As Western sanctions tightened their vise grip on Russia's economy, Russian forces seized the southern city of Kherson and besieged other cities, with casualties and destruction mounting.
ODESSA, Ukraine (AP) — On Wednesday, Russian forces seized the first major Ukrainian city in their onslaught, the strategic port of Kherson, as they increased their bombardment of civilian targets across the country, besieged other cities, and pushed to encircle and cut off the capital, Kyiv.
After days of intense fighting that killed up to 300 Ukrainian civilians and fighters, Russian troops and tanks rolled into Kherson, on the Dnieper River near the Black Sea, according to the mayor and another senior Ukrainian government official who confirmed the city's fall. "There is no Ukrainian army here," said Igor Kolykhaev, the mayor, in an interview. "The city is encircled."
Other Russian columns besieged Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, as well as Mariupol, the country's port city. Worryingly, a massive convoy of military vehicles stood north of Kyiv, presumably in preparation for a major offensive.
According to Mr. Kolykhaev, the battle for control of Kherson, a shipbuilding center, left bodies strewn about the city streets, power outages, limited water, and little food. Utility workers have attempted to repair damaged pipes and downed lines, but have come under fire from snipers, he claims.
He claimed that a group of about ten-armed Russian officers, including the commander of the attacking forces, had entered the city hall and informed him that they intended to establish a military administration.
The nearly week-old Russian invasion drew global attention at first to attacks on the two largest cities in the north, Kyiv and Kharkiv, but it appeared to be making more progress in the south. Capturing Kherson could pave the way for Russian forces to push westward toward Odessa, a much bigger prize, as they attempt to seize Ukraine's entire Black Sea coast, cutting it off from global shipping.
Russian troops have advanced near Mariupol, while naval forces have gathered offshore, raising concerns about an amphibious assault on a city where local officials say there is no power or heat.
Mariupol is located on the Sea of Azov, which is surrounded on three sides by Russia, which controls access to it. The port is part of a critical piece of terrain that Russia appears to be attempting to acquire in order to connect Russian-backed separatist pockets in the southeast with Crimea, the southern peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. This could trap Ukrainian troops defending the breakaway region in a pincer trap, caught between Russian forces to the east and west.
A day after President Biden declared in a defiant State of the Union address that the war would "leave Russia weaker and the world stronger," and that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin "has no idea what's coming," the West tightened the retaliatory economic squeeze that has Russia reeling. Sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe have targeted the Russian government, its ally Belarus, Russian businesses, powerful individuals, and their assets abroad.
What Comes Next?
First, a Guide to the Conflict Timeline As Russia strikes more civilian targets in Ukraine, a city falls.
As Western sanctions tightened their vise grip on Russia's economy, Russian forces seized the southern city of Kherson and besieged other cities, with casualties and destruction mounting.
Ukrainian military personnel were seen earlier this month in Kherson. On Wednesday, Russia took control of the city.
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