Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Kharkiv: Russian troops are trying to hold the border after withdrawing from areas around Ukraine’s second-largest city. The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank, said this activity is different from previous Russian withdrawals from around Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy, when they pulled all the way back into Russian territory. In this case, they “may seek to retain positions in Ukraine” — and keep up artillery strikes — to prevent Ukrainian forces from getting within striking range of the Russian city of Belgorod.
Donbas: Despite a mostly stalled offensive in the eastern Donbas region, Russian forces have made modest gains amid heavy fighting in the Donetsk oblast.
Mariupol: An evacuation of at least some Ukrainian soldiers from an encircled steel plant in this Russian-controlled city appeared to be underway Monday. The number of Ukrainian troops to be evacuated was not immediately clear — nor was their fate.
More live updates here.
