Vitali Klitschko has hit back at Vladimir Putin's claim that Russia are "only targeting military targets" in Ukraine, calling it "bulls***".
The former world heavyweight champion has been on the front lines as part of his role as the mayor of Kyiv, and has witnessed first hand the destruction in his city. Both he and his brother Wladimir, also a boxing legend, are helping to keep the city safe amid a number of attacks from Russian military.
Vitali himself is reported to have picked up arms against Russian soldiers, and slammed Putin again for his comments about only attacking military targets. When asked about it by Channel 7 reporter Chris Reason in front of another destroyed Kyiv building, Klitschko responded: "Bulls***! Sorry, where is the military target? This building is a military target?"
WARNING: Video features strong language
Russian airstrikes have been launched nearer to the capital, leading to thousands fleeing the outskirt towns of Irpin and Bucha. But the former world heavyweight champion brothers have stayed with Vitali claiming he would be ‘willing to die’ for his country.
The pair are sons to a Russian mother, and have long hailed the diversity of Ukraine as one of its strong points. They have argued that Russian athletes, including Dmitry Bivol who is set to face Canelo Alvarez in May, should be banned from competing in an effort to get the message out that the war is wrong.
On Monday, CCTV footage captured the moment a Russian projectile destroyed a Kyiv city bus and damaged the surrounding street. The incident saw one person killed and a further six injured.
The blast occurred near the publicly owned Kurenivskyi Park in the Ukrainian capital, which the elder Klitschko reopened just three years ago after a lengthy renovation, and was confirmed by a message from the mayor of the city.
The camera footage showed the projectile impacting the ground from an angle in the park while pedestrians and cars were passing by, sending debris across the street as the area began to fill with black smoke.
Klitschko confirmed through a Facebook post from Kyiv City Council that there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the explosion, saying in a Facebook post which was translated by AP: “Just recently, the wreckage of a rocket fell on the road in Kurenivka. One person was killed and six were injured. An ambulance took the two wounded.
“The trolleybus, which was without passengers, was completely destroyed. Windows flew, (there are) damaged balconies of surrounding houses and commercial premises on the ground floors. Rescuers and ambulance crews are working on the spot.”
