The battles are raging outside Kyivas Russian forces appear to be making progress, after days of stagnation.
The British Ministry of Defense on Saturday morning spoke of the continuing fighting northwest of Kiev, noting that the bulk of the Russian ground forces are now about 25 kilometers from the center of the Ukrainian capital.
It is confirmed that “elements of the large Russian phalanx north of Kiev have dispersed, possibly to support a Russian attempt to encircle the city.”
The ministry said in a statement that the “division of the phalanx” could be an attempt by the Russians to reduce their vulnerability to Ukrainian counter-attacks, which have cost Russian forces dearly.
Meanwhile, tanks and artillery continue to pound areas already under siege by bombardment, which residents of the southern port city of Mariupol have been unable to bury.
According to Skynews, in previous attacks in Syria and Chechnya, Russia’s strategy was to crush the armed resistance with continuous airstrikes and bombings that flatten the population centers.
“Such an attack has already cut off Mariupol and there are fears that a similar fate could await Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine if the war continues,” the network said.
In Mariupol, relentless barrages of attacks in the city prevented repeated attempts to send food and water and the evacuation of civilians, although there is hope that the situation could be eased slightly by opening up humanitarian corridors today.
Ukraine’s emergency services also reported that the bodies of five people had been recovered from an apartment building hit by a bomb blast in Kharkov, the second-largest city in Ukraine occupied by the Russians. Among the dead were two women, a man and two children.
Humanitarian corridors
Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Verestsuk announced that several humanitarian corridors had been opened today, including those from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol and from Zaporizhia, according to Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereschuk.
He added that he hoped Russia would keep its promises of a ceasefire.
She noted that Ukraine plans to evacuate many towns and villages in the areas of Kiev and Sumy and in some other areas where fighting is taking place.
“I hope the day goes well, all planned routes will be open and Russia will fulfill its obligations to guarantee a ceasefire,” he said in a video.
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