Russian forces have entered Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as residents of the Ukrainian capital reported a massive explosion and other blasts early on February 27 as Russia’s war on its neighbor intensified and as Western powers announced a new, dramatic step in efforts to punish Moscow with sanctions for its aggression.
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The head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Oleh Sinegubov, said that Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops in the city and asked civilians not to leave their homes.
Videos posted online by Ukrainian officials showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street.
Reuters quoted a witness in Kharkiv as saying Russian soldiers and armored vehicles could be seen in different parts of the city and firing could be heard.
Sinegubov urged residents to stay inside, saying Russian troops appeared to be in the city center.
“Do not leave shelters! The Armed Forces of Ukraine are eliminating the enemy. Civilians are asked not to take to the streets,” he said in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, an explosion hit the southeastern part of Kyiv just after midnight and left a glowing red light over a military fuel depot. There were no immediate reports on damage or injuries in what could be the start of the final battle for Kyiv and the Ukrainian nation.
Authorities said a Russian strike hit an oil depot in Vasylkiv, a city just south of Kyiv.
“The enemy wants to destroy everything,” the mayor of Vasylkiv, Natalia Balasinovich, said.
Russian forces used artillery, and reportedly ballistic missiles, to hit the fuel depot at the Ukrainian air base at Vasylkiv, about 15 kilometers south of the capital. The explosion shook windows for kilometers and the…