Associated Press journalists from Ukraine and elsewhere are documenting Russian military activity during the invasion. It is hard to determine exactly what is going on with disinformation rampant and social media amplifying military claims. Here are some possible confirmations for Saturday.
Directly Witnessed:
On the eastern side of Kyiv, many checkpoints could be seen. They were manned by uniformed policemen and servicemen, sometimes with civilians, and often backed up by men wearing civilian clothes.
A few low-flying aircraft that looked like Su-25 fighter jets were seen flying over Kyiv. However, it was impossible to determine if they were Russian or Ukrainian.
It is quiet in Mariupol, an Azov sea port city and industrial centre that Russia considers a target. The streets are regularly occupied by police officers. You can hear artillery or air strikes in the distance. Guarding bridges and preventing people from the area around the coast, soldiers are present.
— Explosions heard in central Kyiv about 800m (half a mile) away from the presidential headquarters.
The tall apartment building was damaged by shelling in Kyiv, along the eastern bank of the Dneiper River, which runs through the capital. It is located 13 km (8 miles) southeast from the government quarter.
— Photographing in front of a main thoroughfare that leads into central Kyiv.
Ukrainian soldiers evacuate an unmarked military vehicle that was damaged in gunfire in Kyiv. It is located in the Obolon district, about 10 km (6 miles) north from the government quarter.
Ukrainian military establishes defensive positions on bridges around Kyiv. Kyiv streets are populated by armored personnel carriers. Snowplows have been placed by the Ukrainian authorities at certain spots on Kyiv roads in an effort to slow traffic.
Russian missile launcher visible at the border of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. Shelling can be heard far away.
— A bridge was destroyed in Ivankiv (about 60 km/40 miles northwest of Kyiv).
ANNOUNCED BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIIES:
Moscow: The Kremlin claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a halt to troops’ actions after he accepted Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal to meet with him a day earlier. After the talks failed, Russian troops continued their advance. AP journalists from different parts of Ukraine saw that Russia did not stop its offensive.
Russia’s military claimed it had taken control of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia area in southern Ukraine, 50 km (about 30 mi) from the Azov sea coast. This claim was not independently verified.
Russian military claimed it had taken control of an airport in the vicinity of Kiev. The runway at Hostomel is long enough to accommodate all types of aircraft. Russia could have control and fly troops to Kyiv’s outskirts.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its forces have sealed Sumy and Konotop in northeastern Ukraine. They have destroyed 211 facilities of military infrastructure. These claims could not be independently verified.
ANNOUNCED BY UKRAINIAN AUTHORIIES:
Ukrainian Armed Forces tweeted that Russians had lost eleven helicopters and seven aircraft, including three Su-30 CM fighters. They also lost a column of equipment, and a fuel train.
According to a senior American intelligence officer, the Ukrainian military claimed it had shot down a Russian military transport plane carrying paratroopers. It was located near Vasylkiv (a city about 25 miles south of Kyiv). It wasn’t clear how many were aboard. Transport planes can hold up to 125 paratroopers. Russia has not commented.
Zelenskyy stated Saturday that Russian attempts at entering Kyiv were defeated and that Russian forces had struck civilian areas and infrastructure.
The health minister of Ukraine said that 198 people were killed, three of them children, and over 1,000 more were injured. He didn’t say if those numbers included civilians or military personnel. Russia has not released any casualty numbers. The Ukrainian military claimed that it had killed more than 1,000 Russian troops in the battle against Moscow’s invasion a day earlier. Both claims about human casualties could not be independently verified.
The Ukrainian nuclear energy regulator stated that higher levels of gamma radiation were detected around Chernobyl’s nuclear plant. This was the site of the worst nuclear accident in history, and after it was taken by the Russian military. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the levels reported aren’t dangerous for the public. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, radiation levels in this area are normal.
Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv Mayor, said that gunfire and explosions were caused by Ukrainian troops fighting Russian saboteurs. Five explosions also occurred in an area close to a large power plant at the city’s eastern fringes. There were no immediate reports of electricity outages.
Donetsk is the largest city in the seperately-held territories. On Saturday, hot water supply to the city of approximately 900,000. was cut off due to damage caused by Ukrainian shelling. This claim could not be independently verified immediately.
ANNOUNCED BY THE OFFICIALS ELSEWHERE
According to a senior U.S. Defense official, advancing Russian forces were approximately 30 km (about 19 miles) from Kyiv on Saturday. An unspecified number Russian military “reconnaissance” elements had also entered the capital.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian advance was temporarily slowed due to logistics and strong Ukrainian resistance. According to the ministry, there were only a few prepositioned Russian sabotage units involved in overnight clashes in Kyiv.
Two American officials who were directly informed of the situation in Ukraine claimed that Russian Airborne Forces attacked Ukrainian units near Kyiv on Saturday morning from three different sides. Some of the attacks were repelled by Ukrainian forces.
The national naval agency of Moldova reported that a ship carrying a Moldovan flag was struck by a missile in neutral waters in the Black Sea. Two crew members were left seriously hurt.
A U.S. defense officer stated that a Russian amphibious attack was underway and that thousands of Russian naval infantry were moving west of Mariupol. According to the official, Ukrainian air defenses were still in operation after being degraded.
