Russian forces continue hammering major Ukrainian cities on seventh day of battling
'This is beyond humanity,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian forces have increased their attacks on crowded Ukraine urban areas, including bombing a TV tower in the capital of Kyiv and continued shelling in Kharkiv.
An airstrike on Tuesday targeted Kyiv’s central TV broadcasting antenna, which temporarily knocked out broadcasting capabilities and left at least five people dead, according to Ukrainian officials. Wednesday marks the seventh day of battling between the two nations.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The destruction also extended to the Holocaust memorial site Babi Yar in Kyiv.
"This is beyond humanity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, according to a translation. "Such missile strike means that, for many Russians, our Kyiv is absolute foreign. They know nothing about our capital, about our history. They have orders to erase our history, our country and all of us."
Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Wednesday that more than 2,000 civilians are dead in Ukraine over the last week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Children, women and defence forces are losing their lives every hour," a statement Wednesday from the emergency service said.
The U.N. human rights office said it has recorded 136 civilian deaths. The real toll is believed to be far higher.
In these frames from Feb. 24, 2022, videos, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. (Russian Presidential Press Service and Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) (AP)
A 40-mile convoy of hundreds of Russian tanks and other vehicles is also continuing to advance slowly on Kyiv.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, at least 21 people were killed and 112 wounded by shelling over the last day, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said. A regional police and intelligence headquarters was also struck, according to the Ukrainian state emergency service.
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The total death toll from the fighting remains unclear. One senior Western intelligence official, however, estimated that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers had been captured or killed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The invading forces have also pressed their assault on other towns and cities, including the strategic ports of Odesa and Mariupol in the south.
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Russian officials said Wednesday they are ready for a second round of talks with Ukraine after holding the first round of negotiations on Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "in the second half of [Wednesday], closer to evening, our delegation will be in place to await Ukrainian negotiators."
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The fighting has led to more than 660,000 people fleeing Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.