Is Kyiv still a target for Russian forces?

Weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started, Moscow was forced to reposition and scatter its forces around the eastern European country. Kyiv has seen a striking decline in attacks in the second half of April.

Russian forces appear to shift focus to southern and eastern regions of Ukraine and move ahead strategically. Mariupol was one of the first cities to fall in the renewed attack. Kherson was occupied by Russia early in the conflict.

Also Read: Russia has destroyed nearly 400 hospitals in Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that the Ukrainian national capital was still the “main target” for Russia. The mayor said that he worried Moscow may use a tactical nuclear weapon on Kyiv.

“Safety is the main priority right now …Yes of course we worry, and we hope our warriors defend us, but the risk is still there and without our partners, without the United States and European countries we can not survive”, Klitschko told CNN in a statement.

The mayor also warned displaced Kyiv residents who wished to return to the city after seeing a decline in the Russian offensive.

“As mayor of Kyiv, I tell to anyone, sorry, it is your personal risk, but we can not give you a guarantee … So long as there is war in Ukraine we can not give the guarantee for any Ukrainian,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, has previously announced on his social media handles that he is residing in Kyiv.

Also Read: UN chief calls war ‘senseless’ as Russia on its way out of Ukraine’s Mariupol

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military on Thursday acknowledged that Russian forces had made some progress in the eastern regions of the country. 

“In the Sloviansk direction, the occupiers are regrouping troops to resume the offensive on Barvinkove and Sloviansk. The enemy moved the battalion tactical group in order to strengthen the advanced units”, a military update from the Ukrainian forces on Thursday said, CNN reported.