Russian Military Convoy Nears Kyiv As Ukraine Condemns ‘Barbaric Missile Strikes’ In Kharkiv

At Least 70 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed In Russian Strike On Okhtyrka

More than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by a Russian rocket attack in the city of Okhtyrka on Tuesday, regional head Dmytro Zhyvytskyy revealed on Telegram.

Zhyvytskyy shared photos of a charred and demolished four-story building in Okhtyrka—located between the western city of Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv—which was reportedly a base of operations for the soldiers.

Okhtyrka mayor Pavlo Kuzmenko accused Russia of “waging a vile war” and dropping a fuel-air bomb on an oil depot, the Guardian reported.

– Siladitya Ray

Key Developments: Massive Russian Military Convoy Near Kyiv, Kharkiv Bombarded

• A Russian military convoy stretching more than 40 miles is closing in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, raising fears that the Russian military could use brute force to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses.
• Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kubela accused the Russian military of using “barbaric” missile strikes in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv. The alleged strikes appeared to have hit the city’s main administrative building, part of a large apartment block and the city’s opera house, and took place around 8 am local time—two hours after the city lifted its curfew.
• Over 520,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled the country after Russia’s invasion, the United Nations Refugee Agency said on Monday.

– Siladitya Ray