Russia prepares for 'heaviest battle' in Kherson, blackouts in Kyiv: 10 points

Russia-Ukraine War: Russia is preparing to defend Kherson which is the largest city under its control.

Russian forces are digging in for the "heaviest of battles" in the strategic southern region of Kherson, a senior Ukrainian official said. As Russia prepares to defend Kherson which is the largest city under its control from Ukraine's counter-offensive, it evacuated residents from the region.

Russia-Ukraine War: A boy evacuated from the Russian-controlled city of Kherson. (Reuters)

Here are 10 updates on the Russian-Ukraine war:

1. Russian forces in Kherson have been driven back in recent weeks and risk being trapped against the west bank of the Dnipro river.

2. Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, said that there was no sign that Russian forces were preparing to abandon Kherson.

3. Kherson is the most strategically important region for Russia among the four provinces Russian president Vladimir Putin proclaimed to have annexed.

4. In Mykolaiv region north and west of Kherson city, fighting continued between the Russian and Ukrainian forces.

5. Russia told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb".

6. Ukraine's president Zelensky said Russia's allegation suggested Moscow was planning to use a tactical nuclear weapon.

7. US president Joe Biden said Russia would be "making an incredibly serious mistake" if it used a nuclear weapon.

8. Rolling blackouts began in Ukraine's capital Kyiv last week as Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to start conserving electricity.

9. 30 per cent of Ukraine’s power stations had been destroyed, Ukraine's president said.

10. Russia has doubled down on its war efforts after facing severe losses in the battlefield.