Battle for the cities
Blasts have been heard earlier than daybreak on Monday within the capital Kyiv and within the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, Ukrainian authorities stated. However Russian floor forces’ makes an attempt to seize main city centres had been repelled, they added.
The Ukrainian Normal Workers stated Russian forces have been specializing in Chernihiv metropolis, northeast of Kyiv, and components of Donetsk area within the east amongst different areas.
Kyiv authorities warned residents rising from a weekend curfew that they might see newly erected fortifications, tank traps and different defensive installations within the streets as the town girds for additional battle.
Russia’s defence ministry stated its forces had taken over the cities of Berdyansk and Enerhodar in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya area in addition to the realm across the Zaporizhzhya nuclear energy plant, Interfax reported. The plant’s operations continued usually, it stated.
Ukraine denied that the nuclear plant had fallen into Russian arms, in accordance with the information company.
Dozens of individuals have been killed in Russian rocket strikes on Kharkiv on Monday, Ukrainian inside ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko stated.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet stated at the least 102 civilians in Ukraine have been killed since Thursday, with an extra 304 wounded, however the true determine is feared to be “significantly greater”.
Greater than half 1,000,000 individuals have fled to neighbouring nations, in accordance with the United Nations refugee company.
Combating occurred across the Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol all through the evening, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional administration, stated. He didn’t say whether or not Russian forces had gained or misplaced floor, or present any casualty figures.
A U.S. defence official stated Russia had fired greater than 350 missiles at Ukrainian targets since Thursday, some hitting civilian infrastructure.
Weapons
Companions within the U.S.-led NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Group) defence alliance have been offering Ukraine with air-defence missiles and anti-tank weapons, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg stated.
The Kremlin accused the European Union of hostile behaviour, saying weapons provides to Ukraine have been destabilising and proved that Russia was proper in its efforts to demilitarise its neighbour.
“All through Russia, the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants has mates or family members who dwell in Ukraine. Naturally, everybody’s hearts are aching for what is going on to those family members,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated.
The Kremlin declined to touch upon whether or not there was a threat of confrontation between Russia and NATO. Russia has demanded that NATO by no means admit Ukraine.
Over the weekend, Western nations introduced sanctions together with blocking some Russian banks from the SWIFT worldwide funds system.
In an emergency transfer, Russia’s central financial institution raised its key rate of interest to twenty p.c from 9.5 p.c. Authorities informed export-focused firms to be able to promote overseas foreign money.
It additionally ordered brokers to dam try by foreigners to promote Russian securities.
Company giants additionally took motion in response to the sanctions, with British oil main BP BP, the largest overseas investor in Russia, saying it might abandon its stake in state oil firm Rosneft at a value of as much as $25 billion.
The EU shut all Russian planes out of its airspace, as did Canada, forcing Russian airline Aeroflot to cancel all flights to European locations till additional discover.
