Ukraine president says time has come for ‘meaningful’ talks; Ukraine defence ministry says it has ‘temporarily’ lost access to Sea of Azov as fight continues for control of port city of Mariupol
At a glance: what we know on day 24 of the invasionFighting reaches central Mariupol as shelling hinders rescue attemptsPutin praises Russian ‘unity’ at rally as glitch hinders state TV broadcastSyrians join Russian ranks in Ukraine as Putin calls in Assad’s debtRussia’s war in Ukraine: complete guide in maps, video and pictures
The UK Ministry of Defence says the Kremlin has “so far failed to achieve its original objectives” and has been “surprised by the scale and ferocity of the Ukrainian resistance”.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK MoD says Russia has been forced to change its operational approach and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition. “This is likely to involve the indiscriminate use of firepower resulting in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and intensify the humanitarian crisis,” it warns.