Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– 100,000 trapped in Mariupol –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says almost 100,000 people are still trapped in the ruins of Mariupol, though over 7,000 escaped on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch describes the southern city as a “freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings”.
– Ukraine forces on offensive –
For the first time, there are signs that Ukrainian forces are going on the offensive, retaking a town near Kyiv and attacking Russian forces in the south of the country.
“We’re definitely seeing anecdotal evidence… that the Ukrainians are not only defending well, where they choose to defend, but they are making efforts to take back territory,” a senior US defence official tells journalists.
– Russian army ‘struggling’ –
The Pentagon believes as much as 10 percent of Russian forces committed to Ukraine may have been knocked out in just four weeks of fighting, a senior US defence official says.
The Pentagon says Russian forces “have struggled with logistics and sustainment.”
“We think they’re having command and control problems,” adds Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
– UN slams ‘absurd war’ –
UN chief Antonio Guterres calls on Russia to end its “absurd war” in Ukraine, calling the conflict “unwinnable”.
The UN General Assembly is due to reconvene an emergency session on Ukraine on Wednesday and vote this week on a non-binding French and Mexican resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.
– Russia waves nuclear option –
Russia would use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says in a CNN interview.
The comments came when he was asked if he was “convinced or confident” that President Vladimir Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian war.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says Moscow’s rhetoric is “dangerous” and “not the way a responsible nuclear power should act.”
– Putin ‘afraid of truth’ –
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says Putin is “afraid of the truth” after his prison term was extended by another nine years as part of a major crackdown on dissent.
The 45-year-old, who has been behind bars for over a year, urges Russians to resist “these war criminals”.
– Zelensky addresses –
Zelensky is due to address Japan’s Diet and the French National Assembly on Wednesday via video link, after already speaking to the parliaments of Canada, Britain, the EU, Germany, Israel, Italy and the United States.
On each occasion, he has tailored his address to his audience, telling Italian lawmakers they should stop their country being a top holiday destination for Russia’s elite.
– New Western sanctions –
More sanctions against Russia and the tightening of existing measures will be announced Thursday when President Joe Biden meets European allies in Brussels, US officials say.
Biden will attend summits with NATO, the G7 group and the European Council before flying to Poland.
– Over 3.5 million flee –
Over 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion, the United Nations says. More than 10 million have been displaced from their homes.
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