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No fans in the stadium, bomb shelters in place and Russian threat looming large - that's how the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) made its return on Tuesday, six months after it was stopped because of the war.Shakhtar Donetsk & Metalist Kharkiv played out a 0-0 draw in an empty Olympic stadium in Kiev. The first day of the new season coincided with Ukraine's Day of National Flag.The symbolism was clear when players from both sides, along with the match officials, walked onto the pitch draped in national flags. Some players in fact couldn't even hold back tears when a Ukrainian soldier ceremonially kicked off the match.Military personnel were also present at the stadium, ready to evacuate players and officials to bomb shelters in case of impending air strikes.President Volodymyr Zelensky who addressed those present at the stadium through the big screen deemed the return of football as an act of defiance.For now, the UPL matches will be played behind closed doors in Kyiv, its outskirts, and in two provinces near the country's Western border, away from the battlefront.Also read: Manchester United stun Liverpool

Football makes an emotional return to war-torn Ukraine

6-months after the Ukrainian Premier League was stopped due to the war with Russia, top-flight football made an emotional return to the war-torn nation on Tuesday.


Military personnel were also present at the stadium, ready to evacuate players and officials to bomb shelters in case of impending air strikes.

No fans in the stadium, bomb shelters in place and Russian threat looming large - that's how the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) made its return on Tuesday, six months after it was stopped because of the war. Shakhtar Donetsk &amp; Metalist Kharkiv played out a 0-0 draw in an empty Olympic stadium in Kiev. The first day of the new season coincided with Ukraine's Day of National Flag. The symbolism was clear when players from both sides, along with the match officials, walked onto the pitch draped in national flags. Some players in fact couldn't even hold back tears when a Ukrainian soldier ceremonially kicked off the match. Military personnel were also present at the stadium, ready to evacuate players and officials to bomb shelters in case of impending air strikes. President Volodymyr Zelensky who addressed those present at the stadium through the big screen deemed the return of football as an act of defiance. For now, the UPL matches will be played behind closed doors in Kiev, its outskirts, and in two provinces near the country's Western border, away from the battlefront. Also read: <a href="https://www.editorji.com/sports-news/football/epl-manchester-united-stun-arch-rivals-liverpool-2-1-in-hard-fought-contest-1661205997318">Manchester United stun Liverpool</a>

Russian missiles that struck a city in central Ukraine killed at least 22 people and wounded about more than 100 Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukraine's president alleged the attack deliberately targeted civilians in locations without military value.
Officials said Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea struck civilian buildings in Vinnytsia, which is 268 kilometers southwest of the capital, Kyiv. Vinnytsia region Gov. Serhiy Borzov said Ukrainian air defenses downed two of the total four missiles that were launched.
National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said only six of the dead have been identified so far, while 39 people are still missing.
Of the 52 people hospitalised, five remain in critical condition while 34 sustained severe injuries, regional health care department head Olha Zadarozhnia told The Associated Press. Three children were among the injured.
“There was a building of a medical organisation. When the first rocket hit it, glass fell from my windows, Vinnytsia resident Svitlana Kubas, 74 said. “And when the second wave came, it was so deafening that my head is still buzzing. It tore out the very outermost door, tore it right through the holes.” Russia hasn't officially confirmed the strike.
But Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-controlled Russian television network RT, said on her messaging app channel that military officials told her a building in Vinnytsia was targeted because it housed Ukrainian “Nazis.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intentionally aiming missiles at civilians. The strike happened as government officials from about 40 countries met in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss coordinating investigations and prosecutions of potential war crimes committed in Ukraine.
“Every day Russia is destroying the civilian population, killing Ukrainian children, directing missiles at civilian objects. Where there is no military (targets). What is it if not an open act of terrorism?” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky echoed Zelenskyy, calling the missile attack a “war crime" intended to intimidate Ukrainians while the country's forces continue to hold out in the east.
Vinnytsia is one of Ukraine's largest cities, with a prewar population of 370,000. Thousands of people from eastern Ukraine, where Russia has concentrated its offensive, have fled there since the start of the war on Feb. 24.
Kateryna Popova said she saw many injured people lying on the street after the missiles struck. Popova said she fled from Kharkiv in March in search of safety in “quiet” Vinnytsia. But the missile attack has changed all that.
“We did not expect this. Now we feel like we don't have a home again,” she said.
Along with hitting buildings, the missiles ignited a fire that spread to 50 cars in a parking lot, officials said.
“These are quite high-precision missiles ... They knew where they were hitting," Borzov told the AP.
Borzov said 36 houses were damaged and residents have been evacuated while a 24-hour hotline has been set up for information on those injured or missing. July 14 will be declared as a day of mourning for the region, he said.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said he thinks the attack mirrors previous ones on residential areas that Moscow launched “to try to pressure Kyiv to make some concessions.” "Russia has used the same tactics when it hit the Odesa region, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and other areas," Zhdanov said. “The Kremlin wants to show that it will keep using unconventional methods of war and kill civilians in defiance to Kyiv and the entire international community.” Before the missiles hit Vinnytsia, the president's office reported the deaths of five civilians and the wounding of another eight in Russian attacks over the past day.
One person was wounded when a missile damaged several buildings in the southern city of Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. A missile attack on Wednesday killed at least five people in the city.
Russian forces also continued artillery and missile attacks in eastern Ukraine, primarily in Donetsk province after overtaking adjacent Luhansk. The city of Lysychansk, the last major stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk, fell to Russian forces at the beginning of the month.
Luhansk and Donetsk together make up the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region of steel factories, mines and other industries.
Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko urged residents to evacuate as “quickly as possible.” “We are urging civilians to leave the region, where electricity, water and gas are in short supply after the Russian shelling,” Kyrylenko said in televised remarks. “The fighting is intensifying, and people should stop risking their lives and leave the region.” The British Defense Ministry said Thursday that despite continued shelling in the Donbas region, Russian forces didn't make major territorial gains in recent days.
“The aging vehicles, weapons and Soviet-era tactics used by Russian forces do not lend themselves to quickly regaining or building momentum unless used in overwhelming mass — which Russia is currently unable to bring to bear," the British ministry said.
Both the Russian forces and Ukrainian militaries are seeking to replenish their depleted stocks of unmanned aerial vehicles to pinpoint enemy positions and guide artillery strikes.
Both sides are looking to procure jamming-resistant, advanced drones that could offer a decisive edge in battle. Ukrainian officials say the demand for such technology is “immense” with crowdfunding efforts underway to raise the necessary cash for purchases.
In other developments: — Russian-installed officials in southeastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region announced that they planned to hold an early September referendum on incorporating the region into Russia. Large parts of Zaporizhzhia are under Russian control, as is most of neighboring Kherson. Kremlin-backed administrations in both areas have declared their intentions to become part of Russia. Separatist leaders in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “republics” have also announced similar plans.
— Russia's parliamentary speaker visited separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, hours after Kremlin-installed officials in the country's south announced they would hold a referendum on joining Russia. According to Russian news agencies, Vyacheslav Volodin spoke of the need to harmonize legislation between Russia and the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People's Republic” in his address to the territory's legislative assembly. He said that Moscow and the separatists need to “create a single legal field” in the areas of health care, education, public utilities and social protections. Volodin also thanked Lukansk residents for “never betraying themselves, their faith, language and culture, for keeping alive the memory of their ancestors and love for their native Russia.” — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed into law a bill banning the dissemination of information on Russian companies and individuals who could face international sanctions.
The law explicitly bans from internet or media publication — without written permission — any information about transactions made or planned by Russian individuals or legal entities participating in foreign economic activity. It also suspends for three years the obligatory publication of key financial and governance information by a number of major Russian state corporations.

