A third Russian general has been killed in Ukraine in just eight days in another devastating blow to Vladimir Putin’s savage invasion of Ukraine.

Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war today, Ukraine’s government announced.

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There are believed to be 20 Russian generals taking part in the invasion. 

Western officials said the multiple losses suggest generals are having to move to the front because Russia’s troops are either unable to make their own decisions or are fearful of moving forward.

Kolesnikov’s death comes four days after the killing of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, the first deputy commander of Russia’s 41st army.

The general took part in the second Chechen war, the Russian military operation in Syria, and the annexation of Crimea, winning medals from those campaigns. 

According to reports, Gerasimov was the son of Valery Gerasimov – the Chief of General Staff of Russia’s armed forces. 

And last week, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed.

Sukhovetsky died during a special operation in Ukraine, his comrade-in-arms Sergey Chipilev wrote on social media. 

Sukhovetsky was shot and killed by a sniper near Mariupol, which has been under a brutal siege by Russian forces for days.

It comes as Russia continued their barbaric assault today by blowing up a disabled care home near the city of KharkivUkrainian officials have said, just 48 hours after shelling women as they gave birth in a maternity hospital.

Oleg Sinegubov, an official from Kharkiv which has been under siege by Russian forces for days, accused Putin’s men of committing a ‘war crime‘ by launching air strikes against the facility in the town of Oskil which had 330 residents inside at the time the bombs hit.

Sinegubov said 63 care home residents have since been evacuated, but could not give an update on the other 267. Ten of those living at the home require wheelchairs, he said, while another 50 have reduced mobility. Ihor Terekhov, mayor of the city, said another 48 schools have been destroyed by Russian missiles.

Just 48 hours before the care home was destroyed, Russian jets had bombed a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol as women gave birth inside. The Kremlin has sought to paint those wounded in the attack as ‘crisis actors’ as part of a vile propaganda attempt to dismiss allegations its troops are attacking women and children.

Ukraine says Russian attacks have now killed more civilians than soldiers – without giving an exact figure for either – as the Kremlin’s generals pivot from shock-and-awe-style precision strikes to ‘medieval’ siege warfare. Dnipro, hundreds of miles to the south of Kharkiv, was hit by three strikes early Friday that damaged a kindergarten, a civilian apartment block, and a shoe factory – killing at least one person. 

But Ukrainian forces continue to fight back, saying successful counter-attacks around the northern city of Chernihiv has recaptured five villages after Russian units took such heavy casualties that they were no longer able to attack effectively. It comes after another successful counter-attack in the same region on Thursday, and a counter-attack to the west of Kyiv which ground a Russian offensive to a halt.

Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war today in another blow to the Kremlin, Ukraine's government announced

Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war today in another blow to the Kremlin, Ukraine's government announced

Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war today in another blow to the Kremlin, Ukraine’s government announced

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (left) was killed earlier this week and was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (left) was killed earlier this week and was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was also killed in Ukraine last week

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was also killed in Ukraine last week

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (left) was killed earlier this week and was  the first deputy commander of Russia’s 41st army. Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky (Right), 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was also killed in Ukraine last week

Pictured: A graphic showing Russian army equipment that has been visually confirmed as destroyed by Oryx - a military blog that is tracking Moscow's losses during its invasion of Ukraine. Oryx says its figures are based on 'photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here'

Pictured: A graphic showing Russian army equipment that has been visually confirmed as destroyed by Oryx - a military blog that is tracking Moscow's losses during its invasion of Ukraine. Oryx says its figures are based on 'photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here'

Pictured: A graphic showing Russian army equipment that has been visually confirmed as destroyed by Oryx – a military blog that is tracking Moscow’s losses during its invasion of Ukraine. Oryx says its figures are based on ‘photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here’

Meanwhile footage showed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter being downed earlier this week, as western-supplied anti-aircraft missiles continue to inflict a heavy toll on Putin’s air forces. It is unclear exactly when or where the footage was taken, though it was first posted to TikTok two days ago before circulating widely today.

Chernihiv is located around 80 miles to the north of Kyiv, where attacks are also underway today in an effort to surround the capital and subject it to the kind of siege already underway elsewhere. Satellite images revealed a 40-mile ‘death convoy’ that had previously clogged up highways nearby is now moving into attack positions.  

