The brother of the mayor of Ukraine’s capital has urged the world to “act now” to stop the war Russia has waged on the country, saying tomorrow would be too late.
Wladimir Klitschko made the appeal on the third day of the invasion, while Russian troops closed in on Kyiv and heavy street fighting took place in its outskirts.
The mayor’s brother, a former boxing champion, said on Saturday: “I’m addressing the entire world to stop this war that Russia has started.”
He said civilians were being killed in the heart of Europe as Russian attacks continued.
“There is no time to wait as that is going to lead to a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr Klitschko said in a video appeal posted on social media.
“You need to act now to stop Russian aggression with anything you can have now. In an hour, or by tomorrow, is going to be too late.”
He added: “Don’t wait. Act now. Stop this war.”
Russian forces continued to strike Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday, with fighting taking place across the country.
Troops pushed towards Kyiv, which was hit by Russian assaults during the night causing residents to shelter underground. Intense fighting took place in the outskirts, where a missile hit a tower block reportedly injuring six civilians.
But Ukraine’s leader said its armed forces had “derailed” Vladimir Putin’s plans to capture the capital city, which remained under Ukrainian control.
On Saturday, Vitali Klitschko extended a curfew for Kyiv to run from 5pm Saturday until 8am on Monday. He said: “All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
Both the mayor and his brother have vowed to take up arms for Ukraine in the fight against Russia - which launched its invasion by land, sea and air in the early hours of Thursday.
Also on Saturday, authorities said the death toll had risen to nearly 200 Ukrainians, including three children, to date in Europe’s largest land war since the Second World War.
Hundreds more have been wounded and more than 100,000 have fled to Poland, according to estimates.