 Russia's Kalibr cruise missiles hit building in Ukraine, 22 dead

 Kalibr cruise missiles hits buildings in Ukraine, 22 dead

Officials said Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea struck civilian buildings in Vinnytsia.

Russian missiles that struck a city in central Ukraine killed at least 22 people and wounded about more than 100 Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukraine's president alleged the attack deliberately targeted civilians in locations without military value.
Officials said Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea struck civilian buildings in Vinnytsia, which is 268 kilometers southwest of the capital, Kyiv. Vinnytsia region Gov. Serhiy Borzov said Ukrainian air defenses downed two of the total four missiles that were launched.
National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said only six of the dead have been identified so far, while 39 people are still missing.
Of the 52 people hospitalised, five remain in critical condition while 34 sustained severe injuries, regional health care department head Olha Zadarozhnia told The Associated Press. Three children were among the injured.
&ldquo;There was a building of a medical organisation. When the first rocket hit it, glass fell from my windows, Vinnytsia resident Svitlana Kubas, 74 said. &ldquo;And when the second wave came, it was so deafening that my head is still buzzing. It tore out the very outermost door, tore it right through the holes.&rdquo; Russia hasn't officially confirmed the strike.
But Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-controlled Russian television network RT, said on her messaging app channel that military officials told her a building in Vinnytsia was targeted because it housed Ukrainian &ldquo;Nazis.&rdquo; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intentionally aiming missiles at civilians. The strike happened as government officials from about 40 countries met in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss coordinating investigations and prosecutions of potential war crimes committed in Ukraine.
&ldquo;Every day Russia is destroying the civilian population, killing Ukrainian children, directing missiles at civilian objects. Where there is no military (targets). What is it if not an open act of terrorism?&rdquo; Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky echoed Zelenskyy, calling the missile attack a &ldquo;war crime" intended to intimidate Ukrainians while the country's forces continue to hold out in the east.
Vinnytsia is one of Ukraine's largest cities, with a prewar population of 370,000. Thousands of people from eastern Ukraine, where Russia has concentrated its offensive, have fled there since the start of the war on Feb. 24.
Kateryna Popova said she saw many injured people lying on the street after the missiles struck. Popova said she fled from Kharkiv in March in search of safety in &ldquo;quiet&rdquo; Vinnytsia. But the missile attack has changed all that.
&ldquo;We did not expect this. Now we feel like we don't have a home again,&rdquo; she said.
Along with hitting buildings, the missiles ignited a fire that spread to 50 cars in a parking lot, officials said.
&ldquo;These are quite high-precision missiles ... They knew where they were hitting," Borzov told the AP.
Borzov said 36 houses were damaged and residents have been evacuated while a 24-hour hotline has been set up for information on those injured or missing. July 14 will be declared as a day of mourning for the region, he said.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said he thinks the attack mirrors previous ones on residential areas that Moscow launched &ldquo;to try to pressure Kyiv to make some concessions.&rdquo; "Russia has used the same tactics when it hit the Odesa region, Kremenchuk, Chasiv Yar and other areas," Zhdanov said. &ldquo;The Kremlin wants to show that it will keep using unconventional methods of war and kill civilians in defiance to Kyiv and the entire international community.&rdquo; Before the missiles hit Vinnytsia, the president's office reported the deaths of five civilians and the wounding of another eight in Russian attacks over the past day.
One person was wounded when a missile damaged several buildings in the southern city of Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. A missile attack on Wednesday killed at least five people in the city.
Russian forces also continued artillery and missile attacks in eastern Ukraine, primarily in Donetsk province after overtaking adjacent Luhansk. The city of Lysychansk, the last major stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk, fell to Russian forces at the beginning of the month.
Luhansk and Donetsk together make up the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region of steel factories, mines and other industries.
Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko urged residents to evacuate as &ldquo;quickly as possible.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are urging civilians to leave the region, where electricity, water and gas are in short supply after the Russian shelling,&rdquo; Kyrylenko said in televised remarks. &ldquo;The fighting is intensifying, and people should stop risking their lives and leave the region.&rdquo; The British Defense Ministry said Thursday that despite continued shelling in the Donbas region, Russian forces didn't make major territorial gains in recent days.
&ldquo;The aging vehicles, weapons and Soviet-era tactics used by Russian forces do not lend themselves to quickly regaining or building momentum unless used in overwhelming mass &mdash; which Russia is currently unable to bring to bear," the British ministry said.
Both the Russian forces and Ukrainian militaries are seeking to replenish their depleted stocks of unmanned aerial vehicles to pinpoint enemy positions and guide artillery strikes.
Both sides are looking to procure jamming-resistant, advanced drones that could offer a decisive edge in battle. Ukrainian officials say the demand for such technology is &ldquo;immense&rdquo; with crowdfunding efforts underway to raise the necessary cash for purchases.
In other developments: &mdash; Russian-installed officials in southeastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region announced that they planned to hold an early September referendum on incorporating the region into Russia. Large parts of Zaporizhzhia are under Russian control, as is most of neighboring Kherson. Kremlin-backed administrations in both areas have declared their intentions to become part of Russia. Separatist leaders in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk &ldquo;republics&rdquo; have also announced similar plans.
&mdash; Russia's parliamentary speaker visited separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, hours after Kremlin-installed officials in the country's south announced they would hold a referendum on joining Russia. According to Russian news agencies, Vyacheslav Volodin spoke of the need to harmonize legislation between Russia and the self-proclaimed &ldquo;Luhansk People's Republic&rdquo; in his address to the territory's legislative assembly. He said that Moscow and the separatists need to &ldquo;create a single legal field&rdquo; in the areas of health care, education, public utilities and social protections. Volodin also thanked Lukansk residents for &ldquo;never betraying themselves, their faith, language and culture, for keeping alive the memory of their ancestors and love for their native Russia.&rdquo; &mdash; Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed into law a bill banning the dissemination of information on Russian companies and individuals who could face international sanctions.
The law explicitly bans from internet or media publication &mdash; without written permission &mdash; any information about transactions made or planned by Russian individuals or legal entities participating in foreign economic activity. It also suspends for three years the obligatory publication of key financial and governance information by a number of major Russian state corporations.

