Ukraine invasion: Russian forces bombard urban centres as war spills into 7th day

Russian military intensifies shelling and surrounds key cities around the country

Heavy artillery and air strikes targeted Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, according to UK defence ministry

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The Kharkiv regional police department building, which Ukraine’s state emergency service said was hit by shelling. Photo: AFP/Ukraine Emergency Ministry Press Service

Published: 11:00pm, 2 Mar 2022Updated: 1:08pm, 9 Mar 2022

Civilian buildings in major Ukrainian cities collapsed and went up in flames after Russian forces bombarded urban centres on Wednesday, as Moscow’s invasion entered a seventh day.

After meeting strong resistance from Ukrainian troops and citizens, and supply issues including vehicles running out of fuel, Russian forces have intensified their shelling, encircled and sent paratroopers to key cities around the country.

At least 21 people were killed and 112 wounded in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said, while the Ukrainian army said on messaging service Telegram that the Russian military had attacked a hospital there. The claims could not be independently verified.

Russian forces continued to control parts of Ukraine along the Russian and Belarusian borders, as well as southern Ukraine next to Crimea.

Although the military advance had intensified and troops were assaulting cities instead of bypassing them, military analysts said it was too early to say when and how the war would end.

Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military commentator, said the government in Kyiv would not collapse any time soon because the Russian invasion had united Ukrainians.

“The greater the conflict, the more united the population becomes,” he said. “In Kyiv, there is no one who is against Volodymyr Zelensky – no one is trying to depose him. In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing pressure from anti-war protests at home.”

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