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France 24
France 24
Politics

'Our fighting spirit is 120 percent': Ukrainian troops determined as Russian forces approach Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers look over the Dnieper river toward the Russian positions outside Kyiv. © FRANCE 24 screengrab

As the war rages on in Kharkiv and in other regions of Ukraine, the fighting is expected to intensify in the capital. Ukrainian soldiers remain stoic and determined to defend their country. FRANCE 24's chief foreign editor Rob Parsons reports from Kyiv.

Just before curfew, Ukrainian soldiers looked over the Dnieper river to the Russian positions, aware that when night fell the Russian army would attack again, just as they attacked the night before. The expectation this time was that the fighting would be fiercer still.

"Our fighting spirit is 120 percent. We're ready to defend our country. We're not going to surrender. Never," says Mikhail, a military engineer. "Eight years of war in Donbas and still Putin hasn't admitted his troops were there. But in those eight years, the Ukrainian military has learned how to fight its vile enemy. And now the Russians are suffering heavy losses."

Another soldier says, "We're not afraid. We've grown tired of fear. We have no other choice but to defend our country. We have to win for our next generation of children – for our future and our freedom."

Click on the video player above to watch the full report.

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