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Russian troops are transferring in opposition to Kyiv from a brand new entrance, in accordance with US defence officers, as Vladimir Putin seeks to “grind down” Ukraine’s army and prepares for a brand new onslaught on the nation’s capital.
The Pentagon on Tuesday warned Russia was stepping up efforts to encircle and transfer on Kyiv and was advancing on the town from the north-east of the nation. The event got here because the Russian army additionally considerably accelerated missile assaults on Ukrainian cities.
A senior US defence official stated Russian troopers had been skirting Kharkiv and Chernihiv and heading in direction of Kyiv, continuing on an method that had not been recognized till not too long ago. Russia’s troops had been about 60km from the centre of the capital, the official added.
However he stated Russian forces within the north and north-west of Kyiv, together with a convoy that seems to have all however stalled, had not made a lot progress.
William Burns, CIA director, advised US lawmakers that Ukraine faces an “ugly” few weeks as Russia escalates its army marketing campaign regardless of setbacks, together with what the US estimates to be 2,000-4,000 casualties.
The estimated Russian dying toll, which the US Defence Intelligence Company made with “low confidence”, can’t be independently verified. However it’s considerably larger than the roughly 500 casualties acknowledged by the Kremlin final week.
“I believe Putin is indignant and annoyed proper now. He’s prone to double down and attempt to grind down the Ukrainian army with no regard for civilian casualties,” Burns stated.
After virtually two weeks of fierce preventing, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has devastated cities, created 2mn refugees and shaken markets, fuelling issues {that a} commodity crunch will batter the world financial system.
Tons of of hundreds of civilians proceed to flee Ukraine daily, with the UN estimating 2mn folks have sought refuge in neighbouring international locations. EU officers stated they anticipated as many as 5mn refugees, in what is likely one of the greatest actions of individuals throughout Europe in half a century.
In a present of defiance, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, started the day praising Ukrainians for his or her “braveness” and “dignity” in an tackle shot from his workplace on Kyiv’s Bankova Avenue.
He ended the day invoking Winston Churchill in a video hyperlink to the UK parliament, saying that the nation “will struggle to the top”.
After a number of failed makes an attempt to permit civilians to flee frontline preventing in current days, Russia and Ukraine lastly halted hostilities for lengthy sufficient to permit some residents to go away the embattled metropolis of Sumy within the north-east of the nation, and Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv.
However quickly after the primary two convoys of packed buses left Sumy, carrying native residents and a few international college students, Ukraine’s authorities stated the agreed secure route got here beneath tank hearth, forcing departures to be suspended. “Taking pictures started alongside the route of the inexperienced hall, together with audible tanks,” wrote Mykhailo Ananchenko, an assistant to Sumy’s mayor.
Regardless of deteriorating situations on the bottom, Russia has repeatedly failed to face by its guarantees of a ceasefire, blaming Ukrainian violations. Zelensky described earlier Moscow affords as cynical “propaganda”.
The restricted evacuations on Tuesday got here as Russia continued to pound Ukraine’s different frontline cities with missile and artillery hearth. Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, stated a convoy of provides had been shelled on its journey to the besieged port metropolis of Mariupol, the place she warned of an unfolding “humanitarian disaster”.
A complete of 6,705 missiles had been fired over the primary two weeks of the invasion, together with 50 over the previous 24 hours, the Pentagon official stated, arguing that Russia had accelerated its bombardment as a result of commanders had been “annoyed”.
A number of Ukrainian cities and cities stay beneath siege situations, with Mariupol hardest hit. Encircled by Russian forces for nearly every week, the town is dealing with shortages of water, electrical energy, meals and medicines, in accordance with Ukrainian and UN help officers. About 200,000 residents try to flee, in accordance with the Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross.
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