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Kiev mayor introduces curfew in the city

Streets are under control now and document checks will be carried out, Vitaly Klitschko informed

KIEV, February 24. /TASS/. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced a decision on Thursday to introduce curfew in the Ukrainian capital.

"At the moment I want to say that curfew has been imposed and you should know that any movement around the city will not be allowed at night," Klitschko told the Ukraine-24 TV channel.

Streets are under control now and document checks will be carried out, Klitschko said, recommending citizens to stay at home.

Earlier reports said the city authorities were setting up some defense constructions at the entrance to Kiev and traffic in the city could be hindered.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.

On Thursday morning, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, introduced martial law across the country.

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