Ukraine believes the capital – which is currently home to around 2million people – could soon be surrounded, after which it faces the same punishing fate meted out to the cities of Mariupol, which has been without water or power for 11 days, Kharkiv, and Sumy, where thousands of civilians have been killed.

Putin’s men are now facing a long and bloody mission to try and take the capital, which is thought to be the main target of their ‘special military operation’ – with the goal being to topple the government and install a puppet regime friendly to Moscow. 

Russia has convened a UN security council meeting today to discuss what it claims are threats from Ukrainian chemical weapons. Should Russia decide to deploy WMDs, it is unclear where the attack would take place.

Moscow is officially committed to destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles under various international treaties, and has not used the weapons in combat for decades. The Soviets were last accused of using them during the invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

However, the Kremlin is known to have maintained an illegal chemical weapons programme which it has used to attack political opponents. Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, was used in the failed assassination attempt on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK in 2018. It was also used in a failed attack on Alexei Navalny in 2020.

Bashar al-Assad’s forces, fighting alongside Russia, used chemical weapons on civilian targets during his campaign to re-take Syria after the civil war – most notably in Ghouta in 2013 and Khan Shakhoun in 2017. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky, giving a late-night address to his people on Thursday, confessed to fears that Russia itself is now preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine – after Moscow accused the Ukrainian government of preparing such an attack.

‘We have found if you want to find out Russia’s plans, you should look at what Russia is accusing others of,’ he said, pointing out that ahead of Putin giving the order to invade Ukraine, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of preparing an attack against Russia.

‘We’re the ones being blamed, as if we’ve attacked a peaceful Russia. And what now,’ he asked in an emotional late-night address. ‘What does it mean, that we’re being accused of preparing chemical attacks? Have you decided to conduct a dechemicalisation of Ukraine? With what? With ammonia? With phosphorus? 

‘What else have you prepared for us? What do you plan to hit with chemical weapons? A maternity hospital in Maripul? A church in Kharkiv? A children’s hospital?’

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Footage taken somewhere in Ukraine shows another of Vladimir Putin’s helicopters crashing out of the sky after apparently being hit by a surface-to-air missile 

Firefighters spray water on a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro, after the city was hit by three Russian airstrikes

Firefighters spray water on a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro, after the city was hit by three Russian airstrikes

Firefighters spray water on a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro, after the city was hit by three Russian airstrikes 

Dnipro, Lutsk and Ivan-Frankvisk came under Russian bombardment in the early hours of Friday having largely escaped attack so-far, while efforts to capture the cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol resumed. Ukrainian commanders say the capital Kyiv will soon be surrounded as Putin's men push into the outskirts

Dnipro, Lutsk and Ivan-Frankvisk came under Russian bombardment in the early hours of Friday having largely escaped attack so-far, while efforts to capture the cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol resumed. Ukrainian commanders say the capital Kyiv will soon be surrounded as Putin's men push into the outskirts

Dnipro, Lutsk and Ivan-Frankvisk came under Russian bombardment in the early hours of Friday having largely escaped attack so-far, while efforts to capture the cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol resumed. Ukrainian commanders say the capital Kyiv will soon be surrounded as Putin’s men push into the outskirts 

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after three airstrikes hit on Friday morning - destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after three airstrikes hit on Friday morning - destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after three airstrikes hit on Friday morning – destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian

Emergency crews assess the damage on a residential street in Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it came under bombardment on Friday - having largely been spared attacks so far during the war

Emergency crews assess the damage on a residential street in Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it came under bombardment on Friday - having largely been spared attacks so far during the war

Emergency crews assess the damage on a residential street in Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it came under bombardment on Friday – having largely been spared attacks so far during the war

Damage is seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it was bombed by Russian forces in the early hours

Damage is seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it was bombed by Russian forces in the early hours

Damage is seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after it was bombed by Russian forces in the early hours

Gutted buildings are seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after Russian missile strikes in the early hours

Gutted buildings are seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after Russian missile strikes in the early hours

Gutted buildings are seen in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, after Russian missile strikes in the early hours

Fires burn amidst the ruins of a destroyed building after a Russian airstrike in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine

Fires burn amidst the ruins of a destroyed building after a Russian airstrike in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine

