The beleaguered Black Sea city of Kherson in Ukraine’s south has been claimed by Russian forces, but the city’s mayor claims it remains in Ukrainian control. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, is still being shelled heavily, with police and university buildings being targeted just a day after local government offices were reduced to ruins. Russian forces are also said to be encircling Mariupol, a major port on the Sea of Azov, and attacking areas west and south of Kyiv, according to reports.
Russia has confirmed the deaths of 498 of its troops in Ukraine, the first official death toll since President Vladimir Putin started his invasion.
According to the UN’s refugee agency, one million refugees have fled Ukraine in the week since Russia’s incursion.
“We have witnessed the evacuation of one million migrants from Ukraine to neighbouring countries in just seven days,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweeted, imploring “weapons to fall silent” in Ukraine.
