Promises Russia Will Not Enter Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko: We Are Ready To Fight For The Defense Of The City

Ukrainian rescue workers evacuate residents from buildings hit by Russian attacks. (Wikimedia Commons/dsns.go.ua/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv said Russian troops would never be able to enter the city, with residents fighting and never giving up amid the advance of Russian troops in the capital.

The comments of former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko on Monday came hours after one person was reported killed and dozens injured when an apartment block in northern Kyiv was hit by what is believed to be artillery fire.

"I feel very bad, as every citizen of Ukraine, because no one feels safe right now in Ukraine", Klitschko told Al Jazeera as quoted March 15.

"Russian propaganda explains they are only targeting military forces. Today, we have a picture of the (civilian) buildings where very peaceful people lived, demolished."

The attack destroyed the apartment on several floors, damaging the front and back of the residential building.

"People died, many were injured. Kyiv is not the first", Klitschko said, referring to other Ukrainian cities that have been targeted by Russian shelling, such as the port city of Mariupol.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Wikimedia Commons Kyivcity.gov.ua)

"We have a lot of experience in recent weeks with Russian aggression", he said.

Ukrainian authorities say the besieged city of Mariupol has been the target of relentless bombardment since Russian troops besieged it on March 2.

Since then, some 400,000 people living in Mariupol have been left without access to water, food, and medicine. Heat and telephone and electricity services in many areas have been cut off.

In Kyiv, Klitschko said Russia's goal was to bring "panic into the city".

"We will never surrender, we will fight. Russia is killing our children, destroying our buildings, destroying our city, we are ready to fight and defend our city", he stressed.

Klitschko further said he believes Ukrainian troops will continue to resist Russian attempts to enter Kyiv, even as they get closer to the heart of the capital.

"Russians will never come to our city. I promise as mayor of Kyiv, and I tell people, citizens, I tell everyone (that)", he said.

The United Nations (UN) says at least 596 civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion began on February 24, but it is believed the real toll is much higher because it has not been able to corroborate reports from areas where hostilities continue.

Meanwhile, Russia has denied targeting civilians, describing its actions as special operations for demilitarization and denazification. As for Ukraine and its Western allies, this is a baseless pretext for a war of choice.