like this was in 1941 during the attack by Nazi Germany. Ukraine defeated that devil and will defeat this devil as well." Western military sources reported that the Russian military is approaching Kyiv, where a curfew has been imposed with the aim of "overthrowing the Ukrainian leadership" and installing a Moscow-friendly government there. The governor of the Sumy region (northeast), Serhiy Yevtyshyn, whose statements were reported by the UNIAN news agency, confirmed that "Russian vehicles have left Sumy heading towards Kyiv," indicating that "a large number of vehicles" are involved.
