Shelling in Kharkiv has killed at least 21 people and injured 112 as Russian paratroopers attacked the city overnight.
Ukraine’s second-largest city has seen heavy gun battles between Ukrainian and Russian troops while a military hospital has been attacked, officials said.
A 40-mile chain of Russia’s armoured military vehicles, tanks and towed artillery has been advancing towards Kyiv, stoking fears of a full-blown assault on the capital.
Blasts and air-raid sirens were heard across Kyiv on Tuesday night, while multiple bombings were reported in cities and villages in the Kyiv province.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry has claimed to have captured Kherson – according to a report by Russian news agency RIA.
The port city is a key location as it is on the coast of the Black Sea, close to the Crimea peninsula.
