Thread by @timkmak

Morning to all from Ukraine -- another cold sunny day from where I am sitting.

Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands, with v little movement on the fronts around the capital city.

The world's eyes have instead been on the horrors in another place: the SE port city of Mariupol.

Russia bombed a maternity hospital in that city, and the images there are hard to process.

But observers of Putin's conduct in Syria, for example, would say that this is a standard part of the playbook.

https://twitter.com/rulajebreal/status/1501599507766816770?s=21

Here’s just one image of the resulting devastation, shared by Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry.

Pallor or ashen faces indicates shock or blood loss

"What was it? Was it the denazification of the hospital? It is beyond atrocities already," Ukrainian President Zelensky said in an emotional address

instagram.com/p/Ca5qyl3IItc/

A granny, noticing I'm an American, stopped me on the street this week.

She had evacuated Kyiv, and had no hesitation to confront me with what she wanted to say: Ukrainians need a no-fly zone.

"If the sky were closed, it would have been way easier," the Ukrainian granny told me. "It's just that we don't have closed sky right now. Rockets were flying near Kyiv. We saw a rocket flying."

She tells me she was evacuated from Kyiv to Western Ukraine by volunteers.

"We just ask the world. We suffer for no reason," the granny continued. "We want to go home. I cry every day and say I want to go home. It is very difficult."

"I ask them to support us. To support in all respects. The main thing is to close the sky," said the granny, 67 year old Valentyna. "And God forbid him [Putin] to push that button. God forbid."

War dog of the day is a dog named George the Great, who was brought along by Valentyna and her daughter Natalia Shulzhenko.

George hurt his paw after being scared by bombardment in Kyiv, and cutting himself on an exposed nail

He was shaking, either of cold or fear

Natalia explains why they brought George during the evacuation.

"He is a member of our family. We can’t leave him! We have many animals. The mentality of people is that "how can we leave them?”

I have spoken w/many Ukrainian animal lovers in recent days. More on another day.

We have heard very sobering reports of animal shelters west of Kyiv, which I'm reporting out.

But for now, this photo says quite a lot more than I can say:

https://twitter.com/olenahalushka/status/1501906827382079501?s=21

A furry therapist named Evsej plays with evacuated children in Zaporizhia, sent to me by @nataliegryvnyak.

It has now been two weeks since a small NPR team scrambled to throw everything in an SUV and evacuate Kyiv ahead of advancing Russian troops, which we thought could encircle the city within a few short days

Kyiv before the war began taking its toll:

Now, I am talking to people who are making the runs to capital city daily, bringing humanitarian assistance and supplies.

The roads are perilous but there are routes are open. The driving is slow but you can make it from western Ukraine to Kyiv safely.

Can the United States negotiate with the Russians to end the war?

@John_Hudson gives a pessimistic outlook based on his reporting: the U.S. believes the Russians are unserious about diplomacy.

https://twitter.com/John_Hudson/status/1501893743649173515

In the highest-level talks since the war broke out, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers met.

The Ukrainian side believes that Russia is still seeking their surrender; and that Lavrov doesn't have the authority to negotiate directly

https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1501907775013765124

Spare a thought for freelance reporters now working Ukraine. I've run into a couple.

They're incredibly brave and resourceful people, working for $250-$400 a story in a war-zone.

The logistics of it all must be overwhelming for a solo operation.

I waved to a passing child this morning. He was wearing a purple jumpsuit.

"Say hello," his mother instructed.

"Good morning!" he somewhat-dutifully replied.

"Where are you from?"

"Tell him you're from Kyiv," the mother said.

The child, perhaps not knowing the full significance of this, didn't say anything, but sort of bounced back and forth, with his knees on his chair, rolling his head to and fro, like small children do.

It felt incredibly sad to me, so I broke eye contact and went back to work.

But I saw them again later, with his mother pulling him in and stroking his hair while staring out the window.

There's a Ukrainian flag there. It's a cold, windy day where I am.

"It is very uncomfortable with children, to hear bombs every night," explaining why she left Kyiv.

Some scenes from Ternopil, a town we left days ago while traveling through Ukraine.

"We believe in Ukrainian Armed Forces. Slava Ukraini / Glory to Ukraine! Heroyam Slava/ Glory to Heroes!" reads first sign.

Keep calm and believe in the UAF” says the second.

There's a classic Ukrainian rock song about Ternopil:

"I was seventeen years old
I did not want to study
I left mom and dad
I stopped giving a shit
I was getting high in Ternopil...

Finish your joint and let's go
to good town, Ternopil."