Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine's future as a country was in danger, while a promised ceasefire in the beleaguered port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror. Putin blamed the situation on the Ukrainian leadership and denounced their resistance to the invasion.
"If they continue to do what they are doing, they are putting the future of the Ukrainian state into question," he said.
"And if that happens, it's entirely in their conscience." He also denounced Western sanctions that have crippled Russia's economy and made its currency fall.
"The sanctions imposed are similar to declaring war," he said during a televised meeting with flight attendants of Russian airline Aeroflot. "But thankfully, we're not there yet," he added.
The West broadly supports Ukraine, offering aid and arms and slapping Russia with broad sanctions. But the war itself is left to Ukraine, which has expressed a mixture of courage and desperation.
Russian troops on Saturday advanced to a third nuclear power plant, having taken control of two of the four operating in the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to American lawmakers for additional help even as he insisted the enemy was being defeated.
"We inflicted losses on the occupying forces that they cannot see in their worst nightmares," the Ukrainian leader said.
This week Russian troops took control of the southern port city of Kherson. Although they have besieged Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, Ukrainian forces have managed to capture key cities in central and southeastern Ukraine, Zelensky said.
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Ten days after Russian troops invaded, the struggle to enforce a temporary ceasefire in Mariupol and the eastern city of Volnovakha demonstrates the fragility of efforts to stop fighting across Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said artillery fire and Russian air strikes had prevented residents from leaving before the agreed evacuation took place. Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort.
Previous meetings were held in Belarus and led to a failed ceasefire agreement to create humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of children, women and the elderly from besieged cities, where pharmacies have been empty, hundreds of thousands face shortages of food and water, and where the injured have succumbed to their wounds.
In comments broadcast on Ukrainian television, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said thousands of residents had gathered to safely exit the city when the shooting began Saturday.
"We value the life of every Mariupol resident and we can't take any risks, so we stopped the evacuation," he said.
The United Nations human rights office says at least 351 civilians have been confirmed dead since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, but the real number may be much higher. The Russian military, which does not provide regular updates on casualties, said on Wednesday that 498 of its soldiers had been killed.
