Staff Reporter
THE Russian military is meeting strong and wide resistance and may have been caught off guard by the level of pushback by Ukraine fighters as the Russian invasion enters day four, Al Jazeera reports.
Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, while thousands of citizens spent another night sheltering, Sky News reports.
Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova, said the Russian forces have been unable to take Kharkiv, about 40 kilometres from the Russian border, and a fierce battle is underway, according to The Associated Press.
Ukraine’s Health Ministry said 198 Ukrainians including three children have been killed in various attacks.
Early Sunday the Ukrainian president’s office reported an explosion in Kharkiv and said Russian forces had blown up a gas pipeline, Voice of America reported.
The explosion could cause an “environmental catastrophe,” it said, urging residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.
There were reports of shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has confirmed that missiles hit a radioactive waste disposal site.
On Facebook, it said: “As of 27 February 2022 at 01:20 Kyiv time, as a result of the mass bombing of Kyiv with all types of anti-aircraft and missile weapons available to the Russian Federation, the missiles hit the radioactive waste disposal site of the Kyiv branch of the State Specialised Enterprise “Radon”.
It added: “As a result of the mass shooting, which is still ongoing it is currently not possible to assess the extent of the destruction.
“The automated radiation monitoring system failed. But the surveillance cameras recorded the falling missiles.
“Assessment of the radiation situation will be carried out by portable devices after the shooting termination,” Sky News reports.
According to Al Jazeera, Western allies have pledged to supply military aid to Ukraine.
Germany will send Ukraine 1 000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles “as quickly as possible,” and the French presidential office said France will send defensive weapons and fuel.
The Netherlands also announced it will send anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the defence ministry said.
The Dutch government will supply 50 Panzerfaust-3 anti-tank weapons and 400 rockets, the ministry said in a letter to parliament.
The Netherlands is also jointly considering with Germany sending a Patriot air defence system to a NATO battle group in Slovakia, it said.
The United States and Western allies are still able to deliver arms into the country to bolster the Ukraine military, and Washington plans to send more in the coming days, a defence official said, Voice of America reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Washington will provide $350m in additional military equipment to Ukrainian forces.
“The anti-war coalition is working,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted.
According to reports, 3 500 Russian troops have been killed or injured. Sources: VOA/Sky News/Al Jazeera
