Kyiv, Ukraine – Russia has deepened its military offensive in southern Ukraine, infiltrating the city of Kherson and pushing for Zaporizhia as the campaign halted in the north and the two countries prepared to resume ceasefire talks.
Kherson, located at the mouth of the Dnieper River near the Black Sea, is the first regional capital to come under Russian occupation after more than a week of heavy fighting and shelling. Local authorities said they were working to restore electricity and heat, delivering food and other vital supplies to the city and collecting dead bodies from its streets.
Ukrainian forces managed to stop Russia’s offensive against the capital Kyiv and the second largest city Kharkiv. However, strong resistance from Ukraine has prompted the Kremlin to move to a strategy of indiscriminate attacks, shelling civilian areas in an attempt to demoralize Ukraine’s population.
Western authorities fear that Moscow is laying the groundwork for the Russian military to use siege tactics to capture civilians and resistance fighters in urban areas and cut off food and supplies. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian compared the circumstances facing Ukraine’s urban centers to Aleppo in northern Syria, which was destroyed by Russian-backed forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The worst is yet to come,” Mr Le Drian said, adding that Kharkiv, a predominantly Russian-speaking city in eastern Ukraine, and Mariupol on the Azov coast were at risk of being surrounded.
The sound of gunfire disappeared and the streets were quiet in Kherson, said a student living in the city, adding that Russian forces seemed to be in control. Civilians returned to the streets to buy food before the Ukrainian counterattack, which they expect in a few days, she said, adding that she was scared.
Some residents of Odessa are leaving the city to escape the Russian offensive.
Photo: Gilles Bader / Zuma Press
Others in Odessa are preparing to defend him.
Photo: Gilles Bader / Zuma Press
Kherson Mayor Igor Kolikhaev wrote on Facebook that “armed visitors” had entered his city council building, adding that he had not negotiated with them. The mayor said he accepted curfew and advised residents to “walk one by one, maximum two” when going out.
“Wars will not be provoked. Stop at the first request, “he added.
Russia has also stepped up pressure on Ukraine to hold a second round of ceasefire talks. The previous round on Monday failed to achieve concrete results and was followed by an intensification of Russian bombing and shelling.
The media coverage of Russian troops invading Ukraine is developing differently in Russia than in the United States. Using maps and misinformation, many television programs have shaped public opinion, justifying Moscow’s decision to attack its neighbor. Photo composite: Sharon Shea
“Ukrainian negotiators are clearly in no hurry. Let’s hope they arrive today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Ukrainian officials said Kyiv plans to attend the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in order to quickly seize Kyiv and overthrow the Ukrainian leadership. The military campaign has stopped outside Kyiv amid fierce resistance, low morale and logistical difficulties, the Western and Ukrainian military said.
A building of the railway administration in Kyiv was damaged by recent shelling.
Photo: GLEB GARANICH / REUTERS
Family members said goodbye to each other as the children were evacuated from Kyiv to Lviv.
Photo: GLEB GARANICH / REUTERS
Russia’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged significant losses, saying 498 Russian soldiers were killed and 1,597 wounded in the first seven days of the conflict. Moscow says its forces have killed 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukraine has not released data on its military casualties, but says its military has killed 5,840 Russian soldiers. Ukrainian authorities estimate that the number of civilian casualties in the invasion is about 2,000.
One million people in Ukraine have fled to neighboring countries in the past week, according to the United Nations.
As Russian troops surrounded the large port city of Kherson, people hid in their homes and the governor called for help with supplies. The United Nations says one million people fled Ukraine in the first week of the war. Photo: Roman Pilipei / Shutterstock
-Drew Hinshaw and Ann M. Simmons contributed to this article.
Write to Yaroslav Trofimov at [email protected] and Stacey Meichtry at [email protected]
Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8