Kyiv turns into embattled city amid Russian invasions

The fall of Kyiv is imminent as of Friday (local time), two days after the Russian troops marched into Ukraine, according to observers. Russia started large-scale missile attacks not only on military facilities but also on civilian villages while Russian armored units advanced only 32 kilometers away from the Ukrainian capital.

The Ukrainian government announced that Russian tanks will almost reach the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday afternoon. Such a series of ongoing military actions explicitly show Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions to occupy Kyiv overnight to finally overthrow the Ukrainian government. Experts assessed that the conflicting region is being covered with the Iron Curtain, a term that criticizes the closedness of the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

CNN cited a Ukraine official saying that Kyiv is suffering under the attack of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with both civilians and troops targeted by Russia. Upon initiating invasion, the Russian military claimed that civilians are safe from any damage from its attacks because they aim at military facilities and defense systems. However, it turned out to be a false statement. As even tanks neared Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia should talk to him to describe how to end this war and invasive acts.

The Western world including the United States and European nations tightened sanctions against Russia to limit exports of semiconductors, etc. completely and financial activities by major Russian banks. The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday that export bans will be put in force on semiconductors, computers, telecommunications and information security equipment, lasers and sensors.

However, opposition from Germany and some other EU nations held back approval of ejecting Russian financial organizations from the SWIFT payment system, which could serve as one of the most powerful sanctions that will work out to hold Russia at bay.

U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Russia may possibly go beyond Ukraine to attacking the NATO. Ordering an additional dispatch of 7,000 troops to Europe, he said that the only thing that he knows for sure is that Washington will intervene if Russian President Putin makes invasions into any NATO member state.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that what the nation is hearing is not only the roaring and booming sounds arising out of missile attacks, battles and fighter jets but also the sound of a new “Iron Curtain” that separates Russia from a civilized world.


weappon@donga.com