On the Ground in Ukraine: A VICE News Tonight Special Report

we're an area northwest of kiev where there's been intense fighting over the past few days between the russians and the ukrainian militaries there is intense bombardment oh my god coming from all around us right now we are in ukraine one week after the start of the russian invasion from the streets of kyiv to a crucial port city where russian forces are closing in we are in odessa ukraine it's the third largest city in the country around the edge of the black sea and right now citizens civilians are preparing for war [Music] this is vice news tonight i'm josh hirsch krishnan devolu is on assignment russia has taken its first major city in ukraine harsam it's a port city along the black sea and its capture moves russia closer to cutting ukraine off from the rest of the world for a week now many of the stories from this war have been tinged with hope russian tanks bogged down europe united in solidarity an inspiring acts of ukrainian defiance but hope is harder to come by when you're actually being bombed matthew castle has been in kiev since before the first air raid warnings covering what people there are going through [Music] right now there is a sound of bombardment coming from all around us and all of the civilians from this area are fleeing okay i think we can probably go let's go we're an area of northwest of kiev where there's been intense fighting over the past few days between the russians and the ukrainian militaries there is intense bombardment oh my god coming from all around us right now jesus christ [Music] [Music] [Music] after months of amassing more than 100 000 troops on the ukrainian border russian president vladimir putin ordered an invasion of the country from multiple directions [Music] is [Music] for weeks now western intelligence agencies have been warning that russia might launch a full-scale war on ukraine but few here believed it could happen however this morning after around five o'clock russia began airstrikes across the country and there are air raid sirens going off right now here in the heart of kiev [Music] thousands are racing to get out of kiev lining up to board trains and buses that will take them out of the city did you ever expect that you would have to flee kiev with your family [Music] [Music] as night falls russia continues its advance and people are taking shelter underground in basements parking garages and subway stations twenty-seven-year-old christina mazurcik works in a jewelry store she tried to take shelter in a subway station close to her house but it was completely full so she's come here to the kushatik station with her mom and sister so what is [Music] foreign [Music] what do you think is going to happen in the coming days are you scared by what you might find when you go above ground tomorrow morning [Music] [Music] but russian forces continue to push deeper into the country and into kiev [Music] this apartment block was struck by a rocket from fighting a few kilometers away six people were injured [Music] was on duty at the hospital across the road what would have happened had that shell or missile hit the hospital but other ukrainians are taking up arms we're here outside this building in kiev that the government is using as a distribution point to hand out weapons to well anyone who wants one so that they can use them in the fight against the russians on the day of the invasion these two friends one a software engineer and the other a biochemist decided to join the territorial defense force an all-volunteer group within the ukrainian military russians have enslaved this land since i don't know at least 16th century they've made their best to suppress our language to suppress our culture to prohibit printing books in ukrainian and now they want to overthrow our state like what other churches we have it's pretty obvious ukrainians have suffered a lot of casualties so far aren't you afraid that you might be one of them they're heating buildings where civilians are living so we're in danger everywhere and the only option that we have left is to fight back and take as much of these busters to hell as we can the volunteer groups are setting up checkpoints all across the city we're here at this checkpoint and these territorial defense forces are suspecting that someone might be over there they've taken a position it gives you a sign of just how tense things are in kiev at the moment what happened there exactly victor kirichenko is in charge of this checkpoint in the vishnez neighborhood in western kiev who are these guys are you worried that russian forces are going to make it here to the center of kiev this is do you think that you and civilian volunteers and others are going to be capable of stopping them [Music] foreign the strength of the ukrainian defense has surprised the russians who have made only small territorial gains while losing hundreds of tanks and military vehicles in the process just over there are at least three military vehicles that have been absolutely destroyed the ukrainian soldiers told us that they belong to the russians who tried to come down this road this morning when they were met with a fierce resistance from the ukrainian military here these two vehicles here belong to the ukrainians and they're blocking the road because as you can see behind them it's a straight shot to the heart of kiev [Music] says so are you optimistic that the ukrainians can stop the russian events but it's unclear how long the ukrainian defenses can hold 40 mile column of russian tanks is heading directly for kiev people in the city are bracing themselves for a full-scale russian attack where have you been staying since we last saw you a few days ago [Music] even before hairson fell odessa another port city just 100 miles west was preparing for a direct attack a defeat here would solidify russia's grip on the black sea which connects ukraine to the whole world ben c solomon has more [Music] we are in odessa ukraine it's the third largest city in the country and right now citizens civilians are preparing for war the question is not if the russians will come it's when the russians will come volunteers have come out here building sandbags trying to make the defenses that will go all around the city to prepare for a russian invasion odessa is situated right at the edge of the black sea between russia and moldova the worry is if they take this town they control the entire south of the country more than one million people have already fled ukraine but for now here in odessa people are trying to save their city we were all scared first day but now we were on the angry i see a lot of people working here with passion and we are all united with our goal to protect our country to protect our city to protect our neighborhood are you worried for your family for your friends here of course i worry because it's war and it will be stupid don't no don't be worried but i decided to stay here and my wife stay here too because who will protect our country if all people will go abroad [Music] surrounding the city the ukrainian military is the first line of defense setting up a perimeter to defend from the coming invasion inside volunteers are setting up their own line of defense so right now we're with a kind of makeshift militia a week ago two weeks ago these guys were bakers and accountants today they're soldiers they have taken up arms that have been handed out by the military they've marked themselves with these like yellow bands to show that they're newfound soldiers and they're guarding all around the city some of them have experience some of them don't [Music] lean on [Music] aggression she survived the war in chechnya and then a decade later escaped the war in eastern ukraine now she's determined [Music] when you hear the bombs coming i mean are you scared yes it seems like you've been you've been in some sort of war for so much of your life i mean why not try to find somewhere else to live yo stella m the european union has announced it will let in refugees from ukraine and even give them residency for three years which is a pretty big shift from how it's treated refugees from non-white countries but it is good news for people in ukraine who've gotten clear of russian bombs and to safety bowkitness is at the polish border where people who've gotten through are starting to process what they're leaving behind [Music] i'm here in medica a border crossing between ukraine and poland already nearly a million refugees have fled ukraine and almost half have ended up here walking through a checkpoint much like this i spent most of today talking to those who fled their homes about their experiences and also about what they plan to do next [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] syria [Music] um um [Music] um problem [Music] foreign thanks to the entire team val kipnis madeline may and chico gonzalez that's it for vice news tonight we're back next wednesday march 9th with a full hour on the invasion of ukraine until then we're staying on this 24 7. find us on all the socials and invice.com [Music] [Music] you

Channel: VICE News

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Keywords: VICE News, VICE News Tonight, VICE on HBO, news, vice video, VICE on SHOWTIME, vice news 2020, ukraine, russia, ukraine war, ukraine invasion, kyiv, kyiv live, ben solomon, josh hersh, vice news, vice news ukraine, invasion of ukraine, russia ukraine, ukraine russia, russia invasion, russia war, ukraine vice news, kyiv war, kyiv coverage, ukraine live, russia live

Id: fk5DgCwdTCw

Length: 22min 38sec (1358 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 04 2022