Half of Kyiv population has fled, says Ukrainian capital’s mayor

Russian forces have reached the north-eastern fringe of the town amid heavy battles for management of the primary freeway.

Ukrainians crowd beneath a destroyed bridge as they attempt to flee by crossing the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv [Felipe Dana/AP Photo]

Almost two million folks have fled the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv’s mayor has mentioned, as Russian forces advance on the town.

“From our info, one in two Kyiv residents has left the town,” Vitali Klitschko advised Ukraine tv on Thursday.

The larger Kyiv space had a inhabitants of about 3.5 million folks final yr, in response to citypopulation.de, an internet site that tracks inhabitants statistics the world over.

Russian forces have reached the northeastern fringe of the town, with heavy battles for management of the primary freeway reported throughout the night time. Moscow has additionally been making progress towards the cities of Kharkiv within the east and Mykolaiv within the south, amid heavy combating.

Klitschko mentioned the capital had been “reworked right into a fortress”. “Each road, each constructing, each checkpoint has been fortified,” he mentioned.

On Wednesday, two bombs hit two hospitals in a metropolis west of Kyiv, in response to the mayor. The World Well being Group mentioned it has confirmed 18 assaults on medical services because the Russian invasion started two weeks in the past.

An air raid additionally hit a maternity hospital within the port metropolis of Mariupol, killing three folks together with a baby and drawing widespread condemnation.

“What sort of nation is that this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested in a televised deal with late on Wednesday.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric mentioned no well being facility “ought to ever be a goal” and referred to as for an “fast halt to assaults on healthcare, hospitals, healthcare staff, ambulances”.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris has referred to as for an investigation into Russia’s conduct in Ukraine and condemned what she mentioned had been “atrocities of unimaginable proportions” carried out by Moscow’s forces.

United Kingdom Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey mentioned hitting the hospital was “a struggle crime” no matter whether or not it had been a deliberate act or not.

Russia International Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the Mariupol hospital had been seized by far-right fighters who had been utilizing it as a base. Pictures of the aftermath, nevertheless, confirmed pregnant girls and youngsters on the web site.

An injured pregnant girl is carried away from the broken maternity hospital in Mariupol [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

In the meantime, a gathering within the Turkish metropolis of Antalya between Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday did not yield concrete outcomes.

Of their highest-level talks because the struggle started, the 2 sides mentioned a 24-hour ceasefire however didn't make progress, Kuleba mentioned. He mentioned Russia was nonetheless in search of “give up from Ukraine”.

“This isn't what they will get,” he famous.

Lavrov mentioned Russia was prepared for extra negotiations however confirmed no signal of softening Moscow’s calls for. He mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet with Zelenskyy however solely after additional negotiations about Russia’s broader stipulations, together with that Ukraine be disarmed and settle for impartial standing.

Short-term ceasefires to permit very important meals and medical provides into besieged cities and permit residents out have typically faltered, with Ukraine accusing Russia of constant their bombardments.

Zelenskyy mentioned 35,000 folks managed to get out on Wednesday from a number of besieged cities, and extra efforts had been beneath means on Thursday from cities and cities in jap and southern Ukraine together with Mariupol, the place support businesses say 400,000 folks have been trapped for greater than every week with no meals, water or energy.

The Mariupol metropolis council posted a video Thursday exhibiting buses driving down a freeway, with a be aware saying that a convoy bringing meals and drugs was on the best way regardless of a number of days of thwarted efforts to achieve the town.

“Everyone seems to be working to get assist to the folks of Mariupol. And it'll come,” Mayor Vadym Boychenko mentioned.