Ukrainian forces battled Russian troops pushing into town of Kharkiv on Sunday on the fourth day of an invasion that has shaken Europe’s long-standing safety structure and pushed Germany to spend extra on protection.
The invasion of Ukraine from three sides ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin is the most important assault on a European state since World Conflict Two.
The assault, which Russia calls a particular operation, has to date didn’t topple the federal government in Kyiv or take main cities, however has pushed a whole bunch of 1000’s of refugees, primarily girls and youngsters, into neighboring international locations.
Russian troopers and armored automobiles entered the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv and firing and explosions might be heard, witnesses mentioned. A burning tank was seen in a video posted by the federal government.
Ukraine’s fighters repelled the assault, in response to authorities within the metropolis, the nation’s second largest with a inhabitants of about 1.4 million folks.
Reuters was unable to right away corroborate the data.
The Russian troops blew up a pure gasoline pipeline in Kharkiv earlier than dawn, a Ukrainian state company mentioned, sending a burning cloud up into the darkness.
Each Ukraine’s gasoline pipeline operator and Kremlin-controlled power big Gazprom mentioned the transit of Russian gasoline by way of Ukraine, important for Europe’s power wants, was unaffected.
Ukraine’s Western allies ratcheted up their response to Russia’s land, sea and air invasion with an virtually blanket ban on Russian airways utilizing European airspace.
Ukrainian forces had been additionally holding off Russian troops advancing on the capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned. However shelling hit civilian infrastructure and targets together with ambulances, he mentioned.
(Reuters)