Defense Ministry: It’s too early to return to Kyiv, as missile strike threat remains

Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said this during a nationwide telethon on Ukrainian TV channels, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"It is too early to return to Kyiv, because a threat of missile strikes throughout Ukraine still exists, and the enemy does not leave the goal of capturing all of Ukraine and Kyiv in particular. The situation is quite difficult, so it is worth waiting a little longer and we will see how the situation develops, including in the east," Maliar said.

She also stressed that it is especially important that families with children refrain from returning to Kyiv city.

"The battles are currently in the active phase in eastern Ukraine, missile and bomb strikes are being inflicted on Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Thus, the active phase of the war continues, which means that the risk persists throughout Ukraine, and considering that Kyiv was a key goal for them and they do not leave this goal, it is still worth waiting,” the deputy minister said.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure facilities, conducting massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, multiple rocket launchers and ballistic missiles.

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