Russia bombs Kyiv residential flats as 'ceasefire' talks resume

Kremlin says haven't ruled out taking over large cities

Ukraine said it had begun “hard” talks on a ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees with Russia on Monday, despite the fatal shelling of a residential building in Kyiv.

Both sides suggested at the weekend some results could be in sight after earlier rounds have primarily focused on ceasefires to get aid to towns and cities under siege by Russian forces and evacuate civilians; those truces have frequently failed. 

Firefighters tackled the remains of a blaze at the damaged apartment block in the capital. Officials said at least one person died in the shelling and a second person was killed by falling debris after a missile strike on another part of the Ukrainian capital.

The Kremlin said on Monday it may still opt to take control of large cities in Ukraine, as Moscow’s military advances steadily towards several major urban hubs in its pro-Western neighbour. “Putin gave orders to hold back on any immediate assault on large cities because the civilian losses would be large,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 

rescuers work to get a woman out of the building | Photos: Reuters, AP\PTI

He added, however, that the defence ministry “does not rule out the possibility of putting large cities, which are already almost fully encircled, under its full control”.

The Russian ruble, though, edged up in afternoon trade in Moscow on Monday as Ukraine said it had begun “hard” talks with Russia on a ceasefire. At 1340 GMT, the rouble was 1 per cent higher at 113 against the dollar, rising from 116.2 at the market’s opening. It was 1.6 per cent weaker versus the euro at 122.9 after trading at 125.70 in the morning.

A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Kyiv | Photos: Reuters, AP\PTI

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday amid mounting tensions between the two countries over the Russia-Ukraine war.

Chernobyl nuclear plant damaged, loses power again, says operator.

The head of Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo, said on Monday the Chernobyl nuclear power station was relying on electricity from diesel generators after external power supplies to the plant were damaged again. The nearby town of Slavutych was completely without power for the same reason, Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskiy said.

Not going as fast as we would like: Top Putin ally on Ukraine invasion.

The Kremlin said everything was going to plan after one of Putin’s closest allies, National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov, made the strongest public acknowledgement yet that the operation was slower than hoped. “Not everything is going as fast as we would like,” said Zolotov, once in charge of Putin’s personal security.