Ukraine: Mariupol mayor says at least 10,000 civilians killed in port city
Russian forces are preparing for what is expected to be a large and more focused push on expanding control in the east and south of Ukraine. The shift in military strategy comes after a failure to capture the capital city of Kyiv.
President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new general to direct the next phase of the war in Ukraine. The U.S. has cast doubt, however, that a change in battlefield leadership will have much impact on Moscow’s prospects.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer traveled to Moscow on Monday to meet with Putin, shortly after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Nehammer became the first European leader to hold talks with Putin since Russia’s unprovoked onslaught began on Feb. 24.
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol tells The Associated Press that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the southeastern city since the Russian invasion in February.
Mayor Vadym Boychenko told The Associated Press by telephone that corpses were “carpeted through the streets of our city” and that the death toll could be more than 20,000.