Russian troops refocused their efforts to seize Kyiv on Monday, firing artillery on suburbs, which have seen some of the worst conflict during Russia’s stalled attempt to take the capital. A local official said a town councilor for Brovary, east of Kyiv, was killed in fighting there. Two people were killed when artillery hit a nine-story residential building in a northern district of the city early Monday, destroying apartments on several floors and igniting a fire. Ukrainian authorities said two more people died and seven were injured after Russian forces struck an airplane factory in Kyiv, sparking a large fire.…

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces after invading Ukraine, describing it a “bone-chilling development.” “The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility,” Guterres told reporters, and repeated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24 has so far sent more than 2.8 million people fleeing across Ukraine’s borders and trapped hundreds of thousands in besieged cities while triggering broad Western sanctions on Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin late last month…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered sweeping US and European sanctions, but China has vowed to continue trading with Moscow as normal and maintains the country is its “most important strategic partner.” China is Russia’s top trade partner, for both imports and exports. In the first two months of this year, China’s exports to Russia surged by more than 40% compared with 2021, and its imports from Russia increased by nearly 36%. In 2021, Russia imported around $73 billion worth of products from China, which accounted for roughly a quarter of the value of Russia’s total imports, according to the…

Ukrainian officials said at least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded Sunday when more than 30 cruise missiles were fired at the Yavoriv military range, just 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Polish border. The training base appears to be the most westward target struck so far in the 18-day invasion. The facility, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries. The base has also hosted international NATO drills. The site symbolizes what has long been a Russian…