Ukrainians urged to use molotov cocktails to 'neutralise Russian troops'

Ukraine has told its citizens to prepare Molotov cocktails to use against Russian soldiers as Vladimir Putin's forces close in on Kyiv.

Russian troops were feared to be on the verge of entering the capital on Friday morning after the city was hit by “horrific rocket strikes” overnight.

Ukraine has urged its citizens to take up arms against enemy troops, with President Volodymyr Velenskyy telling his people that anyone who wanted them would be supplied with weapons.

"We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities," he said.

And on Friday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s Facebook page posted: "We urge citizens to inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails, and neutralise the enemy."

What is a Molotov cocktail?

A Molotov cocktail is an improvised weapon which sees fabric stabbed into a bottle of flammable liquid which can be set alight and launched at a target.

They were first seen during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, but the name wasn't coined until the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939.

The name was a reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, one of the key architects of a peace treaty which brought the Winter War to an end.

Read more: The faces of Putin's war: Bloodied Ukrainians pictured as Russian airstrikes claim first casualties

Ukraine has entered its second day of a fierce battle with Russia after a "full-scale" invasion was launched on Thursday.

The government confirmed that 137 Ukrainians were killed in the first day of conflict.

Unconfirmed claims by Ukraine's deputy defence minister have said Russia has lost 2,800 soldiers on the second day of conflict.

The country has also claimed to have destroyed 10 aircraft, seven helicopters, 80 tanks and 516 armoured combat since Russia started its attack.

As Russian soldiers advance on the capital city, the eyes of the world are watching to see if Russia will take control.

Gunfire and and bombs have been heard in central Kyiv, sparking fears the city could fall.

Russian troops and armoured vehicles were spotted in the residential district of Obolon on Friday - only 15km from the city centre.

Putin's forces claimed they had “blocked Kyiv . . . from the west”, although this could not be independently verified.

Experts have said if Kyiv is seized, that could potentially open a route for Russian reinforcements to make the journey from the south of Belarus.

Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv's mayor, said on Friday that "saboteurs have already entered" the city's borders.

“The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods, saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” he warned.

"The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us,”

Oblon's residents have been told to remain in their homes or in a shelter.

Kyiv’s city administration said in a statement: "“Going outside is very dangerous now due to the approach of the enemy."

Zelenskyy said “subversive groups” were encroaching on Kyiv, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv “could well be under siege”.

US officials believe the action is an attempt byPutin to dismantle Ukraine’s government and replace it with his own puppet regime.

Leaders of the Nato defence alliance, of which Ukraine is not a member, will hold an extraordinary virtual summit on Friday afternoon to discuss the crisis.

Britain, the US and the EU have hit Moscow with a concerted package of economic sanctions, but are facing calls to go further to exclude Russia from the Swift international payment system, a move backed by Mr Johnson but facing resistance in Europe.

Among the new UK sanctions introduced were measures to hit five further oligarchs, including the Russian president’s former son-in-law, and to target more than 100 businesses and individuals.

In the US, President Joe Biden was targeting Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, while deploying more troops to Germany to bolster Nato.

Zelenskyy said in an address early on Friday sanctions alone were not doing enough to deter Russia.

“This morning we are defending our state alone. Like yesterday, the world’s most powerful forces are watching from afar,” he said.

“Was Russia convinced by yesterday’s sanctions? We hear in our sky and see on our earth that this was not enough.”