Ukraine's Armed Forces shared footage late on Friday showing what it said were Russian forces bombing Snake Island.
In a statement General Valery Zaluzhny, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that a pair of Russian Su-30 warplanes carried out strikes against the island using phosphorus bombs.
The AP could not independently verify the video or the commander's claims.
Russian forces withdrew from the strategic Black Sea island Thursday.
The Kremlin portrayed the pullout from Snake Island as a "goodwill gesture" to help unblock exports of grain in the area.
Ukraine's military has claimed it forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats following a barrage of Ukrainian artillery and missile strikes.

Ukraine video shows Russian warplanes dropping 'phosphorus bombs' on Snake Island

Ukraine military said that a pair of Russian Su-30 warplanes carried out strikes against the island using phosphorus bombs.

Ukraine's Armed Forces shared footage late on Friday showing what it said were Russian forces bombing Snake Island.
In a statement General Valery Zaluzhny, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that a pair of Russian Su-30 warplanes carried out strikes against the island using phosphorus bombs.
The AP could not independently verify the video or the commander's claims.
Russian forces withdrew from the strategic Black Sea island Thursday.
The Kremlin portrayed the pullout from Snake Island as a "goodwill gesture" to help unblock exports of grain in the area.
Ukraine's military has claimed it forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats following a barrage of Ukrainian artillery and missile strikes.
Also Watch| <a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/21-killed-as-russian-missiles-strike-ukraine-s-odesa-1656695705610" target="_blank">21 killed as Russian missiles strike Ukraine's Odesa</a>

Fear of the Russian invasion separated them. Now some couples and families in Kharkiv are finally reuniting as people begin to return to Ukraine's second-largest city.
At Kharkiv train station, husbands and fathers anxiously wait for the first sight of their loved ones as the train approaches. The first sight in weeks, for many a moment they've been dreaming of for three months.
As Russian forces tried to capture the northeastern city at the beginning of the invasion, Sasha and his wife endured the danger of shelling for almost a month. Then, his wife left for western Ukraine with one of her closest friends while Sasha stayed behind to keep his job at an internet company.
Emotions run high as they finally reunite.
Ukrainian forces managed to push back Russian troops from around Kharkiv more than two weeks ago.
Now that it feels safer, more and more people have been returning, but the occasional shelling can still be deadly.
On Thursday, Russian artillery fire killed at least seven civilians, and injured 17 including a 9-year-old child, the regional governor said.
It was a reminder that war is not yet over.
The Kharkiv region's governor Oleh Synyehubov appealed to his fellow citizens not to be tricked into feeling safe. Russian troops might try again to attack the city.
"It is still dangerous but I wanted to come home," said 50-year-old Tatyana who was welcome by her husband Andriy.
Tatyana left Ukraine and went to Slovakia on March 5.
"Slovakians welcomed and treated us very well, but it is not the same as to be home," she said.

Separated by war, Ukrainian couples reunite | Watch

Ukrainian forces managed to push back Russian troops from around Kharkiv more than two weeks ago. Now that it feels safer, more and more people have been returning, but the occasional shelling can still be deadly.

Fear of the Russian invasion separated them. Now some couples and families in Kharkiv are finally reuniting as people begin to return to Ukraine's second-largest city.
At Kharkiv train station, husbands and fathers anxiously wait for the first sight of their loved ones as the train approaches. The first sight in weeks, for many a moment they've been dreaming of for three months.
As Russian forces tried to capture the northeastern city at the beginning of the invasion, Sasha and his wife endured the danger of shelling for almost a month. Then, his wife left for western Ukraine with one of her closest friends while Sasha stayed behind to keep his job at an internet company.
Emotions run high as they finally reunite.
Ukrainian forces managed to push back Russian troops from around Kharkiv more than two weeks ago.
Now that it feels safer, more and more people have been returning, but the occasional shelling can still be deadly. Also Read: <a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/russia-tests-missile-10-times-faster-than-speed-of-sound-amid-ukraine-war-zircon-hypersonic-missile-1653790988782">Russia tests missile 10 times faster than speed of sound amid Ukraine war | Zircon hypersonic missile</a>
On Thursday, Russian artillery fire killed at least seven civilians, and injured 17 including a 9-year-old child, the regional governor said.
It was a reminder that war is not yet over.
The Kharkiv region's governor Oleh Synyehubov appealed to his fellow citizens not to be tricked into feeling safe. Russian troops might try again to attack the city.
"It is still dangerous but I wanted to come home," said 50-year-old Tatyana who was welcome by her husband Andriy.
Tatyana left Ukraine and went to Slovakia on March 5.
"Slovakians welcomed and treated us very well, but it is not the same as to be home," she said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday toured areas outside Kyiv left devastated after the Russian offensive on the Ukrainian capital.
With the war now in its third month, he visited both Bucha and Irpin which have seen some of the most horrific attacks of the war.
Speaking to journalists, Guterres urged Russia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed by its troops.
Numerous bodies of civilians were found in areas once held by Russian forces, some shot with their hands bound.
War was "evil" and "an absurdity" in the 21st century, Guterres said.
He added his heart was with the civilian victims, who always paid "the highest price” in any conflict.

