Kyiv damage from Russian attacks in billions of dollars

Odesa, Ukraine, Mar 17 (EFE).- Russian attacks against Kyiv since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 have caused billions of dollars in damage, mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said Thursday.

“We see how destroyed the infrastructure is, we see that the economy isn’t working, we see how many people have fled their homes and now moved to other regions,” the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said, according to the state agency Ukrinform.

“There are no clear figures, but it’s all billions of dollars in damage. Normal operations, normal life of our people, normal life of our capital has stopped as such. This is due solely to the aggression of orcs who are trying to capture the capital,” he added.

Klitschko also called on Kyiv residents not to leave their homes and shelters unless absolutely necessary, and said a number of civilians have been killed in the city in recent days.

“And we see that the number of civilians dying in these attacks keeps growing,” the former heavyweight boxer said, adding that a curfew that has been in place for the past two days had been worthwhile.

“Currently, there are forces working in the city to locate groups carrying out sabotage. They could be anywhere. And I appeal (to all citizens) to remain vigilant, if you have any information or see suspicious people, contact the police,” he said.

Russian troops have been besieging Kyiv and pounding it with missile attacks for days. EFE

int-rml/ks/mp