Russian troops are trying to “break through” Ukrainian defensive positions northwest and east of Kyiv in an attempt to advance toward the capital city, the Ukrainian armed forces said on Monday.
The sound of explosions and artillery could be heard from the Kyiv city center on Monday, according to reports, as Russian troops moved to capture nearby roads and villages.
“The grouping of Ukrainian forces and means of defence of the city of Kyiv is deterring the Russian enemy, which is trying to break through the Ukrainian defence from the Northwest and East in order to take control of key roads and settlements,” the armed forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Reports of Russian forces trying to seize control of more ground outside Kyiv stand in contrast to reports on the state of Vladimir Putin’s army outside the capital city from last week.
RUSSIA TREATING ITS WAR DEAD IN UKRAINE WORSE THAN WHEN ‘DOG OR A CAT DIES’: ZELENSKY
Last week, Ukraine ratcheted up the pressure against Russian forces near Kyiv, putting its troops in a position possibly to encircle Russian soldiers in the outskirts of the capital city.
Facing supply shortages and morale problems, the British Defense Ministry said last Wednesday that Russian forces had not been able to repel Ukrainian counterattacks outside Kyiv, and it seemed that Ukrainian forces had been able to retake territory outside Kyiv. The British ministry said that Ukrainian forces were in a position possibly to encircle Russian troops.
This weekend saw Russian forces engage in several offensive strikes across Ukraine.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Russian troops reportedly fired at a Holocaust memorial outside the city of Kharkiv on Saturday, targeting the Holocaust Memorial in Drobitsky Yar. It was the second attack on a Holocaust memorial in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24.
Russian forces also took control of the city of Slavutych early Saturday, seizing the town’s hospital and briefly detaining its mayor, according to Ukrainian officials. The town is home to many staff members of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Shelling in Slavutych last week threatened the ability to replace staff working long shifts at Chernobyl with new workers, the International Atomic Energy Agency said last week.