UN chief Guterres tours war-ravaged areas outside Kyiv; Watch him send tough message to Russia

"But when we talk about war crimes, we cannot forget that the worst of crimes is war itself." (Post as link)

((SOT- "What I feel? I imagine my family in one of those houses (points to damaged buildings) that is now destroyed and black. I see my granddaughters running away in panic, part of the family eventually killed. So, the war is an absurdity in the 21st century. The war is evil. And when one sees these situations, our heart of course stays with the victims, our condolences to their families, but our emotions are - there is no way a war can be acceptable in the 21st century. Look at that (points to damaged apartment buildings).")) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday toured areas outside Kyiv left devastated after the Russian offensive on the Ukrainian capital.
With the war now in its third month, he visited both Bucha and Irpin which have seen some of the most horrific attacks of the war.
Speaking to journalists, Guterres urged Russia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed by its troops. SOT- "(It) makes me feel how important it is - a thorough investigation and accountability. I am glad that the International Criminal Court sees this situation and the prosecutor's office was already here. I fully support the International Criminal Court and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.&nbsp;
Numerous bodies of civilians were found in areas once held by Russian forces, some shot with their hands bound.
But when we talk about war crimes, we cannot forget that the worst of crimes is war itself." SOT
He added his heart was with the civilian victims, who always paid "the highest price&rdquo; in any conflict.

Speaking to journalists, Guterres urged Russia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed by its troops.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday toured areas outside Kyiv left devastated after the Russian offensive on the Ukrainian capital.
With the war now in its third month, he visited both Bucha and Irpin which have seen some of the most horrific attacks of the war.
Speaking to journalists, Guterres urged Russia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed by its troops.
Numerous bodies of civilians were found in areas once held by Russian forces, some shot with their hands bound.
War was "evil" and "an absurdity" in the 21st century, Guterres said.
He added his heart was with the civilian victims, who always paid "the highest price&rdquo; in any conflict.
ALSO WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editorji.com/business-news/ukraine-war-gas-prices-soar-as-russia-cuts-supply-to-parts-of-europe-1651039657607">Ukraine War: Gas prices soar as Russia cuts supply to parts of Europe</a>

 Russia's military said on Tuesday it would “fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, potentially a significant concession by Moscow amid talks aimed at ending the war that began more than a month ago.
Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant “to increase trust” in talks aimed at ending fighting, as negotiators met face-to-face after several rounds of failed negotiations.
But Russia's troops have been bogged down and struggling to make major advances recently.
The talks in Istanbul raised flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition.
Fomin said Moscow had decided to “fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations." Ukraine's military said it had noted withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv, though the Pentagon said it could not corroborate the reports. An adviser to the Ukrainian president said the meeting in Istanbul was focused on securing a cease-fire and guarantees for Ukraine's security — issues that have been at the heart of previous unsuccessful negotiations.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and was open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas — comments that might lend momentum to negotiations.
But even as the negotiators assembled, Russian forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine and demolished a government building in the south, with several deaths.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the two sides that they had a “historic responsibility” to stop the fighting.
“We believe that there will be no losers in a just peace. Prolonging the conflict is not in anyone's interest,” Erdogan said, as he greeted the two delegations seated on opposite sides of a long table.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aim of a quick military victory has been thwarted by stiff Ukrainian resistance.
But any hope that raised about prospects for an end to the conflict was accompanied by Western skepticism about the Russian leader's commitment to seeking peace.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she thought Putin was “not serious about talks.” In fighting that has devolved into a back-and-forth stalemate, Ukrainian forces retook Irpin, a key suburb northwest of the capital, Kyiv, Zelenskyy said late Monday. But he warned that Russian troops were regrouping to take the area back.
“We still have to fight, we have to endure,” Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation. “This is a ruthless war against our nation, against our people, against our children.” He also lashed out at Western countries, which he has repeatedly accused of not going far enough to punish Moscow with sanctions or support Ukraine. Western hesitancy in providing weapons makes those nations partially responsible for the destruction wrought, he said.
“Fear always makes you an accomplice,” he said.
A missile struck an oil depot in western Ukraine late Monday, the second attack on oil facilities in a region that has been spared the worst of the fighting. On Tuesday morning, an explosion blasted a hole in a nine-story administration building in Mykolaiv, a southern port city that Russia has unsuccessfully tried to capture.
Seven people died in the missile attack and 22 were wounded, Zelenskyy said in an address to Danish lawmakers.
“It's terrible. They waited for people to go to work” before striking the building, said regional governor Vitaliy Kim. “I overslept. I'm lucky.” In other developments: — The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog arrived in Ukraine to try to ensure the safety of the country's nuclear facilities. Russian forces have taken control of the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, site in 1986 of the world's worst nuclear accident, and of the active Zaporizhzhia plant, where a building was damaged in fighting.
— Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraine's military said in a post Tuesday.
— Bloomberg News said it has suspended its operations in Russia and Belarus. Customers in both countries won't be able to access any Bloomberg financial products and trading functions for Russian securities were disabled in line with international sanctions, it said.
Earlier Russia-Ukraine talks, held in person in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending a more than month-long war that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes — including almost 4 million from their country.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining the western NATO alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat.
Zelenskyy indicated over the weekend he was open to that, saying Ukraine was ready to declare its neutrality, but he has stressed that the country needs security guarantees of its own as part of any deal.
Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said ending the war was contingent on “international security guarantees for Ukraine.” Also in the room at the Istanbul talks was Roman Abramovich, a longtime ally of Putin who has been sanctioned by Britain and the EU.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Chelsea Football Club owner has been serving as an unofficial mediator approved by both countries — but mystery about his role has been deepened by reports that he may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks.
The investigative news outlet Bellingcat reported Monday that Abramovich and two Ukrainian delegates suffered eye pain and skin irritation consistent with chemical weapons poisoning after attending peace talks on March 3.
The British government said the allegations were “very concerning,” but Peskov said the reports ”do not correspond to reality.” As well as Irpin, Ukrainian forces also seized back control of Trostyanets, south of Sumy in the northeast, after weeks of Russian occupation that has left a landscape devastated by war.
Arriving in the town Monday shortly afterward, The Associated Press saw the bodies of two Russian soldiers lay abandoned in the woods and Russian tanks lay burned and twisted.
A red “Z” marked a Russian truck, its windshield fractured, near stacked boxes of ammunition.
Ukrainian forces piled atop a tank flashed victory signs. Dazed residents lined up amid charred buildings seeking aid.
It was unclear where the Russian troops went, under what circumstances they fled and whether the town will remain free of them.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said it would try to evacuate civilians from three southern cities on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said humanitarian corridors would run from heavily bombed Mariupol as well as Enerhodar and Melitopol.
The latter two cities are under Russian control, but Vereshchuk didn't say whether Moscow had agreed to the corridors.
Putin's ground forces have become bogged down because of the stronger-than-expected Ukrainian resistance, combined with what Western officials say are Russian tactical missteps, poor morale, shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, and other problems.
In response, Russia appeared to be concentrating more on Donbas, the predominantly Russian-speaking region where Moscow-backed rebels have been waging a separatist war for eight years, the official said.
In a further indication of that shift, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that “liberating Donbas” was Moscow's main military goal.
Shoigu, whose few public appearances this month raised questions about his health and whereabouts, told top military officials that Russia had largely completed the first stage of its operation and was shifting to “the main goal — the liberation of Donbas.” While that presents a possible face-saving exit strategy for Putin, it has also raised Ukrainian fears the Kremlin aims to split the country, forcing it to surrender a swath of its territory. Still, Zelenskyy's comments that he was open to compromise on the region indicated a possible path for negotiations

