Russia’s brutal offensive in Ukraine has made gains in the north and south including the capture of its first major city, but Kyiv is still standing firm after meeting unexpected resilience from Volodymyr Zelensky’s fighters.
Vladimir Putin is seeking to sever the country’s connection to the Black and Azov seas with his latest manoeuvres after plans to seize the capital stalled.
The Russian military said it had control of Kherson, and local Ukrainian officials confirmed that forces have taken over local government headquarters in the Black Sea port city of 300,000.
Heavy fighting is continuing throughout the country with Russian forces pressing on multiple fronts, as tactics switched to the escalation of bombardment of major cities, reducing them to rubble.
But the main body of the huge Russian column advancing on Kyiv remains 19 miles from the city centre, delayed by Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion.
A week after Putin launched his savage campaign, MailOnline assesses the progress made by Russian forces on the major cities which have been fiercely defended by the defiant Ukrainians.
Kherson, a city of 300,000 on the Black Sea, appears to have fallen under Russian control after the mayor said ‘armed visitors’ had taken over a council meeting and imposed curfews. If Putin’s men are in full control then it opens up the city of Odessa, home to Ukraine’s main naval port, to attack – with amphibious assault ships seen forming up near Crimea today
Kyiv
After launching the invasion last week, Russia made clear its plans to quickly seize the capital, with Western security officials fearing they would overthrow the government and implement their new regime within days.
But Putin’s troops have met incredible resistance and have failed to capture the city where Zelensky remains.
Kyiv has so-far escaped what observers feared would be Russian attempts to surround and bomb it into submission, after skirmishes in the outskirts led to Moscow’s men being pushed back.
But continued shelling and aerial bombardment are now a feature of life in the city where air raid sirens blare every 15 minutes and schools and homes are targeted.
Zelensky said that Russian land forces have stalled and Moscow is now unleashing air attacks, but that they are being parried by Ukrainian defense systems.
Heavy smoke blankets an area of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after it was hit by Russian shelling on Thursday in the latest attack
An apartment building in Borodyanka is seen on Thursday morning almost totally destroyed after a Russian missile struck it the day before, causing a large part of it to collapse
Another view of the apartment block in Borodyanka shows it suffered heavy damage in a Russian strike on Tuesday, as Putin’s men continue to try and take the country
A building is engulfed in flames after shelling in Kyiv, with the Ukrainian capital under heavy attack on Thursday afternoon
Ukrainian soldiers patrol in front of the Independence Monument during Russian attacks in Kyiv
In the residential area of Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, a building is barely standing after being bombarded by Russia
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a damaged logistic center after shelling in Kyiv
A Ukrainian soldier keeps position sitting on a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun at a frontline northeast of Kyiv
Four large rocket strikes hit the capital overnight, including one which struck a train station being used to evacuate civilians , while others struck TV and radio stations.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions heard overnight were Russian missiles being shot down by air defense systems.
Ukraine claimed to have shot down a Russian fighter jet over Irpin, a satellite city of Kyiv which has come under heavy attack, in the early hours of Thursday.
But Russia is starting to switch its focus to other cities in a change of tactics after failing to quickly capture the key city.
The immense Russian column of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles appears to have stalled near Kyiv and has made no real progress in the last few days.
Destroyed Russian vehicles are seen on a street in the settlement of Borodyanka, around 30 miles from the capital
Destroyed Russian vehicles are seen on a street in the town of Borodyank, around 30 miles from Kyiv, after meeting ‘staunch’ Ukrainian resistance
A Ukrainian serviceman walks past as fire and smoke rises over a damaged logistic center after shelling in Kyiv
The 40-mile Russian convoy continues to be stuck north of Kyiv, with vehicles bunched on to the road in an apparent attempt to stop them getting bogged down in mud
A view shows damaged buildings following recent shelling, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in the settlement of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region, Ukraine March 2, 2022
Smoke rises over Chaika, a residential area on the outskirts of Kyiv, as the city again came under bombardment by Russia
The convoy, which earlier in the week had seemed poised to launch an assault on the capital, has been plagued with fuel and food shortages, the official said.
Zelensky said today: ‘Kyiv withstood the night and another missile and bomb attack. Our air defenses worked.’
The president has stayed in Kyiv, releasing regular video updates to the nation. In his latest message, he said Ukrainian lines were holding. ‘We have nothing to lose but our own freedom,’ he said.
Kharkiv
The second-largest city in Ukraine continues to come under massive bombardment with residential buildings destroyed and rubble littering the city centre.
Ukrainian military authorities said many areas of the eastern city have been ‘pounded all night’ by indiscriminate shelling, which UN prosecutors are investigating as a possible war crime after targeting civilians, which Russia denies.
Despite the intense attacks on the city, Ukraine forces are still putting up a stiff resistance and captured a unit of Russian troops over the weekend.
