As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its second week, the civilian death toll continues to rise, leaving many cities in dire need of supplies after Russian troops broke pledges to maintain evacuation corridors. If you’re tuning in now, here’s the latest:
Zelensky’s warning: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in his Kyiv office in a video published on Monday in which he praised the military’s efforts and said he would continue talks with Russia.
In a separate interview with David Muir on ABC World News Tonight on Monday, Zelensky warned that the war in Ukraine would not stop.
“Everyone thinks we are too far from America or Canada,” he said. “No, we are in this zone of freedom. And you have to protect us when the limits of rights and freedoms are being violated and stepped in. Because we will come first. You will come second. Because The more this animal eats, the more it will want.”
Evacuation Corridor: Several attempts to evacuate civilians during the temporary ceasefire have failed, with Western leaders accusing the Russian military of continuing to target pre-approved routes.
On Sunday, a Russian attack struck an evacuation intersection outside Kyiv, killing eight people, including two children, who were trying to flee the invasion.
On Monday, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations accused Russia of stalling efforts to evacuate civilians, saying it was “terrible” that Russian troops opened fire on evacuations that both countries use as evacuation corridors. . Some roads have been allotted.
Almost all proposed routes from Ukraine to Russia lead to Russia or its close ally Belarus, which Ukrainian officials called unacceptable.
Russia on Tuesday proposed a new temporary halt to its attack on five cities – Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol – to allow civilians to escape. Ukraine has yet to formally respond.
Military standoff: Russia’s attacks intensified on Monday, according to a senior US defense official, although the main advance towards Kyiv by Russian forces is “stayed”. The officer had no idea how far the Russian military convoy was from Kyiv’s city center.
Russia already has “nearly 100%” combat power on the border between Ukraine and Belarus, according to a senior US defense official on Monday.
The US announced on Monday that an additional 500 US troops would be deployed to Europe to boost NATO strength, including in Poland, Romania, Germany and Greece. US officials said these were to support US forces already in Europe. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it will keep US troops out of the conflict.
Casualties and refugees: UN officials say there have been more than 1,200 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including at least 406 – though they say the actual number of deaths and injuries is difficult to identify. CNN could not independently confirm the casualties.
More than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, with the United Nations warning the number could reach five million.