Istanbul talks: Russia will cut back operations near Ukraine capital

Russia's deputy defense minister said that Moscow has decided to &ldquo;fundamentally ... cut back" operations near the capital and another major city to &ldquo;increase mutual trust" at talks aimed at ending the fighting.
Alexander Fomin said Russian forces would cut back "military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv.&rdquo; Fomin's statement comes on Tuesday after another round of talks Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul and appears to be the first major concession the Russians made since the beginning of their invasion in Ukraine more than a month ago.
The Ukrainian general staff of the military said earlier it had noted withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv.&nbsp;

A significant concession by Moscow amid talks aimed at ending the war that began more than a month ago, Russia's military said on Tuesday it would &ldquo;fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital&nbsp;Kyiv and the northern city of&nbsp;Chernihiv.&nbsp;
Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant &ldquo;to increase trust&rdquo; in talks aimed at ending fighting, as negotiators met face-to-face after several rounds of failed negotiations.
But Russia's troops have been bogged down and struggling to make major advances recently.
The talks in Istanbul raised flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and was open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas &mdash; comments that might lend momentum to negotiations.
But even as the negotiators assembled, Russian forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine and demolished a government building in the south, with several deaths.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the two sides that they had a &ldquo;historic responsibility&rdquo; to stop the fighting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aim of a quick military victory has been thwarted by stiff Ukrainian resistance.
&nbsp;

It was unclear where the Russian troops went, under what circumstances they fled and whether the town will remain free of them.

&nbsp;Russia's military said on Tuesday it would &ldquo;fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, potentially a significant concession by Moscow amid talks aimed at ending the war that began more than a month ago.
Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant &ldquo;to increase trust&rdquo; in talks aimed at ending fighting, as negotiators met face-to-face after several rounds of failed negotiations.
But Russia's troops have been bogged down and struggling to make major advances recently.
The talks in Istanbul raised flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition.
Fomin said Moscow had decided to &ldquo;fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv&rdquo; to &ldquo;increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations." Ukraine's military said it had noted withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv, though the Pentagon said it could not corroborate the reports. An adviser to the Ukrainian president said the meeting in Istanbul was focused on securing a cease-fire and guarantees for Ukraine's security &mdash; issues that have been at the heart of previous unsuccessful negotiations.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and was open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas &mdash; comments that might lend momentum to negotiations.
But even as the negotiators assembled, Russian forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine and demolished a government building in the south, with several deaths.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the two sides that they had a &ldquo;historic responsibility&rdquo; to stop the fighting.
&ldquo;We believe that there will be no losers in a just peace. Prolonging the conflict is not in anyone's interest,&rdquo; Erdogan said, as he greeted the two delegations seated on opposite sides of a long table.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aim of a quick military victory has been thwarted by stiff Ukrainian resistance.
But any hope that raised about prospects for an end to the conflict was accompanied by Western skepticism about the Russian leader's commitment to seeking peace.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she thought Putin was &ldquo;not serious about talks.&rdquo; In fighting that has devolved into a back-and-forth stalemate, Ukrainian forces retook Irpin, a key suburb northwest of the capital, Kyiv, Zelenskyy said late Monday. But he warned that Russian troops were regrouping to take the area back.
&ldquo;We still have to fight, we have to endure,&rdquo; Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation. &ldquo;This is a ruthless war against our nation, against our people, against our children.&rdquo; He also lashed out at Western countries, which he has repeatedly accused of not going far enough to punish Moscow with sanctions or support Ukraine. Western hesitancy in providing weapons makes those nations partially responsible for the destruction wrought, he said.
&ldquo;Fear always makes you an accomplice,&rdquo; he said.
A missile struck an oil depot in western Ukraine late Monday, the second attack on oil facilities in a region that has been spared the worst of the fighting. On Tuesday morning, an explosion blasted a hole in a nine-story administration building in Mykolaiv, a southern port city that Russia has unsuccessfully tried to capture.
Seven people died in the missile attack and 22 were wounded, Zelenskyy said in an address to Danish lawmakers.
&ldquo;It's terrible. They waited for people to go to work&rdquo; before striking the building, said regional governor Vitaliy Kim. &ldquo;I overslept. I'm lucky.&rdquo; In other developments: &mdash; The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog arrived in Ukraine to try to ensure the safety of the country's nuclear facilities. Russian forces have taken control of the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, site in 1986 of the world's worst nuclear accident, and of the active Zaporizhzhia plant, where a building was damaged in fighting.
&mdash; Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraine's military said in a post Tuesday.
&mdash; Bloomberg News said it has suspended its operations in Russia and Belarus. Customers in both countries won't be able to access any Bloomberg financial products and trading functions for Russian securities were disabled in line with international sanctions, it said.
Earlier Russia-Ukraine talks, held in person in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending a more than month-long war that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes &mdash; including almost 4 million from their country.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining the western NATO alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat.
Zelenskyy indicated over the weekend he was open to that, saying Ukraine was ready to declare its neutrality, but he has stressed that the country needs security guarantees of its own as part of any deal.
Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said ending the war was contingent on &ldquo;international security guarantees for Ukraine.&rdquo; Also in the room at the Istanbul talks was Roman Abramovich, a longtime ally of Putin who has been sanctioned by Britain and the EU.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Chelsea Football Club owner has been serving as an unofficial mediator approved by both countries &mdash; but mystery about his role has been deepened by reports that he may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks.
The investigative news outlet Bellingcat reported Monday that Abramovich and two Ukrainian delegates suffered eye pain and skin irritation consistent with chemical weapons poisoning after attending peace talks on March 3.
The British government said the allegations were &ldquo;very concerning,&rdquo; but Peskov said the reports &rdquo;do not correspond to reality.&rdquo; As well as Irpin, Ukrainian forces also seized back control of Trostyanets, south of Sumy in the northeast, after weeks of Russian occupation that has left a landscape devastated by war.
Arriving in the town Monday shortly afterward, The Associated Press saw the bodies of two Russian soldiers lay abandoned in the woods and Russian tanks lay burned and twisted.
A red &ldquo;Z&rdquo; marked a Russian truck, its windshield fractured, near stacked boxes of ammunition.
Ukrainian forces piled atop a tank flashed victory signs. Dazed residents lined up amid charred buildings seeking aid.
It was unclear where the Russian troops went, under what circumstances they fled and whether the town will remain free of them.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said it would try to evacuate civilians from three southern cities on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said humanitarian corridors would run from heavily bombed Mariupol as well as Enerhodar and Melitopol.
The latter two cities are under Russian control, but Vereshchuk didn't say whether Moscow had agreed to the corridors.
Putin's ground forces have become bogged down because of the stronger-than-expected Ukrainian resistance, combined with what Western officials say are Russian tactical missteps, poor morale, shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, and other problems.
In response, Russia appeared to be concentrating more on Donbas, the predominantly Russian-speaking region where Moscow-backed rebels have been waging a separatist war for eight years, the official said.
In a further indication of that shift, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that &ldquo;liberating Donbas&rdquo; was Moscow's main military goal.
Shoigu, whose few public appearances this month raised questions about his health and whereabouts, told top military officials that Russia had largely completed the first stage of its operation and was shifting to &ldquo;the main goal &mdash; the liberation of Donbas.&rdquo; While that presents a possible face-saving exit strategy for Putin, it has also raised Ukrainian fears the Kremlin aims to split the country, forcing it to surrender a swath of its territory. Still, Zelenskyy's comments that he was open to compromise on the region indicated a possible path for negotiations

