Kyiv continues to defy an intensifying Russian assault

THE WARNINGS began early on the morning of February 25th. Russian special forces were in Kyiv, the authorities said, and they were trying to seize power. Some of the visitors might even have acquired Ukrainian military vehicles; others could be pretending to be international observers. In Podil, a historic neighbourhood in the centre of the city, where the sound of church bells was periodically interrupted by explosions and gunfire, Ukrainian forces opened fire on two military vehicles believed to be Russian. Whether they were the enemy or not is debatable. The bullet-pierced windows and the pools of blood were not.

As the day thundered on, officials increased the alarm. By lunchtime Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of the city, declared that Kyiv was moving into a new, defensive phase. The ministry of defence called on residents to stop Russian tanks with Molotov cocktails. In parts of the city, trucks were seen handing out rifles to anyone who would take them. Petro Poroshenko, a former president, gave interviews with a Kalashnikov in hand, surrounded by a dozen soldiers with machine guns and British-Swedish made NLAW anti-tank weapons.