Pizza patriot: Kyiv eatery owner gives FREE pizzas to those willing to fight Russians
Amid the escalating tensions in Ukraine, a pizza shop owner in Kyiv is reportedly giving out free pizzas to Ukrainians who can show they have a gun to fight Russian invaders. The information on the pizza owner has been confirmed by MSNBC and other outlets. The pizza shop owner has not been named.
"On with @maddow from Ukraine, NBC’s @ErinNBCNews reports there is a pizza shop owner in Kiev offering free pizzas to any Ukrainian who shows they’ve got a gun with which to fight Russians. Extraordinary," NBC News Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent Garrett Haake tweeted.
On with @maddow from Ukraine, NBC’s @ErinNBCNews reports there is a pizza shop owner in Kiev offering free pizzas to any Ukrainian who shows they’ve got a gun with which to fight Russians. Extraordinary.
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) February 25, 2022
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Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has claimed that its forces have retaken Antonov airport on the outskirts of Kyiv that was earlier seized by Russian airborne troops. This comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered compulsory enlistment and banned all men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. Sources in Ukraine's Armed Forces believe that over 60 Russian battalion tactical groups are now deployed in Ukrainian territory. Zelensky also claimed that he was "target number one" for Russian assassins. He said that at least 137 Ukrainians have died so far.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine in an attempt to "defend separatists in the east of the country". "I have made the decision of a military operation to protect the people of the Donbas separatist region," he said in a television statement. The President urged Ukrainian soldiers to lay their arms down and head home.
Putin announced the military operation on Thursday, February 24, with explosions heard across Ukraine soon after. Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations told the Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “declared war on Ukraine". Soon after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine's capital Kyiv as well as across other cities and towns. There were reportedly air raid sirens in the center of Kyiv. Although the severity of Thursday's attacks was not immediately clear, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the worst-case scenario has unfolded.
US officials have said they expect Ukraine's capital to fall by the end of the weekend. General George Joulwan, who commanded NATO during the Yugoslav war, said he expects Kyiv to fall within 24-36 hours.
Putin's move came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Russians not to support a "major war in Europe". He also said that people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine, adding that when he tried to contact Putin, there was "no answer, only silence". He confirmed on Wednesday, February 23, that Moscow had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine's borders. While Ukraine has around 2,00,000 military personnel, Moscow's total forces are much larger.
