Russian forces 'advance' 3 miles closer to Kyiv after on-ground movement for 24 hours: US

After being stalled for days, the Russian forces have now inched as close as 3 miles to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, in the past 24 hours, a US Defence Ministry informed. As of now, the Russian military is stationed about 15 km from the city center. Two parallel Russian troops have simultaneously advanced from the northeast to push into the capital, however, some invaders emanating from the northern town of Sumy, reportedly turned around towards the northeast, ABC News reported.

New satellite images obtained on Wednesday and Thursday also displayed huge Russian military lines massed near Kyiv stretching more than 40 miles (around 60 km) have now been "dispersed and redeployed," NEXTA reported. The satellite images northwest of Kyiv also revealed that some of the elements of the convoy have "repositioned" into forests and tree lined areas near Lubyanka, Ukraine, according to Maxar Technologies. Meanwhile, reports of advancement from the northwestern side of Kyiv near Hostomel Airport (also known as Antonov) have emerged. In addition, heavy fighting continued in the strategic port city of Mariupol, which was encircled by Russian troops but not conquered.

New satellite images show massive Russian military column

[Satellite images of the northwest of Kyiv show Russian military convoy "largely dispersed and redeployed". Image: MAXAR Technologies.]

[Explosions occured during shelling in a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 10, 2022. Image: AP]

The city of Chernihiv has remained isolated but the Russian military has not moved ahead, as per reports. However, heavy shelling was reported from Chernihiv with Ukrainian forces fighting back. Meanwhile, Chernobyl nuclear power plant has remained in a blackout since Wednesda and Ukraine has warned that it could lead to "nuclear discharge." While the UN-backed global nuclear watchdog, IAEA, has downplayed the risks, the Kyiv National Emergency Service agency flagged that if power is not restored to the plant's cooling systems, it could create "radioactive clouds" to blow over Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe.

Russian forces continued to encircle 'key cities': UK

Owing to strong Ukrainian resistance, the Russian forces are "committing an increased number of their deployed forces to encircle key cities" in Ukraine. "This will reduce the number of forces available to continue their advance and will further slow Russian progress," the UK Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. Photographs that surfaced on Wednesday also showed armoured units maneuvering and surrounding the town close to Antonov airport. Separately, there have also been reports of internet outages in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, where the US estimated that Russia has rained more than 775 missiles since the invasion began on February 24.