Defence of Kyiv has started, mayor says

FILE PHOTO: Mayor of Kyiv and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko speaks with journalists during the opening of the first Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces recruitment centre in central Kyiv, Ukraine, February 2, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

(Reuters) - Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday the Ukrainian capital "has entered into a defensive phase" as Russian troops brought the sounds of war to the city.

"The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods saboteurs have already entered Kyiv. The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us," he told a news briefing.