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, multiple media reports say that Moscow has asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press the prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden.
Quoting unmanned US officials, The Financial Times and The Washington Post reported that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment.  The Biden administration has also accused China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Quoting officials from the Biden administration, the reports said Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the US and European Union.

Russia Ukraine War: Moscow seeks China’s military equipment, say reports 

Russia approaches China for military equipment for Ukraine war: reports&nbsp;
China aiding Russia financially a major concern for POTUS: AP report
China boosting fake Russian claims:&nbsp;US&nbsp;
Russian invasion puts China in delicate spot with trading partners
US warns of harsh&nbsp;'consequences' if China aids Russia: BBC&nbsp;report&nbsp;

Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the US and European Union.

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, multiple media reports say that Moscow has asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press, the prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden.
Quoting unnamed US officials, The Financial Times and The Washington Post reported that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment. &nbsp; The Biden administration has also accused China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Quoting officials from the Biden administration, the reports said Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support. Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the US and European Union.
A BBC&nbsp;report said that US has warned&nbsp;that China will face harsh &ldquo;consequences&rdquo; if it aids Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Also Watch|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/ukraine-war-zelenskyy-warns-nato-says-russian-missiles-will-land-on-you-if-skies-not-closed-1647237066697" target="_blank">Ukraine War: Zelenskyy warns NATO, says Russian missiles will land on you if skies not closed</a>

Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. The country's president refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting that he would stay. “The fight is here,” he said.
As dawn broke in Kyiv, it was not immediately clear how far the soldiers had advanced. Skirmishes reported on the edge of the city suggested that small Russian units were probing Ukrainian defenses to clear a path for the main forces.
But the swift movement of the troops after less than three days of fighting further imperiled a country clinging to independence in the face of a broad Russian assault, which threatened to topple the democratic government and scramble the post-Cold War world order.
The street clashes followed fighting that pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings, and resulted in hundreds of casualties.
U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine's government and replace it with a regime of his own. The invasion represented Putin's boldest effort yet to redraw the map of Europe and revive Moscow's Cold War-era influence. It triggered new international efforts to end the invasion, including direct sanctions on Putin.
With his country confronting explosions and gunfire, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack. He said the country's future hung in the balance.
“This night we have to stand firm,” he said. "The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.” Zelenskyy was urged to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. The official quoted the president as saying that “the fight is here" and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but “not a ride.” City officials in Kyiv urged residents to take shelter, to stay away from windows and to take precautions to avoid flying debris or bullets.
The Kremlin accepted Kyiv's offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of the embattled Zelenskyy instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.
The Russian military continued its advance, laying claim Friday to the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Still, it was unclear in the fog of war how much of Ukraine is still under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized.
As fighting persisted, Ukraine's military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board. Transport planes can carry up to 125 paratroopers.
A second Russian military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 50 miles (85 kilometers) south of Kyiv, according to two American officials with direct knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine.
The Russian military has not commented on either plane.
The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world's economy and energy supplies, threatening to further hit ordinary households. U.N. officials said millions could flee Ukraine. Sports leagues moved to punish Russia and even the popular Eurovision song contest banned it from the May finals in Italy.
Through it all, Russia remained unbowed, vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that it stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw troops immediately. The veto was expected, but the U.S. and its supporters argued that the effort would highlight Moscow's international isolation. The 11-1 vote, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining, showed significant but not total opposition to Russia's invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbor.
NATO, meanwhile, decided to send parts of the alliance's response force to help protect its member nations in the east for the first time. NATO did not say how many troops would be deployed but added that it would involve land, sea and air power.
Day Two of Russia's invasion, the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn. Gunfire was reported in several areas.
A large boom was heard in the evening near Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the square in central Kyiv that was the heart of protests which led to the 2014 ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president. The cause was not immediately known.
Five explosions struck near a major power plant on Kyiv's eastern outskirts, said Mayor Vitaly Klitschko. There was no information on what caused them, and no electrical outages were immediately reported.
It was unclear how many people overall had died. Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side from the first full day of fighting and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures.
U.N. officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes. They estimate that up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.
Zelenskyy tweeted that he and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone and discussed “strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an antiwar coalition." Late Friday, Biden signed a memo authorizing up to $350 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total security assistance approved for Ukraine to $1 billion over the past year. It was not immediately clear how quickly the aid would flow.
Zelenskyy's whereabouts were kept secret after Zelenskyy told European leaders in a call Thursday that he was Russia's No. 1 target — and that they might not see him again alive. His office later released a video of him standing with senior aides outside the presidential office and saying that he and other government officials would stay in the capital.
Zelenskyy earlier offered to negotiate on a key Putin demand: that Ukraine declare itself neutral and abandon its ambition of joining NATO. The Kremlin said Kyiv initially agreed to have talks in Minsk, then said it would prefer Warsaw and later halted communications. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later that Kyiv would discuss prospects for talks on Saturday.
The assault was anticipated for weeks by the U.S. and Western allies and denied to be in the works just as long by Putin. He argued the West left him with no other choice by refusing to negotiate Russia's security demands.
In a window into how the increasingly isolated Putin views Ukraine and its leadership, he urged Ukraine's military to surrender, saying: “We would find it easier to agree with you than with that gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have holed up in Kyiv and have taken the entire Ukrainian people hostage.” Playing on Russian nostalgia for World War II heroism, the Kremlin equates members of Ukrainian right-wing groups with neo-Nazis. Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, angrily dismisses those claims.
Putin has not disclosed his ultimate plans for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a hint, saying, “We want to allow the Ukrainian people to determine its own fate.” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as the president, but would not say how long the Russian military operation could last.
Ukrainians abruptly adjusted to life under fire, after Russian forces invaded the country from three sides as they massed an estimated 150,000 troops nearby.
Residents of a Kyiv apartment building woke to screaming, smoke and flying dust. What the mayor identified as Russian shelling tore off part of the building and ignited a fire.
“What are you doing? What is this?” resident Yurii Zhyhanov asked Russian forces. Like countless other Ukrainians, he grabbed what belongings he could, took his mother, and fled, car alarms wailing behind him.
Elsewhere in Kyiv, the body of a dead soldier lay near an underpass. Fragments of a downed aircraft smoked amid the brick homes of a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found beside them. People climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.
“We're all scared and worried. We don't know what to do then, what's going to happen in a few days,” said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel.
At the Pentagon, press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. believes the offensive, including its advance on Kiev, has gone more slowly than Moscow had planned, noting that Ukraine forces have been fighting back. But he also said the military campaign is in an early stage and circumstances can change rapidly.
The Biden administration said Friday that it would move to freeze the assets of Putin and Lavrov, following the European Union and Britain in directly sanctioning top Russian leadership.
Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, called the sanctions against Putin and Lavrov “an example and a demonstration of a total helplessness” of the West.

Ukraine crisis: street fighting begins in Kyiv as Russian troops move into capital

Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital on Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. The country's president refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting that he would stay.
As dawn broke in Kyiv, it was not immediately clear how far the soldiers had advanced. Skirmishes reported on the edge of the city suggested that small Russian units were probing Ukrainian defenses to clear a path for the main forces.
But the swift movement of the troops after less than three days of fighting further imperiled a country clinging to independence in the face of a broad Russian assault, which threatened to topple the democratic government and scramble the post-Cold War world order.
The street clashes followed fighting that pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings, and resulted in hundreds of casualties.
U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine's government and replace it with a regime of his own. The invasion represented Putin's boldest effort yet to redraw the map of Europe and revive Moscow's Cold War-era influence. It triggered new international efforts to end the invasion, including direct sanctions on Putin.

The street clashes followed fighting that pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings, and resulted in hundreds of casualties.

Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. The country's president refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting that he would stay. &ldquo;The fight is here,&rdquo; he said.
As dawn broke in Kyiv, it was not immediately clear how far the soldiers had advanced. Skirmishes reported on the edge of the city suggested that small Russian units were probing Ukrainian defenses to clear a path for the main forces.
But the swift movement of the troops after less than three days of fighting further imperiled a country clinging to independence in the face of a broad Russian assault, which threatened to topple the democratic government and scramble the post-Cold War world order.
The street clashes followed fighting that pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings, and resulted in hundreds of casualties.
U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine's government and replace it with a regime of his own. The invasion represented Putin's boldest effort yet to redraw the map of Europe and revive Moscow's Cold War-era influence. It triggered new international efforts to end the invasion, including direct sanctions on Putin.
With his country confronting explosions and gunfire, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack. He said the country's future hung in the balance.
&ldquo;This night we have to stand firm,&rdquo; he said. "The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.&rdquo; Zelenskyy was urged to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. The official quoted the president as saying that &ldquo;the fight is here" and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but &ldquo;not a ride.&rdquo; City officials in Kyiv urged residents to take shelter, to stay away from windows and to take precautions to avoid flying debris or bullets.
The Kremlin accepted Kyiv's offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of the embattled Zelenskyy instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.
The Russian military continued its advance, laying claim Friday to the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Still, it was unclear in the fog of war how much of Ukraine is still under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized.
As fighting persisted, Ukraine's military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board. Transport planes can carry up to 125 paratroopers.
A second Russian military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 50 miles (85 kilometers) south of Kyiv, according to two American officials with direct knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine.
The Russian military has not commented on either plane.
The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world's economy and energy supplies, threatening to further hit ordinary households. U.N. officials said millions could flee Ukraine. Sports leagues moved to punish Russia and even the popular Eurovision song contest banned it from the May finals in Italy.
Through it all, Russia remained unbowed, vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that it stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw troops immediately. The veto was expected, but the U.S. and its supporters argued that the effort would highlight Moscow's international isolation. The 11-1 vote, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining, showed significant but not total opposition to Russia's invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbor.
NATO, meanwhile, decided to send parts of the alliance's response force to help protect its member nations in the east for the first time. NATO did not say how many troops would be deployed but added that it would involve land, sea and air power.
Day Two of Russia's invasion, the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn. Gunfire was reported in several areas.
A large boom was heard in the evening near Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the square in central Kyiv that was the heart of protests which led to the 2014 ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president. The cause was not immediately known.
Five explosions struck near a major power plant on Kyiv's eastern outskirts, said Mayor Vitaly Klitschko. There was no information on what caused them, and no electrical outages were immediately reported.
It was unclear how many people overall had died. Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side from the first full day of fighting and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures.
U.N. officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes. They estimate that up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.
Zelenskyy tweeted that he and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone and discussed &ldquo;strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an antiwar coalition." Late Friday, Biden signed a memo authorizing up to $350 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total security assistance approved for Ukraine to $1 billion over the past year. It was not immediately clear how quickly the aid would flow.
Zelenskyy's whereabouts were kept secret after Zelenskyy told European leaders in a call Thursday that he was Russia's No. 1 target &mdash; and that they might not see him again alive. His office later released a video of him standing with senior aides outside the presidential office and saying that he and other government officials would stay in the capital.
Zelenskyy earlier offered to negotiate on a key Putin demand: that Ukraine declare itself neutral and abandon its ambition of joining NATO. The Kremlin said Kyiv initially agreed to have talks in Minsk, then said it would prefer Warsaw and later halted communications. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later that Kyiv would discuss prospects for talks on Saturday.
The assault was anticipated for weeks by the U.S. and Western allies and denied to be in the works just as long by Putin. He argued the West left him with no other choice by refusing to negotiate Russia's security demands.
In a window into how the increasingly isolated Putin views Ukraine and its leadership, he urged Ukraine's military to surrender, saying: &ldquo;We would find it easier to agree with you than with that gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have holed up in Kyiv and have taken the entire Ukrainian people hostage.&rdquo; Playing on Russian nostalgia for World War II heroism, the Kremlin equates members of Ukrainian right-wing groups with neo-Nazis. Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, angrily dismisses those claims.
Putin has not disclosed his ultimate plans for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a hint, saying, &ldquo;We want to allow the Ukrainian people to determine its own fate.&rdquo; Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as the president, but would not say how long the Russian military operation could last.
Ukrainians abruptly adjusted to life under fire, after Russian forces invaded the country from three sides as they massed an estimated 150,000 troops nearby.
Residents of a Kyiv apartment building woke to screaming, smoke and flying dust. What the mayor identified as Russian shelling tore off part of the building and ignited a fire.
&ldquo;What are you doing? What is this?&rdquo; resident Yurii Zhyhanov asked Russian forces. Like countless other Ukrainians, he grabbed what belongings he could, took his mother, and fled, car alarms wailing behind him.
Elsewhere in Kyiv, the body of a dead soldier lay near an underpass. Fragments of a downed aircraft smoked amid the brick homes of a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found beside them. People climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.
&ldquo;We're all scared and worried. We don't know what to do then, what's going to happen in a few days,&rdquo; said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel.
At the Pentagon, press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. believes the offensive, including its advance on Kiev, has gone more slowly than Moscow had planned, noting that Ukraine forces have been fighting back. But he also said the military campaign is in an early stage and circumstances can change rapidly.
The Biden administration said Friday that it would move to freeze the assets of Putin and Lavrov, following the European Union and Britain in directly sanctioning top Russian leadership.
Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, called the sanctions against Putin and Lavrov &ldquo;an example and a demonstration of a total helplessness&rdquo; of the West.

Russian forces moved deep into Ukraine on Friday on the second day of the three-pronged attack on the country.
Ukraine said that its forces are battling the Russian troops outside the Capital Kyiv.
On Friday morning, Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian fighter plane over Kyiv. Reports said that the jet crashed on a residential apartment in the Capital after being shot.
Heavy battle is raging in Eastern, Northern Southern parts of Ukraine as Russian forces mounted an attack from Belarus north and Crimea in South apart from Russia in the East.
Both Ukraine and the US have said that Russia wants to capture the Capital and topple the pro-West government.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to stay in Kyiv as his troops battled Russian invaders in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.
Zelenskyy on Friday said that he and his family were the top targets of the Russians.
Earlier, Russia claimed that it has destroyed Ukraine's air defence system and it targeted over 80 military installations in the blistering attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had on Thursday cleared military operation inside Ukraine.

Ukraine-Russia war: Heavy fighting outside Capital Kyiv as Russian forces amp up assault

Ukraine says its fighting Russian forces outside Capital Keiv
Ukraine says Russian fighter plane shot down over Kyiv
Heavy fighting on in South, North and Eastern Ukraine
US &amp; Ukraine say Russia wants to capture Kyiv, topple govt
President Zelenskyy&nbsp;says he is Russia's target No. 1
Russia claims to have destroyed Ukraine air defence system
&nbsp;

Russian forces moved deep into Ukraine on Friday on the second day of the three-pronged attack on the country.

Russian forces moved deep into Ukraine on Friday on the second day of the three-pronged attack on the country.
Ukraine said that its forces are battling the Russian troops outside the Capital Kyiv.
On Friday morning, Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian fighter plane over Kyiv. Reports said that the jet crashed on a residential apartment in the Capital after being shot.
Heavy battle is raging in Eastern, Northern Southern parts of Ukraine as Russian forces mounted an attack from Belarus north and Crimea in South apart from Russia in the East.
Both Ukraine and the US have said that Russia wants to capture the Capital and topple the pro-West government.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to stay in Kyiv as his troops battled Russian invaders in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.
Zelenskyy on Friday said that he and his family were the top targets of the Russians.
Earlier, Russia claimed that it has destroyed Ukraine's air defence system and it targeted over 100 military installations in the blistering attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had on Thursday cleared military operation inside Ukraine.

ukraine destroyed

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