Fires burn amidst the ruins of a destroyed building after a Russian airstrike in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers counter-attack against Russian forces to the west of Kyiv on Thursday, after an attempt by Putin's men to enter the west of the city was ground to a halt

Ukrainian soldiers counter-attack against Russian forces to the west of Kyiv on Thursday, after an attempt by Putin's men to enter the west of the city was ground to a halt

Ukrainian soldiers counter-attack against Russian forces to the west of Kyiv on Thursday, after an attempt by Putin’s men to enter the west of the city was ground to a halt

Ukrainian troops carrying an array of anti-tank weapons are pictured moving through a forest as they prepare a counter-attack against Russian forces near Kyiv

Ukrainian troops carrying an array of anti-tank weapons are pictured moving through a forest as they prepare a counter-attack against Russian forces near Kyiv

Ukrainian troops carrying an array of anti-tank weapons are pictured moving through a forest as they prepare a counter-attack against Russian forces near Kyiv

Ukrainian territorial defence units, which are charged with protecting Kyiv from Russian attacks, have been preparing trenches in the capital as the battle to take the city gets underway

Ukrainian territorial defence units, which are charged with protecting Kyiv from Russian attacks, have been preparing trenches in the capital as the battle to take the city gets underway

Ukrainian territorial defence units, which are charged with protecting Kyiv from Russian attacks, have been preparing trenches in the capital as the battle to take the city gets underway

Members of the Kyiv territorial defence dig trenches along the side of highways in the capital Kyiv, as they prepare to defend the capital against attacks by Russian troops

Members of the Kyiv territorial defence dig trenches along the side of highways in the capital Kyiv, as they prepare to defend the capital against attacks by Russian troops

Members of the Kyiv territorial defence dig trenches along the side of highways in the capital Kyiv, as they prepare to defend the capital against attacks by Russian troops

Barricades made from sandbags and tyres filled with earth are erected around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as commanders warn it will soon be surrounded and Russian forces will try to push into the city

Barricades made from sandbags and tyres filled with earth are erected around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as commanders warn it will soon be surrounded and Russian forces will try to push into the city

Barricades made from sandbags and tyres filled with earth are erected around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as commanders warn it will soon be surrounded and Russian forces will try to push into the city

A member of Ukraine's territorial defence forces helps to erect barricades in the capital, with a Russian offensive to try and sieze control now pushing into the outskirts

A member of Ukraine's territorial defence forces helps to erect barricades in the capital, with a Russian offensive to try and sieze control now pushing into the outskirts

A member of Ukraine’s territorial defence forces helps to erect barricades in the capital, with a Russian offensive to try and sieze control now pushing into the outskirts

Newly-erected barricades are seen against the backdrop of Ukrainian apartment buildings in Kyiv, as mayor Vitali Kitschko says the capital has been turned into a 'fortress'

Newly-erected barricades are seen against the backdrop of Ukrainian apartment buildings in Kyiv, as mayor Vitali Kitschko says the capital has been turned into a 'fortress'

Newly-erected barricades are seen against the backdrop of Ukrainian apartment buildings in Kyiv, as mayor Vitali Kitschko says the capital has been turned into a ‘fortress’

Ukrainian commanders say Russian attacks are underway to the north, west and east of Kyiv and that the city will soon be surrounded as what is sure to be a long and bloody battle for control of it gets underway

Ukrainian commanders say Russian attacks are underway to the north, west and east of Kyiv and that the city will soon be surrounded as what is sure to be a long and bloody battle for control of it gets underway

Ukrainian commanders say Russian attacks are underway to the north, west and east of Kyiv and that the city will soon be surrounded as what is sure to be a long and bloody battle for control of it gets underway

