Interactive: Here’s how Kyiv has withstood Russia’s attacks.

Kyiv is the ultimate prize for Russia: the heart of Ukraine, and the seat of a government it has sought to replace. For weeks, Russian troops have pressed in on the city from both sides of the Dnipro River.

Russia sent a small force directly into Kyiv early in the invasion, intent on a quick victory. But the Russians were forced to retreat by Ukrainians attacking the Russian trucks that were exposed on a main thoroughfare of the city.

Russia vastly underestimated Ukrainians’ resolve to defend their homeland. And a Russian military trained for open spaces has also struggled with basic realities of urban warfare. Even a finely orchestrated military would be challenged by the block-to-block fighting required to secure Kyiv. The Russian army has failed to even surround it. Read more

@nytimes