A badly damaged car and destroyed buildings are seen in central Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, after being hit by artillery
The interior courtyard of a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, are pictured after being hit by a missile
Heavily damaged buildings in downtown Kharkiv are pictured after a strike by Russian rockets on Thursday
A view of damaged civil settlements after Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Residents desperate to escape falling shells and bombs have crowded the railroad station and pressed onto trains, not always knowing where they were headed.
The city hall has been shelled and many parts of the city have no water, electricity or heating.
On Tuesday, the opera house, concert hall and government offices were hit in a series of strikes, which killed at least 10 people, despite Russia’s claim it is only targeting military sites.
Meanwhile the central Freedom Square was attacked on Wednesday, which Zelensky labelled ‘frank, undisguised terror. Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget. This attack on Kharkiv is a war crime.’
Flattened buildings and a destroyed apartment block are seen in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after it came under attack by Russian forces
A view of damaged civil settlements after Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine
It wasn’t immediately clear what type of weapon was used or how many people were killed, but Zelensky said there were dozens of casualties.
It was the first time the Russian military had hit the center of the city of 1.5 million people whose residential neighborhoods have been under shelling fire for days.
Izyum, a city 70 miles to the south of Kharkiv towards Donetsk, has also came under heavy bombardment with explosions lighting up the night sky.
Despite the incessant shelling and bombardment, Kharkiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
Chernihiv
Located to the north-west of Kyiv, the city has been the site of fierce fighting with Russian troops since the early days of the invasion but is still under Ukraine’s control.
This afternoon, a Russian airstrike killed at least 22 civilians in the northern city, and rescuers are still searching the debris for bodies.
A diesel fuel storage facility burns in Chernihiv after being struck with a Russian shell
Nine people died and four were injured after Russian forces hit residential areas, including schools, in the northern Ukrainian city
Located to the north-west of Kyiv, the city has been the site of fierce fighting with Russian troops since the early days of the invasion
Earlier today, at least nine people were killed and four wounded in a Russian air strike that hit two schools and private houses in the region.
Footage from a car dashboard camera, verified by Reuters, showed buildings in a residential area in Chernihiv hit by apparent missiles.
The street was engulfed in a fireball and a huge cloud of black smoke rose into the sky.
The mayor says he is struggling to organise safe passage for civilians.
A huge fire also erupted at an oil depot after being bombed by Russian invaders this morning.
Earlier today, at least nine people were killed and four wounded in a Russian air strike that hit two schools and private houses in the region
The street was engulfed in a fireball and a huge cloud of black smoke rose into the sky after this morning’s attack in Chernihiv
Mariupol
The heavy Russian shelling of Mariupol has been compared to the siege of Leningrad in World War Two but local officials.
The attacks which began targeting the city on Wednesday continued into today, with the mayor saying the bombardment is so heavy that medics can’t get into the streets to rescue the dead and injured.
Mariupol is all-but surrounded by Russian forces attempting to smash the city into submission as Putin’s men resort to bloody siege tactics.
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces ‘did not achieve the main goal of capturing Mariupol’ in a statement today.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said the attacks there had been relentless.
The Black Sea city continues to be under heavy bombardment today, with the mayor saying there is no water, heat or electricity and that Russian fire is so intense they cannot collect bodies from the streets
Serhii, a father from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, weeps over the body of teenage son Iliya at a maternity unit converted into a hospital to treat civilian victims of Russian shelling
Mariupol is all-but surrounded by Russian forces attempting to smash the city into submission as Putin’s men resort to bloody siege tactics
The attacks which began targeting the city on Wednesday continued into today, with the mayor saying the bombardment is so heavy that medics can’t get into the streets to rescue the dead and injured
Ilya is brought into hospital in the back of a car, with both of his legs destroyed by a Russian shell explosion. The mayor of Mariupol believes ‘hundreds’ of civilians have been killed in similar strikes
Electricity and phone connections are largely down, and homes and shops are facing food and water shortages
‘We cannot even take the wounded from the streets, from houses and apartments today, since the shelling does not stop,’ he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
But the heavy fighting has plunged the city into darkness, isolation and fear.
Electricity and phone connections are largely down, and homes and shops are facing food and water shortages.
Mariupol city council said Russia was constantly and deliberately shelling critical civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian southern port, leaving it without water, heating or power and preventing bringing supplies or evacuating people.
‘They are trying to create a blockade here, just like in Leningrad,’ Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko said, referring to the brutal Nazi siege of Russia’s second city, now re-named Saint Petersburg.
Kherson
Kherson became the first city feared to be captured by Russian forces after its mayor said ‘armed visitors’ joined a local council meeting and imposed a curfew.
Igor Kolykhaev, said Russian soldiers were in the city and came to the city administration building. He said he asked them not to shoot civilians and to allow crews to gather up the bodies from the streets.
‘We don’t have any Ukrainian forces in the city, only civilians and people here who want to LIVE,’ he said in a statement.
The mayor said Kherson would maintain a strict 8 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew and restrict traffic into the city to food and medicine deliveries. The city will also require pedestrians to walk in groups no larger than two, obey commands to stop and not to ‘provoke the troops.’
