Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that at least 137 persons have been killed during the first day of the Russian military invasion of his country.
Speaking during a broadcast on Thursday, Zelensky said those killed included soldiers and civilians, adding that 316 soldiers were also injured in the attack.
The Ukrainian president asked conscripts and reservists nationwide to fight in a general mobilisation, commending the citizens for their heroism in fighting back.
He said Russia had made him and his family their first and second targets, adding that he would not leave the country because he and his family are not traitors.
Zelensky described Russia’s claim that its troops are not targeting civilian areas as “a lie”, saying both military and civilians are being hit.
He said: “They’re killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets. It’s foul and will never be forgiven.
“I remain in Ukraine, my family is in Ukraine, my children are in Ukraine. My family is not traitor, they are citizens of Ukraine.
“According to the available intelligence. the enemy marked me as target number 1, my family as target number 2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.
“They say civilians are not their target but this is another of their lies. In reality, they do not distinguish between areas in which they operate. Our boys and girls — all defenders of Ukraine did not allow the enemy to implement the operational plan of invasion on the first day. Ukrainians show real heroism. The enemy was stopped in most directions.
“To the citizens of the Russian federation that are coming out to protest, we see you. And this means that you have heard us. This means that you have started to believe us. Fight for us, fight against war.”
The president also lamented that “everyone” is afraid to fight for them and that the country has been “neglected”.
He said: “Today, I have asked 27 European leaders whether Ukraine will be in NATO. I have asked directly. Everyone is afraid, no one answers.
“But we are not afraid. We are not afraid of anything. We are not afraid to defend our country; we are not afraid of Russia. We are not afraid to talk about security guarantees for our country, we are not afraid of talking about neutrality, we are not NATO members at the moment but what guarantees will we get?
“And most importantly, which countries will give us those guarantees?”
Russia vs Ukraine: Explosions Rock Capital City, Kyiv
Naija News had earlier reported that two loud explosions rocked the centre of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday morning.
This was made known by Ukrainian Interior Ministry Advisor, Anton Herashchenko on Telegram.
“Attacks on Kyiv with cruise and ballistic missiles have just resumed. I heard two powerful explosions,” he said.
Also confirming the development, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a tweet on his Twitter page said explosions were heard in the capital before dawn.
He said: “Horrific Russian rocket strikes on Kyiv.
“Last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany. Ukraine defeated that evil and will defeat this one.”
This article was originally published on Nigeria News