RUSSIAN forces have shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people, according to the Ukrainian government.
Russian forces appear to have made progress from north-east Ukraine in their slow fight to reach the capital Kyiv, while tanks and artillery pounded places already under siege with shelling so heavy it prevented residents of one city from burying the growing number of dead.
In Mariupol, unceasing barrages have thwarted repeated attempts to bring in food and water and to evacuate trapped civilians.
The Ukrainian government said Russian forces had shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people in the besieged city. There were no reports of any casualties.
Maia aged eight, Kira aged eight and Alexander aged five at a demonstration organised by London EuroMaidan and British-Ukrainian volunteers outside Downing Street
The city’s death toll has passed 1500 in 12 days of attack, the mayor’s office said, and a strike on a maternity hospital in the city of 446,000 this week killed three people.
Continued shelling forced crews to stop digging trenches for mass graves, so the “dead aren’t even being buried”, the mayor said.
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces have captured the eastern outskirts of Mariupol, but added that Russian Major General Andrei Kolesnikov had died in the fighting.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon and Holyrood leaders call for more action on refugees
Russian forces have hit more than a dozen hospitals since they invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to the World Health Organisation.
Ukrainian officials reported that heavy artillery had damaged a cancer hospital and several residential buildings in Mykolaiv, a city 300 miles west of Mariupol.
The hospital’s head doctor, Maksim Beznosenko, said several hundred patients were in the facility during the attack but no one was killed.
A graphic showing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, last updated on March 11
The invading Russian forces have struggled far more than expected against determined Ukrainian fighters, but Moscow’s stronger military threatens to grind down the defending forces, despite a flow of weapons and other assistance from the West for Ukraine’s westward-looking, democratically elected government.
The conflict has already sent 2.5 million people fleeing the country. Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many Ukrainian civilians.
The Kremlin’s forces appeared to be trying to regroup and regain momentum after encountering heavy losses and tough resistance over the past two weeks.
They were blockading Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, even as efforts have been made to create new humanitarian corridors around it and other urban centres so aid can get in and residents can get out.
READ MORE: Lorna Slater issues challenge to Priti Patel and Boris Johnson
Ukraine’s emergency services reported that the bodies of two women, a man and two children had been pulled from an apartment building struck by shelling in the city.
The Russians also stepped up attacks on Mykolaiv, 290 miles south of Kyiv, in an attempt to encircle the city.
In a multi-front attack on the capital, the Russians’ push from the north east appeared to be advancing, a US official said. Combat units were moved up from the rear as the forces advanced to within 20 miles of Kyiv.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence said fighting north-west of Kyiv has continued with the bulk of Russian ground forces now around 15 miles from the centre of the city.
A daily intelligence update said elements of the large Russian military column north of Kyiv have dispersed. It said this is likely to support a Russian attempt to encircle the capital, and could also be an attempt by Russia to reduce its vulnerability to Ukrainian counter attacks, which have taken a significant toll on Russian forces.
New commercial satellite images appeared to capture artillery firing on residential areas that stood between the Russians and the capital. The images from Maxar Technologies showed muzzle flashes and smoke from big guns, as well as impact craters and burning homes in the town of Moschun, 20 miles from Kyiv, the company said.
On the economic and political front, the US and its allies moved to further isolate and sanction the Kremlin. President Joe Biden announced the US will dramatically downgrade its trade status with Russia and ban imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds.
The move to revoke Russia’s “most favoured nation” status was taken in co-ordination with the European Union and the G7.
“The free world is coming together to confront Putin,” Biden said.
With the invasion in its 16th day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there had been “certain positive developments” in talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, but gave no details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on video to encourage his people to keep fighting.
“It’s impossible to say how many days we will still need to free our land, but it is possible to say that we will do it,” he said from Kyiv.
He said authorities were working on establishing 12 humanitarian corridors and trying to ensure food, medicine and other urgently needed basics get to people across the country.
He also accused Russia of kidnapping the mayor of one city, Melitopol, calling the abduction “a new stage of terror”.
The Biden administration had warned before the invasion of Russian plans to detain and kill targeted people in Ukraine.
American defence officials said Russian pilots are averaging 200 sorties a day, compared with five to 10 for Ukrainian forces, which are focusing more on surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and drones to take out Russian aircraft.
The US also said Russia has launched nearly 810 missiles into Ukraine.
Until recently, Russia’s troops had made their biggest advances on cities in the east and south while struggling in the north and around Kyiv. They also have started targeting areas in western Ukraine, where large numbers of refugees have fled.
The United Nations political chief said the international organisation had received credible reports that Russian forces were using cluster bombs in populated areas.
International law prohibits the use of the bombs, which scatter smaller explosives over a wide area, in cities and towns.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel