WW3: Ukrainian, Russian troops in gun battle on streets of Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said Saturday after a defiant President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed his pro-Western country would not be bowed by Moscow.

“I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,” Zelensky said, as Russia said it had fired cruise missiles at Ukraine’s military infrastructure.

Wearing olive green military-style clothing and looking tired but determined, Zelensky said: “Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this.

“This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!”

It was the third day since Russian leader Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of a wider conflict in Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the world must brace for a long war.

“This crisis will last, this war will last and all the crises that come with it will have lasting consequences,” Macron said at an agriculture fair in France. “We must be prepared”.