east of the capital. that s about 22 miles. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from front lines on the northern outskirts of kyiv. on the northern outskirts of kyiv, the burnt out evidence of russia s defeat at least for now, on this front line. ukrainian troops say russian forces tried to get through here four times this month and were stopped in their tracks. it s a grad rocket, says salim, the commander, showing us what landed overnight. he takes pride in what his men from the 72nd mechanised brigade have done against the odds, and are continuing to do.
able to achieve this against a much larger army, a more powerful army. in places now, they are notjust resisting. they are mounting a counterattack. for troops here, the priority is to guard this approach to the capital, to make sure the enemy cannot advance. retaining the city is critical for ukraine. taking it is critical for russia. he wants things the way they used to be. putin came , he says, as you see. our children and grandchildren are dying. i am 62, i can t leave this place.
people in lviv make of it? i city and now this announcement. the people in lviv make of it? people in lviv make of it? i think eole people in lviv make of it? i think peeple across people in lviv make of it? i think people across ukraine people in lviv make of it? i think people across ukraine would - people in lviv make of it? i think. people across ukraine would think that if this is a change of russian strategy, in a way, if it is a narrowing of russian war aims, it actually does not change anything, because if the russians are just saying they want to carve out a slice of the east of this country, the donbas, and keep that for themselves, in other words, a kind of partition of ukraine where they hold the east and some of the south and ukraine has rest of this country, that is not acceptable to the people in this country. they do not want a country that is partitioned. but if this is a change in russian or more aim, to focus on the east of the country rather than kyiv, the cap
capital kyiv of russian troops, and that got halted, now the ukrainian troops around kyiv are counterattacking, they re pushing counterattacking, they re pushing russian counterattacking, they re pushing russian troops away from the capital, so perhaps, and it is a big perhaps, the russian military high command in moscow is saying, let s kind of put kyiv, the capital, on the back burner and let sjust concentrate on the east. qm. the back burner and let s ust concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that view concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that view for concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that view for us - concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that view for us on - concentrate on the east. 0k, ben brown with that view for us on the | brown with that view for us on the ground. president biden is in poland tonight for talks with polish leaders and
i will stay here. if needs be, i will die here, but i will not give them ukraine. thanks to the english people for helping us. then in anger and in anguish, he kicks at the charred remains of a russian soldier. in a village nearby, more evidence of the damage wrought by russia and of its many miscalculations. this tiny hamlet of no strategic value was hit by two ballistic missiles. russia s invasion is not going to plan, and ukrainian forces are emboldened. orla guerin, bbc news, on the northern outskirts of kyiv.