Putin calls on Ukrainian military to overthrow government in Kyiv

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on the Ukrainian Armed Forces to overthrow the government in Kyiv and agree to a peace deal, a day after the Kremlin launched an invasion of its southern neighbor.

"I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," Putin said in a statement before the Russian Security Council according to Reuters.  

“Take power into your own hands,” Putin urged Ukrainian military leadership, adding that it would be easier to reach an agreement with the military than “with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis, who occupied Kyiv and took the entire Ukrainian people hostage.”

Although Western intelligence sources previously warned that Putin hopes to "decapitate" Kyiv's democratically elected government, the Ukrainian military has held its ground and the Kremlin’s incursion into its southern neighbor has not been “as fast as anticipated.” 

According to the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian military units began entering the capital on Friday in preparation for what could quickly turn into urban, guerrilla warfare – with tens of thousands of civilians taking up government-issued weapons and preparing Molotov cocktails.

On Friday, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters that the city “has entered into a defensive phase”

“Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighborhoods saboteurs have already entered Kyiv. The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us," he warned.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine early Thursday morning, Ukrainian forces have killed more than 1,000 Russian soldiers and destroyed upwards of 80 tanks, 516 armored combat vehicles, 10 aircraft and 7 helicopters, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.