Reuters
Kyiv governor calls fight for city ‘Judgement Day’
March 9, 2022
STORY: New recruits to Ukraine’s territorial defense forces in Kyiv got a lesson on Wednesday in newly-arrived weaponry, meant to punch a hole through a Russian tank.
And this instructor, who only gave his name as Alex, told Reuters these men were ready to welcome the Russian army when it tries to take the city.
“Russians can enter Kyiv but they’re not gonna leave it. They’re all gonna be burned up here.”
Many expected Kyiv to quickly fall in the early days of the war.
But more than two weeks into the Russian invasion – which Moscow calls a “special military operation” – Moscow’s military missteps and tenacious Ukrainian resistance has kept the capitol from changing hands.
“Of course, we understand and see that the enemy wants to seize Kyiv, we understand that very well.”
Oleksiy Kuleba is the governor of the Kyiv region.
“Of course, they were not able to seize Kyiv immediately; their aim was to do so in two or three days. This is a well-known fact. They failed because of the heroic actions of our armed forces and ordinary people who stood up to defend our city, our country.”
He spoke to Reuters about the struggle ahead in almost apocalyptic terms.
“For us, this is Judgment Day. It is a struggle between good and evil. And either way, we would die, but we would not let them seize our city.”
Sounds and symbols of Ukrainian resolve spring up around the city.
On Wednesday, the remaining musicians of the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra performed the Ukrainian and the European Union anthems. The show was broadcast live on Ukrainian TV.
The conductor called the concert an action for peace.
That is the message here: praying for peace; preparing for battle.