Ukraine war: List of cities under Russian shelling. See map

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces shelled several suburbs of the capital, a major political and strategic target for an invasion on its 19th day.

Russia’s military forces are keeping up their campaign to capture Ukraine’s capital as residents of other besieged cities hold out hope that renewed diplomatic talks might open the way for more civilians to evacuate or emergency supplies to reach them.

People retrieve belongings from an apartment in a block which was destroyed by an artillery strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday. (AP)

Talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday have started and communication between the two sides is hard but ongoing, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Air raid alerts sounded in cities and towns all around the country overnight, from near the Russian border in the east to the Carpathian Mountains in the west, as fighting continued on the outskirts of Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces shelled several suburbs of the capital, a major political and strategic target for an invasion on its 19th day.

Here is a list of cities that Russia is attacking and claiming control of:

Key developments as of Monday. Source: AFP

Mariupol: More than 2,200 residents of the besieged port of Mariupol have been killed since the start of the invasion, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser. The Russian troops have kept up their siege of the southern port city of Mariupol with non-stop bombartment, officials said.

Kherson: The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhaev, said on March 2 that Russian soldiers were in the city and came to the city administration building. He said he asked them not to shoot civilians and to allow them to gather up the bodies from the streets. Kherson, a city of 300,000, is strategically located on the banks of the Dnieper River near where it flows into the Black Sea.

Kharkiv: The invading forces fired rockets into the centre of the country’s second largest city on the sixth day of aggression and claimed to be in control of the port city. Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 million.

Sumy: Russian troops surrounded the city of Sumy, bombed vital infrastructure and cut off supply routes, Ukranian officals reported on March 10.

Chernihiv: Three airstrikes hit the northern city of Chernihiv overnight, and most of the town is without heat, news agency AP reported on Monday. Several areas haven’t had electricity in days.

Chernobyl Power Plant: Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Feb 24 that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was captured by Russian forces. Russian troops took over the power plant while Ukrainian forces battled them on three sides.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, came under Russian attack on March 4.

Kyiv: The Russian troops have encircled the capital city from all sides and are continuing their bombardment in a bid to capture the capital city.

(With inputs from AP, AFP)