Russia’s 40-mile-long convoy of tanks and other military vehicles appeared to be preparing for a full-frontal assault on Kyiv, as bombings continue across the country.
Satellite images revealed on Friday that the convoy had started to regroup in an attempt to further encircle Ukraine’s capital city, where President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained since Russia’s invasion started.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed Friday that intelligence suggested Russian forces were preparing to move in on Kyiv “in the coming days,” as some of the images also showed artillery pieces already raised and ready for firing.
“Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days,” the ministry said. “This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.”
On Thursday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko revealed that about 2 million people have already fled the city, with the rest remaining behind to prepare for the possible Russian invasion.
“Every street, every house … is being fortified,” Klitschko said. “Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.”
According to the United Nation on Wednesday, at least 549 civilians have been killed in the war, including 41 children. Ukraine claims that more civilians have been killed than soldiers.
This comes after Russian forces blew up a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol and a psychiatric hospital near the eastern town of Izyum on Friday, sending a message to Ukrainians that nowhere is safe from Putin.
“This is a war crime against civilians, genocide against the Ukrainian nation,” Governor Oleh Synegubov wrote on Telegram.
Karim A.A. Khan, chief prosecutor of the Hague, is planning to open an investigation into Russia’s full-scale military operation in Ukraine on the grounds of war crimes.
“I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine in relation to the events already assessed during the preliminary examination by the Office,” said Khan in a statement.
As of Friday, 2,504,893 people have left Ukraine, with more than 1.5 million heading to Poland, reported the UN.
