Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed for further talks with Russia as Moscow signalled it was scaling back its ambitions to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the east after attacks elsewhere stalled.
In an announcement on Friday appearing to indicate more limited goals, the Russian Defence Ministry said a first phase of its operation was mostly complete and it would now focus on the Donbas region bordering Russia, which has pro-Moscow separatist enclaves.
Moscow had said the goals for what it calls its"special operation" include demilitarising and"denazifying" its neighbour. Western officials dismiss this as a baseless pretext for a war they say is aimed at toppling Zelensky's government. Facing stiff resistance, Russian troops have failed to capture and hold any major city in the month since invading Ukraine. Instead, they have bombarded cities, laid waste to urban areas and driven a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes.
Footage from the southeastern port, home to 400,000 before the war, showed destroyed buildings, burnt out vehicles and shell-shocked survivors venturing out for water and provisions. Residents have buried victims in makeshift graves as the ground thaws. "Ukrainian counterattacks, and Russian forces falling back on overextended supply lines, have allowed Ukraine to reoccupy towns and defensive positions up to 35 km east of Kyiv," the report said.
The cities of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy north and east of Kyiv have also endured devastating bombardment. Chernihiv was effectively surrounded by Russian forces, its governor said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia signals it only wants to seize part of UkraineRussia's army was predicted by some to roll across Ukraine with little resistance.
Read more »
Russia is launching an Instagram clone called Rossgram, after Instagram was banned from the country | BusinessinsiderThe new app aims to fill the void left by Instagram, which was hugely popular in the country and a source of income for bloggers and small businesses.
Read more »
Brazil opposed to ejecting Russia from G20: minister
Read more »
MONEY LIVE | Oil prices slide as EU snubs Russia ban | Fin24MONEY LIVE | Oil prices slide as EU snubs Russia ban.
Read more »
Putin ally warns of nuclear dystopia that would follow the collapse of RussiaOne of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned the US on Wednesday that the world could spiral towards a nuclear dystopia if Washington pressed on with what the Kremlin casts as a long-term plot to destroy Russia.
Read more »
Russia says Putin to attend G-20President VladimirPutin plans to attend the Group of 20 (G-20) summit hosted by Indonesia later this year, Russia’s envoy to the Southeast Asian country said, brushing off talk of excluding him due to the war in Ukraine Moneyweb UkraineRussiaConflict
Read more »