Ukraine war: The latest

  • Kyiv may soon be encircled with Russian forces moving on areas north and west of the capital, the Ukrainian military says
  • Volodymyr Zelensky says trucks carrying food and medicine to the besieged city of Mariupol – without water and power for 11 days – were attacked by Russian tanks 
  • Russia claims deadly bomb attack on Mariupol’s children hospital was ‘staged’ by Ukraine
  • A kindergarten and an apartment block are hit in the first air strikes on the city of Dnipro
  • Ukraine says at least 71 children have been killed and more than 100 wounded
  • Zelensky says about 100,000 people have evacuated from areas surrounding Kyiv, Sumy and Izyum
  • Ukrainian military says fighting is raging for control of the northern city of Chernihiv and Kharkiv and Severodonetsk, in the east
  • Moscow promises to open humanitarian corridors every day to allow Ukrainians to flee, but Kyiv has rejected routes leading into Russia or its ally Belarus
  • UN Security Council will meet Friday after Russia says biological weapons are being developed in Ukraine, in what is feared to be pre-text for a potential use of the weapons by Moscow
  • US and Europe could impose additional penalties on Moscow because ‘the atrocities that they’re committing against civilians seem to be intensifying’
  • White House says any decision by Moscow to seize assets of US or international companies ‘will ultimately result in more economic pain for Moscow’
  • European Union leaders tell Ukraine there is no fast way to join the bloc, 
  • N says more than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine – more than half to Poland
  • Asian stock tumble with Tokyo falling more than two percent and the yen hitting a five-year low
  • US investment bank Goldman Sachs pulls out of Russia, the first Wall Street institution to do so 
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Territorial defence units, charged with protecting the city, were pictured digging trenches there and setting up barricades, as mayor Vitali Kitschko said the capital has been turned into a ‘fortress’.  

Airstrikes early Friday struck the cities of Dnipro, in central Ukraine, Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, in the west, which have largely been spared attacks. The strike on Dnipro hit civilian areas including a shoe factory, killing at least one person. The bombings in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk are thought to have targeted military airports – mirroring attacks in the early days of the war. Two soldiers were killed.

Strikes on Kharkiv, a surrounded city in the north east of Ukraine, hit the Physics Institute which houses a nuclear reactor – drawing accusations from Ukraine that Russia is committing ‘nuclear terrorism’. It comes after Putin’s forces also attacked the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, further to the south.   

US intelligence said Russian forces had made gains elsewhere to the west of Kyiv and had inched three miles closer to the city centre. Tanks are now nine miles from the central government district, the Pentagon said late Thursday, having been 13 miles out previously. 

The 40-mile line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had massed outside Kyiv early last week. But its advance had appeared to stall amid reports of food and fuel shortages while Ukrainian troops also targeted it with anti-tank missiles.

The new moves suggest the convoy forces were now moving west around the city, making their way south to encircle it,, according to Jack Watling, a research fellow at British defense think-tank Royal United Services Institute.

‘They’re about half-way around now,’ he told BBC radio. He said they were likely preparing for a ‘siege rather than assault’ on Kyiv because of continuing low morale and logistical problems. A missile Friday hit the town of Baryshivka, on Kyiv’s eastern perimeter, significantly damaging buildings, according to the regional administration.

The British Ministry of Defense said that after making ‘limited progress,’ Russian forces were trying to ‘re-set and re-posture’ their troops, gearing up for operations against Kyiv.

Moscow also indicated it plans to bring fighters from Syria into the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved bringing in ‘volunteer’ fighters and told his defense minister to help them ‘move to the combat zone.’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the ‘volunteers’ include fighters from Syria.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew of ‘more than 16,000 applications’ from countries in the Middle East, many of them from people he said had helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President Assad against various groups opposed to his rule, including Islamic State. Opposition activists in Syria have also reported Russian recruitment efforts in the country for the Ukraine war. But they estimate the number of volunteers so far is in the hundreds or a few thousand.

Revoking Russia’s ‘most favored nation’ trade status by the U.S. and other nations would allow higher tariffs to be imposed on some Russian imports. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow to Russia, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

Putin has insisted Russia can endure sanctions. After meeting in Moscow with the president of Belarus, Putin said there have been ‘certain positive developments’ in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. But he offered no details.

Meanwhile, the offensive on Ukrainian cities has expanded.

In Syria, Russia backed the government in imposing long, brutal sieges on opposition-held cities, wreaking heavy destruction on residential area and causing widespread civilian casualties. That history, along with the ongoing siege of the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, has raised fears of similar bloodshed in Ukraine.

Russian airstrikes Friday targeted for the first time the eastern city of Dnipro, a major industrial hub and Ukraine’s fourth-largest city in a strategic position on the Dnieper River. Three strikes hit, killing at least one person, according to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Heraschenko.

In images of the strikes’ aftermath released by Ukraine’s state emergency agency, firefighters doused a flaming building and scattered ash fell on bloodied rubble. Smoke billowed over shattered concrete and collapsed sidings where buildings once stood.

