Vladimir Putin’s forces have ‘completely destroyed’ the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign – but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow’s rule.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha ‘no longer exists’ after Moscow’s ‘war of annihilation’ that has left the smouldering remains of the town ‘in the hands of Russian-backed separatists’.
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble.
Moscow’s troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an ‘all-out assault’ in the coming days.
Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said. Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged.
It comes after Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of shooting children and said Putin’s forces will only take Kyiv if they ‘raze the city to the ground’, with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby on Saturday, endangering attempted evacuations.
And Vlodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying on Saturday that he ‘doesn’t see any bravery from NATO’ as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems. In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking ‘diplomatic steps’ to help the Ukrainian government.
In other developments:
- Kyiv became a fortress ahead of an expected onslaught, with Russian forces now within 15 miles of the capital’s centre;
- Russian shelling of besieged cities including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Sumy continued as one governor said the South-Eastern city of Volnovakha has been destroyed;
- Putin rebuffed a new appeal for a ceasefire but, in a glimmer of hope, negotiators discussed ‘concrete’ proposals for a peace deal for first time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate, but would not surrender nor accept ultimatums;
- Zelensky revealed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died in the war so far, but claimed the Russian army has suffered its largest losses in decades, with an estimated 6,000 deaths;
- Moscow threatened the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as ‘legitimate targets’, prompting fears the conflict could dramatically escalate;
- Putin was urged to lift the siege of the southern city of Mariupol where up to 1,500 civilians have died;
- Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces;
- Intelligence sources claimed Putin may be suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s disease or ‘roid rage’ resulting from steroid treatment for cancer.
Vladimir Putin’s forces have ‘completely destroyed’ the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign
A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha after it was ‘completely destroyed’ by a sustained days-long Russian bombing campaign
A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia speaks with employees in the Emergencies ministry’s office in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday, after the town was decimated in a days-long bombing campaign
Vladimir Putin’s forces have ‘completely destroyed’ the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, including this church, following a days-long bombing campaign
Fighting in Volnovakha continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow’s rule
People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during a bombing campaign by Moscow as part of the Russian-waged war on Ukraine
Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drive a damaged car without a windshield while patrolling a street in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Ukraine on Saturday
A view shows local residents’ belongings in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during Russian shelling of Volnovakha, a town that ‘no longer exists’ after the bombing campaign
Civilians have been seeking refuge in basements in Volnovakha, Ukraine’s Donetsk area, for more than two weeks, hiding from a Russian bombardment that has destroyed their hometown
Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble
Moscow’s troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an ‘all-out assault’ in the coming days
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble
A burnt-out car sits amidst the rubble in Volnovakha after the town endured a days-long bombing campaign that ‘completely destroyed’ it
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha ‘no longer exists’ after Moscow’s ‘war of annihilation’ that has left the smouldering remains of the town ‘in the hands of Russian-backed separatists’ (pictured patrolling the streets of Volnovakha)
Residents of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine carry food and water supplies back to their homes after the town was ‘destroyed’ by Russian shelling
Residents of the ‘completely destroyed’ town Volnovakha in the Donetsk region warm themselves with a makeshift fire and boil a kettle after their homes were reduced to rubble by Russian shelling
A pro-Russian soldier in a uniforms without insignia seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday
Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble
Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, added: ‘If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that’s their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.’
But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing ‘concrete’ proposals rather than just ‘exchanging ultimatums’, although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.
The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of ‘extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens’.
Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.
Meanwhile Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as ‘legitimate targets’, prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US ‘that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets’, after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to ‘World War Three’.
And senior Russian officials incredulously flipped the narrative on its head on Saturday, warning that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating because of the actions of the country’s armed forces – and even accusing Ukraine of shelling its own people.
‘The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, unfortunately, continues to rapidly worsen, and in some cities has reached catastrophic proportions,’ RIA quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, as saying on Saturday.
Mizintsev, who said Russian forces were observing ceasefires, said Ukrainian forces had mined residential neighbourhoods and destroyed bridges and roads. Ukraine has complained repeatedly that Russian forces do not always respect ceasefires so civilians can leave through evacuation corridors.
Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv’s northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.
The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.
A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.
But a former NATO official said she is ‘sceptical’ that Russian forces will ‘gain much success’ from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.
A despondent father plays with his daughter before she boards a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine on Saturday
A man walks into a crater created by the impact of an aerial bomb that destroyed a cultural center and an administration building in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv
A member of the Ukrainian forces takes position behind a car in Irpin, a neighbouring city of Ukraine which has seen intense bombardment
A view of a destroyed shoe factory in the aftermath of a missile attack, amid Russia’s invasion, in Dnipro
Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said
Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier (APC) in Irpin,
Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body on stretcher in the town of Irpin near Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the capital
A tram depot in Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian shelling in the city which has faced incessant attacks for days
A resident examines a destroyed tram depot in Kharkiv on Saturday with Ukraine’s second biggest city facing continued shelling
A person is carried on a stretcher next to an upturned car by a destroyed bridge as people are evacuated from Irpin near Kyiv
Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother’s child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood
Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling
Plumes of smoke billow from a building in the strategic port city of Mariupol which has endured 11 days of intense bombardment
A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv with Russians closing in on the city
A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base near the capital
Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region on Saturday morning
Cars line the streets out of Kyiv as desperate residents try to flee the city which is bracing itself for an imminent onslaught from Russia
A Russian KA-52 gunship helicopter is seen on a mission in Ukraine in footage shared by the Kremlin’s defence ministry
Five newborn babies are evacuated from a clinic in Kyiv in bags and suitcases as desperate civilians try to flee from the invading Russians
Anti-tank barriers line a main street in Odessa, a strategic port city which is seen as a likely battleground in the coming days
Eight-year-old Dima struggles between life and death in intensive care after being injured in the Russian attacks in Kharkiv
A view of the damage in a cafe after shelling in Kharkiv with its windows destroyed and glass covering the floor
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US ‘that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets’
People stand in front of a destroyed shoe factory on Saturday in the aftermath of a missile attack in Dnipro, the latest city targeted by Russia
A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire after shelling, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Kvitneve in Kyiv region on Saturday
An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian’s army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine yesterday
Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house after shelling in Kyiv but Russian ground forces are yet to enter the capital
A monument of Odessa’s founder Duke de Richelieu is seen covered with sand bags for protection, amid Russian attacks
A man walks past as a strike hits a car park in the southern city of Mykolaiv near a residential complex
A building in Mariupol is seen on Saturday after it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. The city has seen incessant bombardment for nearly two weeks
Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin’s forces, saying she is ‘sceptical’ of any success in the capital.
She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.
Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin’s botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.
In an address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia’s heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.
The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he ‘refused to cooperate with the enemy’, sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.
It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county on Saturday despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: ‘Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops… The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.’
Putin’s troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.
A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine’s emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.
Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.
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