Ukrainian soldiers are successfully fighting back against Russian forces to reclaim some lost ground in parts of the country, the Pentagon says.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian forces have continued to hold off Russian attempts at invading the Ukraine capital of Kyiv by about 15 kilometers to the northwest and about 30 kilometers to the east, according to a senior Defense Department official. There have been “no real changes by the Russians on the ground near Kyiv,” he said in a briefing Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Ukrainians are fighting hard to take back the city of Kharkiv from the Russians, he added. <\/p>\n
The United States assesses that the Russians have launched more than 1,100 missiles since they invaded Ukraine 28 days ago. <\/p>\n
Russian forces are shelling the southern port city of Mariupol from ships in the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainians are fighting very hard to keep Mariupol from falling,” according to the official.<\/p>\n
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky estimates that about 100,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city in “inhumane conditions.”
He said the Russian forces captured a humanitarian convoy that includes Ukrainian emergency workers.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post that they have regained control of Makariv. The Ukrainian flag is reportedly being raised in the suburb, 30 miles west of the capital Kyiv.<\/p>\n
There are also indications that Russian forces have suffered setbacks in areas to the north of Kyiv that they have held since attacking Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons against what Moscow saw as an “existential threat.”<\/p>\n
In an interview, CNN asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia’s nuclear capability. Peskov replied, “if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be.” <\/p>\n