The Ukrainian general staff said Friday that the attacks in the west and in Dnipro were launched because the Russians were ‘unable to succeed’ on other fronts. It said Russian efforts Friday remain concentrated around Kyiv and Mariupol, and that Russian forces are regrouping in the north and around the eastern cities of Sumy and Kharkiv. 

Ukrainian forces have seized gas marks from Russian troops following warnings from the West that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons

Ukrainian forces have seized gas marks from Russian troops following warnings from the West that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons

Ukrainian forces have seized gas marks from Russian troops following warnings from the West that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons

The sky over Dnipro is lit up as Russian airstrikes hit the city in the early hours, destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian. There was no immediate word on the number of people hurt

The sky over Dnipro is lit up as Russian airstrikes hit the city in the early hours, destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian. There was no immediate word on the number of people hurt

The sky over Dnipro is lit up as Russian airstrikes hit the city in the early hours, destroying a shoe factory and killing at least one civilian. There was no immediate word on the number of people hurt

Flames fill the night sky in the city of Lutsk, in western Ukraine, as it is struck by a Russian airstrike targeting an airfield

Flames fill the night sky in the city of Lutsk, in western Ukraine, as it is struck by a Russian airstrike targeting an airfield

Flames fill the night sky in the city of Lutsk, in western Ukraine, as it is struck by a Russian airstrike targeting an airfield

Damage is seen at the Institute of Physics in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, north east Ukraine, which houses a nuclear reactor that Russian forces are accused of targeting

Damage is seen at the Institute of Physics in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, north east Ukraine, which houses a nuclear reactor that Russian forces are accused of targeting

Damage is seen at the Institute of Physics in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, north east Ukraine, which houses a nuclear reactor that Russian forces are accused of targeting

Ukraine has accused Russia of 'nuclear terrorism' after the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv, was shelled. The institute houses a nuclear reactor

Ukraine has accused Russia of 'nuclear terrorism' after the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv, was shelled. The institute houses a nuclear reactor

Ukraine has accused Russia of ‘nuclear terrorism’ after the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv, was shelled. The institute houses a nuclear reactor

Damage caused by Russian shelling is seen near the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv,

Damage caused by Russian shelling is seen near the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv,

Damage caused by Russian shelling is seen near the Institute of Physics, in the north eastern city of Kharkiv, 

This satellite image from Thursday provided by Maxar Technologies shows resupply trucks and multiple probable rocket launchers in firing positions, in Berestyanka, around 30 miles from central Kyiv

This satellite image from Thursday provided by Maxar Technologies shows resupply trucks and multiple probable rocket launchers in firing positions, in Berestyanka, around 30 miles from central Kyiv

This satellite image from Thursday provided by Maxar Technologies shows resupply trucks and multiple probable rocket launchers in firing positions, in Berestyanka, around 30 miles from central Kyiv

Russian supply trucks and other vehicles are seen parked in the tree line of a forest (to the right of the image) in an apparent effort to make them harder for Ukrainian forces to destroy

Russian supply trucks and other vehicles are seen parked in the tree line of a forest (to the right of the image) in an apparent effort to make them harder for Ukrainian forces to destroy

Russian supply trucks and other vehicles are seen parked in the tree line of a forest (to the right of the image) in an apparent effort to make them harder for Ukrainian forces to destroy 

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have also dispersed into civilian areas in an effort to make them harder to hit. Pictured are some of the 'death convoy' vehicles in the town of Ozera, north east of Kyiv

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have also dispersed into civilian areas in an effort to make them harder to hit. Pictured are some of the 'death convoy' vehicles in the town of Ozera, north east of Kyiv

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have also dispersed into civilian areas in an effort to make them harder to hit. Pictured are some of the ‘death convoy’ vehicles in the town of Ozera, north east of Kyiv

Initially, the 40-mile line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had stalled outside Kyiv but as of Thursday, parts of the convoy have now 'repositioned' into the woods and dispersed along roads

Initially, the 40-mile line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had stalled outside Kyiv but as of Thursday, parts of the convoy have now 'repositioned' into the woods and dispersed along roads

Initially, the 40-mile line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had stalled outside Kyiv but as of Thursday, parts of the convoy have now ‘repositioned’ into the woods and dispersed along roads

