At a briefing in their war room on Monday, the two Ukrainian generals responsible for the defence of Kyiv told the BBC how their forces were fighting hard to keep Russian artillery out of range, and explained why they believe the city has strengths that will make all the difference against the Russians.
Kyiv is feeling the sharp touch of the war more acutely, along with Russia’s destructive firepower.
A nine-storey block of flats was hit by a Russian missile on Monday morning, killing at least one person and wrecking the building, making dozens of Ukrainians homeless. It would have been worse had many residents not taken to shelters.
But the centre of Kyiv and many of its sprawling suburbs are still untouched by Russian weaponry. Other Ukrainian cities are being very heavily shelled, and there have been many casualties.
Kyiv’s remaining citizens – perhaps half have moved to western Ukraine or left the country – are facing the possibility that the same brutal experience lies ahead for them.
The generals responsible for Kyiv’s defence said they were fighting hard to keep Russian artillery out of range, but accepted that the capital was vulnerable to missiles.
However the city’s topography and terrain is on their side, Gen Andriy Krischenko told me. The city is big and sprawling. It is cut up by rivers, not just the mighty Dnieper which divides Kyiv in two, but its tributaries.
“It is difficult to defend on the one hand, given that it is very large,” he told me. “But on the other hand, this is a plus. Rivers, bridges, are on the approaches to the city. Our troops are building defences and fortifications.
“Around the city there are many small rivers that flow into the Dnieper and there are many peat bogs, so that means the area is not suitable for large-scale movement of troops.”
Gen Krischenko, who is also a deputy mayor, was wearing the same kind of informal outfit in army green that his President Volodymyr Zelensky has worn to rally his people, impress his allies and infuriate his enemies. The general also exuded the president’s optimism.
Another advantage, according to the general, is that Kyiv is an industrial city, with workshops and factories that have repurposed themselves to produce the items needed for fortifications – concrete blocks, sandbags, and a variety of savage-looking anti-tank obstacles.
Gen Krischenko and Gen Knyazev stood in front of the big interactive screen they use to track the Russian push towards Kyiv.
They explained they had attacked and stopped the forward movement of two main thrusts, one from the east and one from the north-west, which included the much talked about 64km (40 mile) column of Russian armour.
They said it had been attacked and forced to disperse, and insisted it was no longer a threat.
Source – BBC
