Russian troops are rapidly advancing towards Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine and trying to besiege the city.
Satellite images taken by a US firm of a large Russian military convoy near Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, show it has “largely dispersed and redeployed”.
The convoy was last seen near Antonov Airport, north-west of Kyiv, and its movement could signal a renewed push towards the city.
The firm that took the photos, Maxar Technologies, said parts of the convoy were in positions in surrounding towns. Other parts are further north, with artillery now in firing positions.
Meanwhile, Russian President Putin said his government would welcome Syrian volunteers to fight for Russia in Ukraine. There are reports that Russia and Ukraine are engaging foreign fighters in the ongoing war.
Also, the apparent redeployment came as Russian forces in Ukraine began attacking new targets in different areas of the country:
- An airfield and jet engine factory were targeted in Lutsk, in the north-west
- Explosions also hit airfields at Ivano-Frankivsk, in the south-west, according to Russian defence officials
- In Dnipro, a major stronghold in central eastern Ukraine, one person was reported dead in air strikes
The mayor of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv says it is under “non-stop bombardment” from Russian forces.
Ihor Terekhov said in a televised interview that at least 48 of Kharkiv’s schools had been destroyed amid the attacks.
Terekhov’s remarks came as Synegubov claimed Russian forces had shelled residential areas of the city – Ukraine’s second-largest – 89 times in one day.
It was not immediately clear which day Synegubov was referring to.
The UN’s human rights office (OHCHR) says it has received “credible reports” of several cases of Russian forces using cluster munitions in populated areas in Ukraine, adding that indiscriminate use of such weapons might amount to war crimes.
“Due to their wide area effects, the use of cluster munitions in populated areas is incompatible with the international humanitarian law principles governing the conduct of hostilities,” OHCHR spokeswoman Liz Throssell told reporters at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
“We remind the Russian authorities that directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as so-called area bombardment in towns and villages and other forms of indiscriminate attacks, are prohibited under international law and may amount to war crimes.”