Those vehicles which are left along the main highway into Kyiv (pictured, part of the road north of Ivankiv) are now spaced out to make them less of a target for Ukrainian artillery

Those vehicles which are left along the main highway into Kyiv (pictured, part of the road north of Ivankiv) are now spaced out to make them less of a target for Ukrainian artillery

Those vehicles which are left along the main highway into Kyiv (pictured, part of the road north of Ivankiv) are now spaced out to make them less of a target for Ukrainian artillery

February 28: The last clear images of the 'death convoy' were taken almost two weeks ago, when the skies were clear of clouds, and showed them bunched up along the road (above). Those vehicles have now dispersed

February 28: The last clear images of the 'death convoy' were taken almost two weeks ago, when the skies were clear of clouds, and showed them bunched up along the road (above). Those vehicles have now dispersed

February 28: The last clear images of the ‘death convoy’ were taken almost two weeks ago, when the skies were clear of clouds, and showed them bunched up along the road (above). Those vehicles have now dispersed 

Anonymous hacks Russian media censorship agency and leaks 340,000 files 

Anonymous has hacked into Russia’s media censorship agency and released 340,000 files in the latest undermining of Putin’s war propaganda campaign.

The hacktivists broke into the Roskomnadzor federal agency to steal the classified documents which they then passed on to transparency organisation Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), who published them online.

The trove of 820 gigabytes of emails and attachments, some of which are dated as late as March 5, show how the Kremlin is censoring anything referring to their brutal invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow is instead calling a ‘special military operation’.

The Anonymous hacker said they ‘urgently felt the Russian people should have access to information about their government’, DDoSecrets said.

The files relate to the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, one of the largest in the federation with a population of four million.

Roskomnadzor, which oversees mass media in Russia, restricted access to Facebook and Twitter before blocking them and also threatened to cut off access to Wikipedia, due to its article on the invasion.

On February 24, the agency ordered all media outlets to only use official, state-sanctioned information sources or face severe punishment for spreading ‘fake news’.

The words ‘war, ‘invasion’ and ‘attack’ were all banned from use when describing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

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Temperatures sank below freezing across most of Ukraine and were forecast to hit -13 degrees Celsius (8 Fahrenheit) in Kharkiv, which has come under heavy bombardment.

Some 400 apartment buildings were cut off from heating supplies, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov appealed to remaining residents to descend into the subway system or other underground shelters where authorities and volunteers were distributing blankets and hot food.

A deadly strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol this week sparked international outrage and charges of a possible war crime.

Mariupol residents said bombardment continued Friday. Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, said Russian-backed fighters have advanced up to 800 meters from Mariupol from the east, north and west, further squeezing the city which has the Azov Sea to its south. 

He said the advance was being conducted by fighters from the separatist-held Donetsk region, the standard Russian line for fighting in the east.

Ukrainian authorities are planning to send aid to Mariupol, home to some 430,000, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message.

Repeated previous attempts have failed as aid and rescue convoys were targeted by Russian shelling, even as residents have grown more desperate, scrounging for food and fuel.

More than 1,300 people have died in the siege, Vereshchuk said. ‘They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve,’ she added. ‘It’s a war crime.’

Residents have no heat or phone service. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. Grocery stores and pharmacies were emptied days ago by people breaking in to get supplies, according to a local official with the Red Cross, Sacha Volkov. A black market is operating for vegetables, meat is unavailable, Volkov said.

Residents, Volkov said, are turning on one another: ‘People started to attack each other for food.’

Vereshchuk also announced efforts to create new humanitarian corridors to bring aid to people in areas occupied or under Russian attack around the cities of Kherson in the south, Chernihiv in the north and Kharkiv in the east.

Some 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, the International Organization for Migration said Friday. Millions more have been driven from their homes. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area’s population, have left the capital. 

Three Russian airstrikes hit the important industrial city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine on Friday, killing at least one person in strikes that hit near a kindergarten and apartment buildings, according to interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko.

One strike hit a shoe factory, sparking a fire, he said. He released video showing flashes over residential areas of the city, home to nearly one million people. 

A US defence official said Russian forces moving toward Kyiv had advanced about three miles in the past 24 hours, with some elements as close as nine miles from the city.

The official gave no indication that the convoy had dispersed or otherwise repositioned in a significant way, saying some vehicles were seen moving off the road into the tree line in recent days.

