What you need to know about the situation in Ukraine today

Ukraine War

The human toll of the invasion of Ukraine continues to mount as Russian forces upped their bombardment of civilian areas and infrastructure over the weekend.

As conditions worsened in a number of key Ukrainian cities, the United Nations said more than 1.5 million people have fled the country so far.

Here’s the latest:

  • Capital bombarded: There has been heavy fighting early Monday in a broad area from the north to the west of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials and social media content. Russian forces appear to have gone on the offensive in several areas to push towards the Ukrainian capital. Video geolocated by CNN on Monday shows Russian tanks taking up positions in a densely-populated area just west of Kyiv.

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  • Southern assault wears on: Russian troops continued an offensive towards the strategic port city of Mykolaiv Monday morning, with officials warning residents to stay in their shelters. The warning of an assault came hours after Mykolaiv Mayor Oleg Senkevich said the city had been hit by Russian missiles at dawn. CNN saw Sunday evidence that cluster munitions had landed near civilian areas, and an official at a Mykolaiv hospital told CNN that one person had been killed and three injured in the shelling.
  • A city under siege: Fears are mounting for civilians trapped in the besieged southern Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, as the onslaught from Russian forces continues. One man, who escaped from Volnovakha two days ago, told CNN about the conditions in parts of the city, where he spent days hiding in a basement. “People are there for 11 days now. Some got out, but around 450 are still there,” he told CNN, adding that he has had no communication with the people since he left, and they are still there as far as he knows.
  • Almost all of Russia’s proposed routes out of Ukraine go to Russia or Belarus: Ukraine has slammed Russia’s unilateral announcement of evacuation routes for civilians trying to escape the conflict. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk described the Russian proposal as unacceptable, particularly as all but one of the corridors leads to Russia or close ally Belarus. Meanwhile, an official with one humanitarian organization described the announcement as “cynical as well as impractical, without any preparation.” 
  • Civilian death toll: More than 360 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, the UN said in a statement Sunday. So far, 1,123 civilians have been wounded, including 364 killed and 759 injured, the statement said, while acknowledging that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.” CNN cannot independently verify the casualty numbers.
  • EU expects 5 million refugees: The European Union “needs to prepare for five million” refugees from Ukraine, the EU’s high representative Josep Borrell said Monday. More than 1.5 million people have already crossed from Ukraine into neighboring countries, UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi said Sunday, describing the situation as “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”
  • Military power: Russia has fired a total of 600 missiles since the invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official said, and Russia has committed approximately 95% of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine.
  • NATO sends missiles: The US and other NATO members have so far sent Ukraine 17,000 antitank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a senior US official told CNN. NATO is also looking at more permanent deployment in the Baltics, said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
  • More talks: Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to hold a third round of talks Monday at 4 p.m. Ukraine time (9 a.m. ET), Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.
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