We’re surrounded, civilians cannot escape, Kyiv mayor says

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says his city of 2.8 million people is surrounded and there is no way to evacuate civilians.

“We can’t do that, because all ways are blocked,” he says after a long pause. “Right now we are encircled.”

The mayor confirms to the AP that nine civilians in Kyiv had been killed so far, including one child.

“Ï just talked to the president [Volodymyr Zelensky]. Everybody is not feeling so well,” Klitschko said, adding that the Ukrainian city government employees were in shock but not depressed. “We show our character, our knowledge, our values.”

He defends a curfew imposed on the city and the creation of a civil defense guard, despite concerns over arming nervous civilians with little military experience amid warnings of Russian saboteurs disguised as Ukrainian police or journalists.

“We are hunting these people, and it will be much easier if nobody is on the street,” Klitschko explained, saying that six Russian “saboteurs” were killed Saturday night.

Earlier in the evening, an Israeli reporter was shot at while reporting next to his hotel after being suspected of being a spy.

“To be honest, we don’t have 100% control,” said Klitschko. “We built this territorial defense in a short amount of time — but these are patriotic people.”

Times of Israel staff contributed