Mayor of Kiev: Two million people still remain in the city

Kyiv Mayor and former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko told Reuters today that he believes nearly 2 million people are still left in the city, which is under pressure from Russian troops on several fronts.

He said the Ukrainian capital, home to nearly 3.5 million people, had several vital supplies that could last about two weeks and that supply lines to and from the city were still open.

Vladimir’s brother, also a boxing champion, added in a joint interview that some of the men and women who had accompanied their families to a relative security in the western part of the country were returning to join the city’s defense.

“We estimate that about 2 million people are still in Kyiv and it is very important that we provide services to the people,” Vitali told Reuters in central Kiev.

“Right now we have electricity, heating, gas, we have water,” he added, speaking in English. At the same time, he thanked the countries that send supplies to Ukraine.

Russian forces are already close to Kyiv, west and northwest of the capital, where heavy fighting is taking place with Ukrainian troops, and have moved closer to the east and northeast.

Hundreds of thousands of residents have sought refuge in western Ukraine as the conflict approaches the outskirts of Kiev, following the example of millions who have been forced to flee their homes, sometimes due to heavy bombardment.

“Yes, there are many refugees who have gone west, many are returning. Many men and women are returning to defend the country. It is our homeland. We are staying here. We are not going anywhere,” said Vladimir Klitschko, who has joined the reserve army. of Ukraine earlier this month.