Thread by @timkmak

Good morning from Ukraine.

Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands, but was subject to airstrikes Tuesday which hit residential buildings areas around the city.

And tension is rising in the city due to a curfew that will begin this evening, and run until Thursday morning.

The curfew in Kyiv is the longest of its kind since a multi-day curfew was implemented in the first days of the war.

Back then, local authorities said they were on the hunt for Russian saboteurs in the city. This time, they are less descriptive as to why the curfew is necessary

NPR's @LeilaFadel reported from Kyiv that "the sounds of artillery, Russian strikes, that's commonplace" -- but also that Russian forces are 10 miles away from the city center and face enormous challenges if they attempt to breach the city's defenses

npr.org/live-updates/u…

@LeilaFadel Fadel also reports on the gut-wrenching fear felt by many in the city:

"One elderly man, who is trying to get evacuated from a Kyiv suburb, is scared to go outside after his neighbor walked down the street to get water and was shot in the head."

American estimates of Russian casualties continue to rise, as Russian forces remain stalled in and around Kyiv:

https://twitter.com/sethgjones/status/1503555268201832449?s=21

I wanted also to note that this week marks the 11th anniversary of the Syrian civil war.

Any observer of that bloody conflict will tell you they have not been surprised at all by Russia's subsequent conduct in Ukraine.

Russian intervened in Syria in 2015:

"For seven years, the Russian Air Force and Russian military... have had complete impunity as they targeted hospital, schools, residential areas, infrastructure -- as they targeted civilians," said Syrian Emergency Task Force's Mouaz Moustafa

Moustafa says impunity in Syria encouraged Putin to do what he's doing in Ukraine.

"Ukraine has only begun to feel the horrendous, unethical.... Russian military."

He said Russia continued to bomb hospitals in Syria even after they were given its coordinates to prevent it.

Moustafa says there are deep parallels between Syria and Ukraine: the use of cluster munitions, the bombardment of hospitals, and the violations of ceasefire agreements.

"Every Syrian I've spoken to, including myself, would do anything to support Ukraine because we understand that they're at the very beginning of a brutal... attack," Moustafa said. "We understand more than anyone else the level of brutality the Russian military... represent."

I visited a trauma hospital in central Ukraine today, and in a dimly-lit corridor saw a nurse sitting on a bench, with a thousand-yard stare: hands clasped between her knees, head down -- obviously exhausted.

Men with AKs walked casually down the hall.

I spoke to the chief doctor of the trauma hospital, who said they needed ventilators and surgical equipment most.

He warned that they could be out of necessary supplies within five days if the military situation remains stable.

Two days if the situation in Ukraine worsens.

The chief doctor smoked a cigarette while showing off his collection of rifles, pistols and knives.

He's clearly seen some stuff in his lifetime.

"My hospital," he said, "I am not going to let anyone have it."

I asked the chief doctor if he had any message for the Russian military, and he said:

"Of course I have a message for them. But I will tell it to them myself."

A gut-punch to learn: there was news overnight on the wounded pregnant woman famously pictured in the attack on Mariupol hospital.

She has died, along with her baby.

After realizing she was losing her baby, she told the medics, "Kill me now!"

apnews.com/article/russia…

Children are of course scared all over this country. I passed an ashen faced family walking by town hall in the city I’m in.

Their body language projected sadness, fear and loss — all this punctuated by how hard the father’s hand was grasping on to his daughter’s.

Everywhere I’m going, Ukrainians have one big ask: close the skies.

In Rivne, where we stayed some time ago, the digital billboards displayed the message in English

Very proud today to be part of the NPR team in Ukraine, which has not flinched from danger but instead are tirelessly telling the stories of the people in this beautiful place we are lucky enough to visit.

Today’s dogs of war photos are dedicated to the stray dogs of Rivne Oblast, who like everywhere else seem to be well fed.