The first day of March swept in with an icy blast of wind and snow; the sixth day of Russia’s invasion unfolds with a gnawing sense of foreboding. Satellite images convey, with searing clarity, the pace of Russia’s progress towards Kyiv. A serpentine armoured convoy, some 65km (40 miles) long, bristling with tanks and troops, slowly snakes forward. It’s only 27km away.
Russia strikes Kharkiv government HQ as more forces join column outside Kyiv
Russian forces have bombarded the government headquarters in Ukraine’s second biggest city, killing at least 11 civilians, officials have said, as a huge armoured column rolling towards the capital, Kyiv, raised fears of more devastating Russian tactics.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday tweeted video of the explosion in Kharkiv’s Freedom Square, calling it a “barbaric Russian missile strike” and accusing the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, of “murdering innocent civilians”.
What are thermobaric weapons and how do they work?
Fears have risen over the use of thermobaric weapons by Russia after the Ukrainian ambassador to the US said a vacuum bomb – another term for the weapon – had been used during the invasion.
⚡️ Russian forces have struck Independence Square in central Kharkiv with a powerful explosion.
According to a video of the event, the blast detonated right in front of the headquarters of the Kharkiv Oblast government.
Video: Ukraine NOW/Telegram pic.twitter.com/poZjYcjRjD
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 1, 2022