In Mariupol, a southern seaport of 430,000, the situation was increasingly dire as civilians trapped inside the city scrounged for food and fuel.

More than 1,300 people have died in the 10-day siege of the city, according to deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Residents have no heat or phone service, and many have no electricity. Night-time temperatures are regularly below freezing, and daytime ones normally hover just above it. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. The streets are littered with burned-out cars, broken glass and splintered trees.

‘They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it,’ Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address to the nation.

Repeated attempts to send in food and medicine and evacuate civilians have been thwarted by Russian shelling, Ukrainian authorities said.

The number of refugees fleeing the country topped 2.3 million, and some 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and centre of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs, Mr Zelensky said.

He told Russian leaders that the invasion will backfire on them as their economy is strangled.

Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow, causing the rouble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

‘You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes,’ Mr Zelensky said in a video address, warning that ‘you will be hated by Russian citizens’.

Russian president Vladimir Putin dismissed such talk, saying the country has endured sanctions before.

‘We will overcome them,’ he said at a televised meeting of government officials. He did, however, acknowledge the sanctions create ‘certain challenges’.

In addition to those who have fled the country, millions have been driven from their homes inside Ukraine. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said about two million people, half the population of the metropolitan area, have left the capital.

‘Every street, every house… is being fortified,’ he said. ‘Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.’

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days and are seeing heavier losses and stiffer Ukrainian resistance than Moscow apparently anticipated. But Mr Putin’s forces have used air power and artillery to pummel Ukraine’s cities.

One satellite image shows the southern end of Antonov Airport and fires at the fuel storage area after the Russian invasion, in Hostomel, Ukraine on Thursday

One satellite image shows the southern end of Antonov Airport and fires at the fuel storage area after the Russian invasion, in Hostomel, Ukraine on Thursday

One satellite image shows the southern end of Antonov Airport and fires at the fuel storage area after the Russian invasion, in Hostomel, Ukraine on Thursday

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Before/after: The Epicentr K shopping center, in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, is seen before and after being destroyed by Russian strikes

A satellite image reveals the nuclear site at Chernobyl, with the dome containing the main reactor pictured centre, after Russian forces disconnected it from the main power grid - threatening damage to the cooling tanks

A satellite image reveals the nuclear site at Chernobyl, with the dome containing the main reactor pictured centre, after Russian forces disconnected it from the main power grid - threatening damage to the cooling tanks

A satellite image reveals the nuclear site at Chernobyl, with the dome containing the main reactor pictured centre, after Russian forces disconnected it from the main power grid – threatening damage to the cooling tanks

A satellite image shows heavily damaged residential buildings in Borodyanka, Ukraine, one of which was cut in half by a Russian missile strike (pictured centre)

A satellite image shows heavily damaged residential buildings in Borodyanka, Ukraine, one of which was cut in half by a Russian missile strike (pictured centre)

A satellite image shows heavily damaged residential buildings in Borodyanka, Ukraine, one of which was cut in half by a Russian missile strike (pictured centre)

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows destroyed and burning warehouse buildings in Stoyanka, Ukraine, in western Kyiv region

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows destroyed and burning warehouse buildings in Stoyanka, Ukraine, in western Kyiv region

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows destroyed and burning warehouse buildings in Stoyanka, Ukraine, in western Kyiv region

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows fires at the fuel storage area of Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows fires at the fuel storage area of Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows fires at the fuel storage area of Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows overview of fire in southern Chernihiv, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows overview of fire in southern Chernihiv, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows overview of fire in southern Chernihiv, Ukraine

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows people and cars waiting by Irpin river bridge, Irpin, near Kyiv

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows people and cars waiting by Irpin river bridge, Irpin, near Kyiv

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows people and cars waiting by Irpin river bridge, Irpin, near Kyiv

‘Inept’ Russian tactics baffle military experts: Tank commanders allowed Ukrainians to ambush them by driving straight up a main road

Experts have said they are baffled by the ineptitude of the tactics displayed by Russia’s armies after drone footage yesterday showed a column of tanks getting picked off one-by-one in an ambush carried out by Ukraine’s forces.

Analysts have said Russian tank commanders allowed the Ukrainians to ambush their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv – and straight into a death trap. By multiple counts, President Vladimir Putin‘s forces have lots more tanks than belong to the entire German army.

