Ukraine crisis: Russian authorities warn civilians in Kyiv to ‘leave now’ as they prepare for assault on city

Russian authorities have told civilians still residing in Kyiv to ‘leave now’ as the city is expected to be bombarded with missiles.

Despite the Ukraine capital having a relatively calm night as Russian troops advance south, Russia has warned it is prepared for more attacks on the city, targeting military and state security depots and offices.

An estimated 15,000 Russian troops are positioned on the outskirts of the city however, no details of Putin’s plan for the Kyiv attacks have been confirmed.

The warning comes after four people were reportedly killed in Kharkiv on Wednesday morning as a missile struck buildings belonging to the police, the Security Service of Ukraine, and Karazin National University.

The eastern city is currently “partially surrounded” by Russian forces.

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has also spoken out, calling for daily protests against the war.

“Putin is not Russia. And if there is anything in Russia right now that you can be most proud of, it is those 6824 people who were detained because - without any call - they took to the streets with placards saying No War’”, Mr Navalny tweeted.

“We cannot wait any longer. Wherever you are, in Russia, Belarus or on the other side of the planet, go to the main square of your city every weekday and at 2 pm on weekends and holidays.”

‘SECRET’ MAP REVEALS RUSSIA’S BATTLE PLAN

As Russian forces escalate the war in Ukraine, there are fears that the invasion will not stop there — with secret plans possibly being inadvertently leaked to invade Moldova next.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sidekick, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, appears to have indicated that the former Soviet republic, which borders Ukraine in the south, is the next target on Moscow’s hit list.

The war-mongering Belarussian leader was showing a map of Russia’s battle plans to security officials, which showed lines of invasion into Ukraine.

Worryingly, the map also seemed to show plans for Russia marching troops into Moldova.

A Ukrainian military official said Belarusian troops joined the war on Tuesday in the Chernihiv region in the north.

Mr Lukashenko had previously said that his country had no plans to join the fight.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that Mr Putin wanted to create a new “Soviet Empire” and was convinced the Russian President would go hard to achieve the goal.

“You don’t need intelligence to tell you that’s exactly what President Putin wants,” Mr Blinken said.

“He has made clear he’d like to reconstitute the Soviet Empire, short of that he’d like to reassert a sphere of influence around the neighbouring countries that were once part of the Soviet bloc.”

Mr Blinken went on to promise that NATO would stand in the way of Mr Putin’s ultimate goals.

“When it comes to a threat beyond Ukraine’s borders, there’s something very powerful standing in his way,” he said.

“That’s article five of NATO, an attack on one is an attack on all.”

Moldova, which has a population of about 2.6 million, is not a member of NATO.

‘PUTIN & OLIGARCHS WILL PAY’

US President Joe Biden condemned Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — and warned of further measures to punish Russia.

“I say to the Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime, no more,” Mr Biden said during his State of the Union address as he announced a new task force under the US Justice Department to investigate Russian oligarchs.

“We are joining with our European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments and their private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.”

The US is also closing its airspace to Russian aircraft, joining a number of countries that took similar measures this past week.

Mr Biden also issued a grim warning to Mr Putin.

“He has no idea what’s coming,” The US President said. “Putin has unleashed violence and chaos.

“But while he may make gains on the battlefield — he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.”

UNITED NATIONS WALKOUT

Diplomats from across the globe have walked out during a speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in which he blamed Ukraine for the war.

Diplomats from countries including Britain, United States and France stood up and filed out of the room when Mr Lavrov’s pre-recorded video message to the UN Human Rights Council was played at a Geneva disarmament conference.

During his speech, the Foreign Minister blamed Ukraine for the war, claiming Kyiv wanted to acquire nuclear weapons.

But Mr Lavrov’s speech fell on deaf ears after diplomats left the chamber.

They stood in a circle outside the meeting for the duration of Mr Lavrov’s speech, holding a Ukrainian flag.

CAMPAIGN OF TERROR

Russian forces have escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas, with five people killed in a missile attack on Kyiv’s TV tower.

Russia also bombarded the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city of Kharkiv.

“Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed after the bloodshed.

In Kharkiv, with a population of about 1.5 million, at least six people were killed when the region’s Soviet-era administrative building on Freedom Square was hit with what was believed to be a missile.

The attack was seen by many Ukrainians as brazen evidence that the Russian invasion is not just about hitting military targets but also about breaking their spirit.

The bombardment blew out windows and walls of buildings that ring the massive square, which was piled high with debris and dust.

