Keys to the war between Russia and Ukraine

The Russian offensive approached the headquarters of the Ukrainian government on Wednesday in a missile and artillery attack on an apartment tower in Kiev, leaving burning buildings and cigarettes in the capital and the suburbs.

The Russian military intensified bombing of Ukrainian cities, such as the besieged Kharkiv and the sealed port of Mariupol, which exacerbated the humanitarian costs of the war.

However, diplomatic activities also gained momentum.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to meet again on Wednesday after the fourth meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “more realistic” than the previous meeting. He asked for patience as officials prepared to return to the negotiating table.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy hoped to make unusual direct requests to members of the US Congress, an attempt to gain more Western support for the devastating Russian invasion.

Here are some keys to the crash:

What's happening on the ground?

A cloud of smoke is rising in western Kiev after fragments of artillery shells hit a 12-storey apartment building in the center of the Ukrainian capital, destroying the top floor and causing a fire, according to statements and images distributed by the city's emergency agencies.

The agency reported two victims without revealing whether they were killed or injured.

The large flames and clouds of smoke that recently covered several apartment towers in Kiev pointed to a new stage of the war and put an end to the tranquility that returned to the capital after the initial Russian breakthrough.

In the suburbs of Kiev, battles continued and thousands of people were deprived of safe drinking water and heating.According to local officials, Russian troops tried to cut off supply routes to the city before a widespread attack.

According to the authorities, a Russian air strike against the village of Markhalivka in the south-west of the capital destroyed residential apartments.The extent of the damage was unclear.

According to local authorities, Russia currently occupies the city of Ivan Kievich, 80 km (50 miles) north of Kiev, and controls the surrounding area at the border with Belarus.

It struck the northeastern part of Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, and suffered repeated shelling. The authorities stated that the Ukrainian military continued to prevent Russia's invasion into the center of the city.

Meanwhile, a thunderous explosion echoed near Kherson, a strategic port on the Black Sea, and the railway station in the Zaporiya region.

The region is “facing a humanitarian catastrophe,” warned Zelenskyy's office.

Will the Ukrainians be able to evacuate?

In the southeast, about 28,800 civilians escaped from Mariupol's fenced port through several humanitarian corridors, local officials said Tuesday night.

Despite the fact that Russian troops intensified attacks on coastal cities where hundreds of thousands of civilians struggled to survive without food, water or heat, they successfully evacuated thousands of vehicles.According to local officials, the Russian army captured the largest hospital in the city on Tuesday night, taking hundreds of people hostage.

Again, humanitarian caravans were unable to reach Mariupol due to Russian attacks, but they provided aid in the north-eastern part of Sumy and installed evacuation passages.

According to the United Nations, more than 3 million refugees in total escaped Ukraine due to the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

Have you witnessed it firsthand or have you checked the AP?

Amid the chaos and destruction of besieged Kharkiv, doctors struggle to take care of COVID-19 patients as bombs continue to fall.

Aircraft sirens are heard several times a day in the infectious disease regional clinical hospital in Kharkiv, and some force vulnerable patients connected to ventilators to go to temporary bomb shelters.

“The bombing takes place from morning till night. Thank you. The bomb has not yet hit our hospital, but it can happen at any time.” Dr. Pavel Nartov told the Associated Press.

How is the world responding to war?

Leaders of three European countries, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovenia, took a train trip to the besieged Ukrainian capital on Tuesday to take risks, expressing support for the country. They met with Zelensky to express hope that Ukraine will one day join the European Union, and the wreckage caused by the Russian attack was burned abroad.

According to White House officials, after Zelenskyy's remote intervention in the US Congress, it was expected that President Joe Biden would announce that the United States would send new military aid worth $800 million to Ukraine. This amount included funds for anti-armor weapons and air defense, and the total amount announced last week alone would amount to $1 billion.

Biden also plans to travel to Europe next week to meet face to face with European leaders, discuss the invasion of Russia, and attend a special NATO summit in Brussels. NATO strengthened its eastern flank with troops and equipment to prevent Russia from invading its member states.

Around the world, various governments continued to retaliate against Moscow for the invasion.The United States was pursuing the assets of Russian military officers in a new round of sanctions. The EU announced new measures to sanction Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea football club, and prohibit the luxury of Russian oligarchs.