The devastating artillery strikes came as Putin’s troops inched closer to Kyiv, and saw a number of Russian T-72 tanks and other vehicles destroyed or routed in the surprise attack from the front and back of the convoy.

Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander.

Pictured: Analysis by the Austrian military's R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG). The analysis highlighted different companies within the unit as it came under heavy artillery fire

Pictured: Analysis by the Austrian military's R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG). The analysis highlighted different companies within the unit as it came under heavy artillery fire

Pictured: Analysis by the Austrian military’s R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG). The analysis highlighted different companies within the unit as it came under heavy artillery fire

Drone footage posted online on Thursday (pictured) captured the 'Battle of Brovary', named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place. It showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air, with suburban houses seen on either side of the road

Drone footage posted online on Thursday (pictured) captured the 'Battle of Brovary', named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place. It showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air, with suburban houses seen on either side of the road

Drone footage posted online on Thursday (pictured) captured the ‘Battle of Brovary’, named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place. It showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air, with suburban houses seen on either side of the road 

Ukraine’s masterful ambush in Brovary piled on the misery of Moscow’s invading forces, which has suffered more losses than expected and are now facing freezing temperatures in the coming days. Morale is said to be low.

While reports said Russia’s 6th tank regiment escaped with relatively minimal casualties, Russian commander Colonel Andrei Zakharov was reportedly killed, and his unit forced into a retreat. The smouldering wrecks of Russian tanks lay on streets after the fighting.

Defence experts have been left stunned by Russia’s military tactics

Franz-Stefan Gady – an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies – said the ‘fight shows the danger of not securing urban terrain with adequate infantry plus recon. assets when main elements of a force pass through urban terrain ideally suitable for ambushes.’  

Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow and military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, commented on the ambush, saying the Russian armoured force displayed ‘very poor tactics’.

The Russian column was ‘on an obvious avenue of approach, and they still decided to bunch up like this, leaving them more vulnerable to indirect fire,’ he wrote on Twitter, while sharing drone footage of the strikes.

Of the Russian military activities in Ukraine, a former British army commander told The Daily Telegraph today: ‘This is not the Russian army we trained to fight’.

Meanwhile, analysis by the Austrian military’s R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG), The analysis highlighted different companies within the BTG seen in the drone footage, as it came under Ukrainian heavy artillery guided by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). 

A destroyed tank is seen after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

A destroyed tank is seen after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

A destroyed tank is seen after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander

Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander

Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander

A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022

The analysis showed that the tank column was comprised of Russian BMP-1s (Soviet amphibious landing vehicles), soviet-era T-72 tanks, BTR-82 armoured personnel carriers and a TOS-1 Buratino – the thermobaric launcher.

Two vehicles were destroyed in the fighting, but the analysis said others were likely damaged by the strikes. 

The full scale of losses suffered by Putin’s armies are unknown, but Ukraine has claimed it has destroyed over 12,000 troops, 350 tanks, 80 helicopters, 125 artillery units, 1,150 personnel carriers and almost 60 planes.

Figures based on visual confirmations by military tracking website Oryx suggest over 1,000 Russian vehicles have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned or captured in the war.

According to Oryx’s figures as of March 11, Russia has lost 1,034 vehicles, of which 424 were destroyed, 13 were damaged, 159 were abandoned by Russian troops and 438 were captured by Ukraine’s forces. 

While there is some discrepancy between figures detailing visually confirmed Russian vehicle losses released by Oryx and those released by Ukraine’s defence officials, both paint a grim picture for Moscow’s armies. 

Oryx says its figures are based on ‘photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here.’

Tobias Schneider, a research fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, said Russian losses visually confirmed by Oryx ‘now amount to approximately one Bundeswehr’ – the entire German army. 

The drone footage posted online on Thursday captured the ‘Battle of Brovary’, named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place. It showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air, with suburban houses seen on either side of the road.

The column was shown in the footage driving down a main road into the Brovary suburb in a long line when it came under fire from artillery. Explosion were seen both on the road and in the fields in the distance.

Two tanks were shown pulled up on the side of the road, while others further into the suburb were shown bunched together in a traffic jam, as artillery fire began to rain down from above. Amongst the tanks, Russian troops can be seen frantically running between the vehicles, which start to turn around to escape the death trap. 

Source: Daily Mail

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