Inside one building, chunks of plaster were scattered and doors, ripped from their hinges, lay across hallways.

“People are under the ruins. We have pulled out bodies,” emergency official Yevhen Vasylenko said.

Mr Zelensky pronounced the attack as “frank, undisguised terror” and a war crime.

“This is state terrorism of the Russian Federation,” he said.

Mr Zelenskyy said 16 children were killed across Ukraine on Monday, mocking Russia’s claim that it was going after only military targets.

“Where are the children? What kind of military factories do they work at? What tanks are they going at?” he said.

WAR CRIME ACCUSATIONS

Human Rights Watch said it documented a cluster bomb attack outside a hospital in Ukraine’s east in recent days.

Local residents also reported the use of such weapons in Kharkiv and the village of Kiyanka.

The Kremlin has denied using cluster bombs.

Russia on Tuesday found itself in the firing line of war crimes after being accused of launching cluster and vacuum bombs.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the US claimed Russia had used a devastating vacuum bomb as the Kremlin became increasingly worried over its stalled military onslaught.

“They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention,” Oksana Markarova said.

“The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.”

Vacuum bombs are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed, capable of vaporising bodies and crushing internal organs.

Cluster bombs shoot smaller “bomblets” over a large area, many of which fail to explode until long after.

GIANT CONVOY CLOSES IN

A monstrous 64km-long convoy of hundreds of Russian tanks and other vehicles continues to slowly advance on Kyiv.

NATO officials fear it is a bid by Mr Putin to topple the Ukrainian Government and install a Kremlin-friendly regime.

The invading forces also pressed their assault on other towns and cities, including the strategic ports of Odesa and Mariupol in the south.

A senior US defence official said that Russia’s military progress — including by the massive convoy — hasa slowed, plagued by logistical and supply problems.

Some Russian military columns have run out of gas and food, the official said, and morale has suffered as a result.

Overall, the Russian military has been stalled by fierce resistance on the ground and a surprising inability to completely dominate Ukraine’s airspace.

PUTIN WILL BE MADE TO PAY

Russia is finding itself increasingly isolated as the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II rages on.

Moscow has been beset by tough sanctions that have thrown its economy into turmoil and left the country practically friendless, apart from a few nations such as China, Belarus and North Korea.

US President Joe Biden has vowed to make Mr Putin “pay a price” for the invasion.

“He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And he thought he could divide us here at home,” Mr Biden will say.

“Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson — when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos.”

DEATH TOLL

As the fighting in Ukraine continues, the death toll remains unclear.

The United Nations Human Rights office said it had recorded 136 civilian deaths. The real toll is believed to be far higher.

One senior Western intelligence official estimated that more than 5000 Russian soldiers had been captured or killed.

Ukraine gave no overall estimate of troop losses.

SWITCH IN TACTICS

Many military experts worry that Russia may be shifting tactics.

Moscow’s strategy in Chechnya and Syria was to use artillery and air bombardments to pulverise cities and crush fighters’ resolve.

The bombing of the TV tower in Kyiv, which has a population of about three million, came after Russia announced it would target transmission facilities in the capital used by Ukraine’s intelligence agency.

It urged people living near such places to leave their homes.

TALKS STALL & MORE THREATS

The first talks between Russia and Ukraine since the invasion were held on Monday but ended with only an agreement to talk again.

On Wednesday, Mr Zelensky said Russia should stop bombing first.

“As for dialogue, I think yes, but stop bombarding people first and start negotiating afterwards,” he told CNN.

Moscow also made new threats of escalation, days after raising the spectre of nuclear war.

A top Kremlin official warned that the West’s “economic war” against Russia could turn into a “real one”.

CENSORSHIP

Inside Russia, a top radio station critical of the Kremlin was taken off the air after authorities threatened to shut it down over its coverage of the invasion.

Among other things, the Kremlin is not allowing the fighting to be referred to as an “invasion” or “war”.

Thousands of Russian have turned out to protest against the war in cities across Russia, while Russian athletes athletes around the world have pleaded for Mr Putin to stop the carnage.

FLEEING THE FIGHT

About 660,000 people have fled Ukraine and countless others have taken shelter underground.

Bomb damage has left hundreds of thousands of families without drinking water, United Nations humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths said.

“It is a nightmare and it seizes you from the inside very strongly,” he said.

Kharkiv resident Ekaterina Babenko, who is taking shelter in a basement with neighbours, said: “This cannot be explained in words.

“We have small children, elderly people, and frankly speaking it is very frightening.”

With agencies