A Russian convoy near Kiev.
STRINGER/AFP
These are some traces left by advanced units of the Russian army in Kiev, a city of some three million inhabitants where the first fighting broke out on Friday, 24 hours after the start of a massive offensive against Ukraine. Part of the morning, exchanges of fire and explosions shook the residential district of Oblon. The strongest explosions rang out as far as the city center, seven kilometers away.
In great confusion, the inhabitants, caulked at home, venture into the deserted streets to see the damage and help the injured. Some reported seeing two bodies resembling killed Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian army nevertheless prohibited approaching them.
A resident of Kiev volunteered to defend his country.
DANIEL LEAL/AFP
A “sabotage” mission
“Two infantry fighting vehicles with hidden identification marks were driving down the road. I didn’t see the unit insignia,” Evguen Nalutay, 39, told Evguen Nalutay. “One hid right in this underpass and the other went straight ahead, before entering the courtyard of a house and I lost sight of him, people were fleeing”, a- he added.
Ukrainian soldiers in the streets of Kiev.
STRINGER/AFP