Major Ukrainian cities are being bombarded in brutal and bloody attacks likened to a “full-scale genocide”.
At least 2,000 civilians have been killed in the six days of war with Russia so far.
Sergiy Orlov, the deputy mayor of Mariupol, said whole districts have been levelled with the city surrounded by invading forces as artillery rains down.
Russia’s grip on cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv continues to tighten although both remain under Ukraine‘s control despite intense shelling.
President Volodymyr Zelensky says current estimates are that 6,000 Russian troops have been killed during the invasion, although the Kremlin has steadfastly refused to release such figures.
The city of Kherson has been taken by Russian troops.
And Kremlin foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West that ‘World War 3 will be nuclear and destructive’ in an apparent effort to deter any planned interventions.