Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his country’s deterrence forces – which include nuclear arms – onto their highest state of alert on Sunday, as Ukrainian forces engaged in fierce fighting with Russian troops in multiple cities across Ukraine.
Highlights
- Russian President Vladimir Putin orders his country’s deterrence forces on combat alert.
- Putin says Western sanctions against Russia are unlawful.
- Fighting breaks out in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, after Russian forces enter the city.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office confirms talks with a Russian delegation will take place Monday morning local time.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Putin’s order to put Russian deterrent forces on alert is a “direct threat to us” UN estimates as many as 368,000 people have fled their homes and dozens of civilians have been killed, UN figures say.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense says it is only targeting infrastructure, not military.