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Battle of Kharkiv: Citizens upload footage of Russian soldiers in city to alert Ukrainian troops

Russian troops had remained on the outskirts of Kharkiv until Sunday, while other forces intensified the offensive in other parts of the country

Social media was inundated on Sunday, February 27, with videos of Russian troops entering Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, as they mounted pressure on strategic ports in the country's south.

The wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities across the country marked a new phase of Russia's invasion. Kremlin has reportedly sent a delegation to Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine. However, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested other locations to meet because Belarus served as a staging ground for the invasion. Russian troops had remained on the outskirts of Kharkiv until Sunday, while other forces intensified the offensive in other parts of the country.

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Residents and journalists flooded social networks with videos showing Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv, with Ukrainian forces enjoying minor victories after engaging them. Oleh Sinehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, has told civilians not to leave their homes.

"Published just now. Kharkiv. Russian enter city. All of a sudden they stop and start shooting and shelling at a house nearby. They look like nazis from old Soviet movies - and act like them. #Ukraine #UkraineWar," one Twitter user wrote while sharing a video. "Large Russian support column destroyed. According to the report, …was heading to Kharkiv. By underestimating, UAF and moving fast, the Russian armed forces have left their support vulnerable to devastating attacks," someone else added. "Fighting in Kharkiv," another wrote.

Western nations are working to equip the outnumbered Ukrainian forces with weapons and ammunition, as well as issuing heavy sanctions on Russia to further isolate Moscow as President Vladimir Putin pushed ahead with the offensive. Kyiv was lit up with huge explosions across the sky on Sunday, while people hunkered down in homes, underground tunnels, and subway stations to prepare for a full-scale assault by Russia. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office reported an explosion at an oil depot near an airbase in Vasylkiv and another at the civilian Zhuliany airport. The office also noted how Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv and warned people to protect themselves from the smoke by covering their windows with damp cloth or gauze. "We will fight for as long as needed to liberate our country," Zelenskyy vowed.

Terrified civilians sought safety in various hiding spots as the government maintained a nearly 40-hour curfew to keep people off the streets. According to NPR, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have fled to Poland, Moldova, and other neighboring countries. The UN has warned that number to grow to 4 million if the skirmishes continue. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said they will continue to increase pressure on strategic ports in the south of Ukraine by blocking the cities of Kherson on the Black Sea and the port of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea. He added that Russian forces had also seized control of an airbase near Kherson and the city of Henichesk on the Azov Sea.

Russia is slowly closing in on the Ukrainian capital while continuing its offensive in the country's south as it plans to take control of its coast stretching from the border with Romania in the west to the border with Russia in the east, NPR reported.

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.