Ukrainians stay to fight, as Russian troops draw closer to capital

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Russian troops continued the assault on Ukraine Saturday, after a night of explosions and street fighting sent residents of Ukraine's capital city Kyiv underground seeking shelter.

Officials remain unsure of exactly how far Russian troops have moved, as Ukrainian officials reported some success in fending off the assaults.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused an American offer to evacuate saying, “The fight is here.”

“We aren’t going to lay down weapons. We will protect the country,” the Ukrainian president said. “Our weapon is our truth, and our truth is that it’s our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that.”

Ukraine’s health minister reported Saturday that 198 people have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded. The death toll included 25 civilians and three children.

Officials added most civilians have died from shelling or airstrikes.

City officials in Kyiv urged residents to seek shelter and to stay away from windows, as many residents spent the night in basements, underground parking garages and subway stations.

This, comes as NATO has decided to send parts of the alliance's response force to help protect member nations for the first time ever.

Although somewhat unclear, is estimated around 10,000 troops were sent and the assistance will involve land, air and sea power in what is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.

Tune in for a live report starting at 6 a.m. on ABC 17 News.