Russia resumes advance toward Ukraine's capital Kyiv... Approaches within 25km of city center (Update)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian military, which had been in a stalemate, is reportedly resuming its advance toward Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. As offensives on major cities intensify, concerns are growing over increasing civilian casualties.

On the 12th (local time), according to foreign media including the Associated Press, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that a large Russian ground force has advanced to a location approximately 25 km from downtown Kyiv. Previously, the Russian military had halted its advance after multiple failed attempts to capture Kyiv, resulting in a stalemate.

Until now, the Russian forces had faced unexpected resistance from the Ukrainian military and supply issues, which hindered their progress. However, it is estimated that the arrival of a large-scale transport unit has enabled them to resume their advance.

In addition to Kyiv, the Russian military is increasing offensives on other major Ukrainian cities. The UK Ministry of Defence reported that major metropolitan areas such as Chernihiv in the northwest, Kharkiv (Kharkov) in the northeast, Sumy, and Mariupol in the southeast are surrounded by Russian forces and are under intense shelling.

In Kharkiv, the Ukrainian Emergency Service reported that five people were killed due to artillery attacks on civilian residential buildings, including two children among the deceased. In Mariupol, continuous shelling has blocked civilians' evacuation routes, and with food and water supplies cut off, the humanitarian crisis is ongoing, according to the Associated Press.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.