A Dutch couple is preparing to leave the Ukrainian capital Kiev following the Russian invasion. “I woke up in Odessa to huge explosions and my husband saw a fireball in Kiev. We are seriously concerned about our safety,” entrepreneur Dirck Smits van Oyen told this site.
The air raid sirens have been sounding in Kiev for several hours now. Local media report that residents of the city are already moving to the air raid shelters. ,,My husband is still at home with us in Kiev and reports of fireballs and explosions. It is a frightening situation”, says Van Oyen, who is currently working on work in the port of Odessa, about 500 kilometers south of Kiev. “I hear bangs and explosions here too. It woke me up.”
Smits van Oyen has lived with his husband for many years in Kiev and owns a large arable farm. With the war that has now broken out in his country, this all seems to be of secondary importance. “Tonight’s invasion is a harbinger of worse things to come to our country. Putin wants to force Ukraine to surrender and will not rest until he succeeds. That’s just how psychopaths work.”
Russia says Ukrainian air defenses and air forces have been knocked out in the attacks launched by Russia last night. The main goal on the ground seems to be to get hold of eastern Ukraine for the time being. Russian troops advance in the eastern province of Luhansk. Eyewitnesses speak of many fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Putin wants to force Ukraine to surrender and will not rest until he succeeds. That’s how psychopaths work
flee
Smits van Oyen sees no choice but to flee Kiev. ,,We are preparing for a departure today. My husband says there are already huge traffic jams around the capital. Apparently several people are afraid of what is about to happen. Ukraine is expected to resist, but at what cost? That’s the question now. It is not only a black day for our country, but for the whole world. We’re just at war, and I’m afraid it doesn’t end with Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is asking the international community for help and new sanctions against Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “The future of Europe and the world is at stake,” said Kuleba. He calls for “devastating sanctions” against Russia and “complete isolation” of the country. He also asks for weapons and financial and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
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