Ukraine Live Situation today: what you need to know

On Saturday, as Russian forces stepped up their bombardment of civilian areas and infrastructure over the weekend, the human toll from the invasion of Ukraine continues to rise.

Despite the deteriorating situation in a number of key Ukrainian cities, the United Nations has estimated that more than 1.5 million people have left the country as a result.

The latest news is as follows:

• Capital city bombarded: According to Ukrainian officials and the content on social media, heavy fighting has been reported early Monday in an area from the north to the west of Kyiv. The Russian forces have now gone on the offensive in several areas in order to push towards the capital of Ukraine. In a video taken by CNN on Monday, you can see Russian tanks taking up positions in a densely-populated area just west of Kyiv in what appears to be a geolocated video.

• A Russian thrust continues towards the strategic Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv on Monday morning, with officials warning residents to stay in their shelters in case Russian forces arrive. I was given the warning of an upcoming assault by Mykolaiv’s mayor, Oleg Senkevich, hours after he said Russian missiles had hit the city at dawn. CNN found evidence Sunday indicating cluster munitions had landed near civilian areas, and a nurse at a hospital in Mykolaiv told CNN that one person had died and three others injured in the shelling.
• As Russian forces continue to launch an assault on the besieged southern Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, civilians trapped in those cities are experiencing rising fears of their safety. The man is describing the conditions in parts of the city, where he spent days hiding in a basement, which he escaped from two days ago when he escaped from Volnovakha. The people have been there for almost 11 days now. Some have gotten out, but about 450 have remained,” he told CNN, adding he has not been able to contact them since he left, and they are still in the camp, as far as he knows.

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• Russia has announced a number of temporary evacuation routes for civilians trying to escape the conflict in Ukraine: almost all of these routes go to Russia or Belarus: Ukraine has slammed Russia’s unilateral announcement of evacuation routes. According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, the Russian proposal was unacceptable, especially since all but one of the corridors lead to Russia or Belarus, a long-time ally of Ukraine. During the meantime, a representative from one humanitarian organization criticized the announcement as “cynical as well as impractical, with no preparation whatsoever.”.

• More than 360 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. The UN stated that there has been an increase in civilian casualties since Russia entered the country. At this time, 1,123 civilians are wounded, including 364 fatalities and 759 injuries, according to the statement, which acknowledges that the actual numbers are likely “considerably higher.” CNN cannot independently confirm the number of casualties.
• EU reserves 5 million refugees: The European Union is planning on receiving five million refugees from Ukraine, the EU’s high representative said on Monday. While more than 1.5 million people have already crossed into neighboring countries from Ukraine following Saturday’s violence, UN Refugee agency Commissioner Filippo Grandi said on Sunday the situation was “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.

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• The power of military might: Russia has fired 600 missiles so far since the invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official told The New York Times. The source said that around 95% of the fighting power Russia has gathered has been committed to the fight in Ukraine so far.
• A senior US official told CNN that the US and other NATO members have thus far sent Ukraine 17,000 antitank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles under an agreement with NATO. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also said that NATO is looking at a permanent deployment in the Baltic states, reports CNN.
• It is planned to hold a third round of meetings between Ukraine and Russia on Monday at 4 p.m. Ukraine time (9 a.m. ET), Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

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