Ukraine's Volodomyr Zelenskyy has warned Russia that Ukraine will defend itself with a "powerful response" to any attacks set to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day.
"This response will grow, it will get stronger and stronger," Zelenskyy told a news conference during a visit to Kyiv by Poland's President Andrzej Duda, according to Reuters.
Duda reaffirmed Poland's support for Ukraine and stressed that the Ukrainian President and his compatriots were fighting "in defence of the integrity of the Ukrainian state".
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Earlier this week, Zelenskyy speculated that Moscow could "try something particularly ugly" in timing with Wednesday's celebrations which will mark Ukraine's split from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Tensions are running high in Kyiv following a series of explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea as well as the death of Russian journalist Darya Dugina, daughter of prominent nationalist Russian thinker Alexander Dugin.
Civilian and government infrastructure could be targeted
Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, banned public celebrations, as Western and Ukrainian intelligence services believe that the risk of violent rocket attacks on civilian areas and government buildings is high. There is currently a curfew in place in Kharkiv.
"It could get very ugly," President Zelenskyy warned, calling on citizens to stay vigilant. The president's warning hasn't fallen on deaf ears. His advisor Alex Rodnyansky said on Tuesday that the civilians are leaving the capital.
Rodnyansky told BBC Radio 4 that people were worried and there was "certainly some concern" of a strike. He added that Russia may try to compensate for its lack of success on the battlefield.
His comments come after the US called for its citizens to leave the capital as soon as possible on Tuesday, stating that it believes Russia is planning to target civilian and government infrastructure in the coming days as the war reaches its six-month mark.
