More than two weeks since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, the capital Kiev still proves to be a solid stronghold in the face of the advancing momentum of Russian forces.
In the early morning of March 15, many loud explosions shook the Ukrainian capital Kiev. A 9-storey apartment building was damaged suspected of being hit by a Russian missile. Loud explosions resounding while the city was still asleep was a more frequent occurrence in Kiev as Russian forces increased their siege of the city from all directions. Even so, central Kiev appeared to remain unharmed as other Ukrainian cities came under intense shelling and air raids with heavy casualties.
Geographical advantage
More than two weeks since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, the capital Kiev still proves to be a solid stronghold in the face of the advancing momentum of Russian forces. The Western world said that, despite the siege efforts, the momentum of Russia's offensive in Kiev remained almost unchanged for a long time. This is attributed to Moscow's strong resistance from the Ukrainian army and the topographical challenges of Kiev.
Two generals in charge of the defense of Kiev told the BBC that defending Kiev was not easy, but the city's topography helped Ukraine a lot in stopping the advance of Russian forces.
General Andriy Krischenko, who is also the deputy mayor of Kiev, said that Kiev is large in size but has an intricate system of rivers, not only the Dnieper River separating the city but also its tributaries.
"Defending a large city is extremely difficult, but on the other hand, it is also a plus. Our army is building defenses thanks to bridges, rivers. All over the city there are many. Small rivers flow into the Dnieper and there are many marshy areas, so the area is not suitable for a large-scale offensive," Krischenko said.
Another advantage, according to Krischenko, is that Kiev, which is an industrial city with factories and workshops, is ready to transform the wartime production model and create products for defense. for the city such as concrete blocks, sandbags or other obstacles to prevent the advance of tanks.
General Krischenko and General Sergiy Knyazev stood in front of a large screen they used to monitor the momentum of the Russian advance towards Kiev. They said that the Ukrainian army attacked and blocked the advance of two Russian wings, one in the east, one in the northwest of Kiev, in which, many Russian military vehicles were destroyed due to the restoration. Ukrainian raid. The Russian convoy, which stretched for 64 km, had to be dispersed after the ambush and was no longer a threat to Kiev, they said.
Broken bridges
According to Knyazev, the northwestern region of Kiev remains the biggest concern of the army. This is the direction in which Russian ground forces are closest to Kiev, an area about 20km from the center of Kiev and separated by the Irpin River.
Ukraine has deployed forces to knock down strategic bridges here. According to the Guardian, the Ukrainian military destroyed a pontoon bridge near Hostomel to prevent Russian forces from crossing the Irpin River into the capital Kiev. The pontoon bridge is located about 8 kilometers north of the main bridge over the Irpin River. Maxar's satellite image on March 10 shows that the pontoon bridge appears to have been destroyed. Another photo posted on social media on March 13 also shows the damaged bridge, nearby are Russian military vehicles.
With the main bridge over the Irpin River demolished to impede the Russian advance more than a week ago, the Irpin River is expected to pose a significant obstacle to Russian forces.
This is the second location where Russian forces built a pontoon bridge to move military vehicles during the attack. Before starting the military operation in Ukraine, Russia built a pontoon bridge over the Pripyat River in the Chernobyl region and moved forces across it.
The ability to resist and defend the Ukrainian army has so far surprised both military planners and analysts. Previously, Western intelligence said that Kiev could only hold out for a few days if Russia attacked the city. Even so, through more than two weeks of conflict, Kiev has shown defensive capabilities beyond expectation.
In a speech over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's military had dealt the "strongest blow in decades" to Russian forces. He also affirmed that the fight to defend Ukraine's country against the Russian offensive is already at a "turning point" and will be won.
He said that the Russian side had suffered heavy losses after two weeks of military operations. In an online address to the US Congress, President Zelensky said that Russia had lost 80 fighter jets and "soon the number of Russian planes and helicopters shot down in Ukraine will be in the hundreds".
He called on Russian soldiers to surrender, ending the operation. "On behalf of the Ukrainian people, we give you a chance to live. If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way everyone should be treated, in a respectful manner. dignity. Choose to go", Mr. Zelensky emphasized.
Meanwhile, Russian officials asserted that the country's forces could completely gain control of major Ukrainian cities, but did not do so. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had asked the Russian military to avoid massive attacks on key Ukrainian cities such as the capital Kiev before the military operation, due to concerns about the units. Ukraine's military will use civilians as human shields. Even so, Moscow claims, the military operation is still going as planned.
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