CCTV footage shows Russian combat vehicles on the central square of Kherson in southern Ukraine
Kherson became the first city feared to be captured by Russian forces after its mayor said ‘armed visitors’ joined a local council meeting and imposed a curfew
But the British MoD said Thursday morning that the military situation is still ‘unclear’ – suggesting that Russia may not be in full control.
A senior U.S. defense official also disputed the Russians controlled the city.
‘Our view is that Kherson is very much a contested city,’ the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Zelensky also claimed Kherson remains in Ukrainian hands, despite suggestions by its own mayor it had been seized.
Despite the Russians apparently taking over the regional administration headquarters, Hennady Lahuta, the governor of the region, said that he and other officials were continuing to perform their duties and provide assistance to the population.
Kherson’s mayor, Igor Kolykhaev, previously said that the national flag was still flying, but that there were no Ukrainian troops in the city.
Kherson’s mayor, Igor Kolykhaev, previously said that the national flag was still flying, but that there were no Ukrainian troops in the city
The mayor said the city would maintain a strict curfew and require pedestrians to walk in groups no larger than two, obey commands to stop and not to ‘provoke the troops.’
‘The flag flying over us is Ukrainian,’ the mayor wrote on Facebook. ‘And for it to stay that way, these demands must be observed.’
From Kherson, Russian troops appeared to roll toward Mykolaiv, another major Black Sea port and shipbuilding center to the west along the coast.
The regional governor, Vitaliy Kim, said that big convoys of Russian troops are advancing on the city but said that they will likely need to regroup before trying to take it over.
Zaporizhzhia
Ukrainian media reports said Russian troops had entered the southern city of Enerhodar, a major energy hub on the Dnieper River that accounts for about one-quarter of the country’s power generation.
It is the site of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the biggest in Europe.
Civilians set up road blocks around the plant to defend it, with the city’s mayor saying one came under fire by Russian troops on Wednesday leaving two people hurt.
But Ukraine still says it is in control of Zaporizhzhia and another key plant in the south despite Russian forces closing in.
Ukrainian media reports said Russian troops had entered the southern city of Enerhodar, a major energy hub on the Dnieper River. Pictured: the Ukraine convoy
Civilians set up road blocks around the plant to defend it, with the city’s mayor saying one came under fire by Russian troops
Petro Kotin, speaking in an interview with Reuters, called Russia’s capture last week of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant ‘nuclear terrorism’.
Kotin said Russian troops have advanced to within 21 miles of the Zaporizhzhia plant and the South Ukraine power plant.
Kotin said the Russian troops wanted local forces to surrender so they could take control of the surrounding areas and the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
‘The Zaporizhzhia plant is still working normally. There is no deviation from normal operations but consumption during this war has decreased dramatically to only 3 units from 6 working units,’ he said of the 6,000 megawatt plant.
Russian forces last week seized the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986.
Odessa
The Black Sea port city, and Ukraine’s main naval base, is preparing for a Russian assault after a dozen warships were seen forming up near Crimea.
The mayor said fighter jets appear to be testing air defences by flying sorties overhead, as residents prepare makeshift defences made of old railway sleepers and lay landmines on the beach.
There have also been reports of Russian rocket or artillery fire at the city’s airport, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister said.
But an official said despite bracing for an attack, there has been no major Russian military moves on the port city.
Odessa is preparing for the Russian offensive, some of the inhabitants have already left, but those who remain are preparing to defend the city
A force of around a dozen Russian vessels including landing ships is massing off the coast of Crimea today, with experts saying an assault on Odessa could come later in the day
The Black Sea port city, and Ukraine’s main naval base, is preparing for a Russian assault after a dozen warships were seen forming up near Crimea
Local residents are building up defences on the port city amid reports of Russian rocket or artillery fire at the city’s airport
Meanwhile, an Estonian-owned cargo ship was sunk off the coast of Ukraine after hitting a mine.
Four crew members are still missing and two are in a life raft at sea following the explosion near Odessa.
Igor Ilves, managing director of Tallinn-based manager Vista Shipping Agency, said the ship likely struck a mine, adding: ‘The vessel has finally sunk. Two of the crew are in a raft on the water and four others are missing. I don’t know where they are at the moment.’
Estonia is a member of NATO and the EU, and while an official reason has yet to be given for the blast, the possibility that it was the result of a mine risks further destabilising an already explosive situation in Eastern Europe.
Images circulating on social media purport to show the sinking of the Helt in the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine (pictured)
An Estonian-owned cargo ship has been sunk off the coast of Ukraine following an explosion (file image)
The 37-year-old Helt was flying under the Panamanian flag, like many merchant ships who wish to avoid their own countries’ strict marine regulations.
It comes after the Russian Black Sea Fleet was accused of using civilian vessels including the Helt as human shields in the invasion of Ukraine.
The military said the Russian Navy forced the Helt to enter a dangerous zone of the Black Sea to cover the movement of its own warships.