kyiv still under threat but the Russian army is retreating on several fronts – Le Figaro

kyiv remains an objective of the Russian army, but it has been blocked in recent weeks northwest and east of the Ukrainian capital, and has had to retreat in recent days on several of these fronts, said Wednesday 23 March Mayor Vitali Klitschko. LIVE – War in Ukraine: in front of the French Parliament, Zelensky asks for more weapons and new sanctions SEE ALSO – Ukrainian cities “recall the ruins of Verdun”, says Zelensky in front of the National Assembly “The target of the aggressor is the capital of Ukraine, the heart of our country,” said the former boxing world champion during a press conference in a historic park in the city center overlooking the Dnieper River. “There are always a lot of attacks coming from the north and east of our city,” explained Vitali Klitschko, at the foot of a famous statue of the Archangel Saint Michael. The city councilor, speaking alternately in English and Ukrainian, was accompanied by his brother Wladimir, also world boxing champion. “Near Brovary (eastern outskirts of kyiv), from the north behind Liutij a great battle is taking place, and according to information from official sources, the small settlement of Makariv (west) and almost all of Irpin (northwest) are already under the control of Ukrainian soldiers,” he said. Asked about an ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensive, he assured that he had no precise information on this subject, while a Ukrainian press agency mentioned a possible encirclement of Russian forces in Irpin, Boutcha and Gostomel, localities in the north -west of Kyiv. “Leave our country, go home” The areas of Irpin and Liutij were both the scene of intense artillery exchanges on Wednesday, with in particular a strong activity behind the Irpin front, noted the AFP. These front lines remain closed to the press today, after the death of several journalists in this area. “Our message to Russians: leave our country, go home. We don’t know how long it will take (…), it may be long, ”warned the mayor of kyiv. “Rather die than kneel before Russian forces. We are ready to defend every building, every street, every corner of our city. The whole city now has combat posts,” said Vitali Klitschko. “Everywhere in the country the Russian army is destroying all civilian infrastructure, killing civilians (…). We believe that this can happen in our city, that the Russians can launch attacks on civilians and destroy all infrastructure in the capital of Ukraine,” he added. A residential area in the northwest of the city was the target of shelling on Wednesday morning, which damaged several homes and injured four people. Since the start of the invasion on February 24, 73 civilians, including 4 children, have been killed and 297 injured in kyiv, according to a latest report communicated to AFP on Wednesday by the mayor’s spokesperson. Read alsoRussia intensifies its strikes against civilians: the story of our special correspondent in kyiv Asked about the reasons for a complete curfew of 35 hours this beginning of the week, Vitali Klitschko explained “having received information from the armed forces about possible attacks. “Dozens of saboteurs” have also been arrested since the start of the war, he said. SEE ALSO – Ukraine: images of the bombed shopping center in kyiv