get lyse doucet to our position here to give us a bit more perspective, but i should tell you that it is snowing here now in kyiv. we are still waiting for that russian column to get a bit closer to our position here. the suggestion is that it had mechanical problems and supply problems as well. one thing that the ukrainian resistant has been good at is targeting the supply lines of the russian forces attacking here. we have seen that in attacking here. we have seen that in a number of the battle scenarios around the country. but clearly in this, the second week of this conflict, the russians have stepped up conflict, the russians have stepped up their advance and now they are targeting bigger strategic areas and we know that kherson has gone in the south. mariupol as well, kharkiv is being pounded and at some point, potentially, we could see the fight brought here to the capital. with that, it s goodbye from kyiv because
with me is our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. the beginning of this is a very short time in war, but also a very long time, especially if you are coming under attack. as we shift into this second week, the first city, kherson, has come under attack. , attack. yesterday there were conflicting attack. yesterday there were conflicting reports. attack. yesterday there were conflicting reports. the - attack. yesterday there were l conflicting reports. the mayor attack. yesterday there were - conflicting reports. the mayor in his last act of defiance and said the flag of ukraine was still flying but there are no more ukrainian troops on the streets, telling the russian soldiers, don t shoot out the people. mariupol, this strategic southern city, is now encircled, with the mayor saying the shelling is so intense we can t rescue the mood. because from the united nations saying there is a humanitarian catastrophe. the first city we are hearing where there is no running wate
ukraine s embattled president, volodomyr zelensky, says his country s defences are holding out, and we have nothing to lose but our freedom . but it comes as the port city of kherson in the south falls to the russians, the first major urban area to be taken. elsewhere, that large column of russian military vehicles heading here to kyiv, on the northern approach road, remains within 20 miles or so of the capital. today, russia s foreign minister, sergei lavrov, said moscow was ready for talks to end the fighting, but would not stop targeting the country s military infrastructure. our first report is from our kyiv correspondent, james waterhouse. it s taken eight days of this war for ukraine s first major city to fall, the southern port city of kherson, where the mayor said he was visited by armed guests. they are now imposing a curfew. in mariupol in the south east, it s been another day of heavy shelling.
along with the city to the south where russian forces are being frustrated by ukrainian defence, they cannot circle the city like in other locations. but other cities like sumy to the north and kharkiv to the east, the ukrainian forces tell us they are holding out, repelling russian attacks. the question is for how much longer. as everin question is for how much longer. as ever in this war, mariupol in the south east has a different story, the level of ukrainian resistance is finally thought to be softening after more than two weeks of being surrounded and cut off and bombarded by russian troops. the emotion that burned through this week from the people we speak to it is one of angen people we speak to it is one of anger, they have had the trauma of this invasion, the shop, the upset from being separated or are losing a loved one, then there is the
but right now, it s on a daily basis, fear of, i don t know, bullets, bombs. bombs are continuing to fall on other surrounded ukrainian cities, like chernihiv and mariupol in the south east, where the russians have made the most gains. they ve also suffered big losses, nato thinks between 7,000 and 14,000 russian soldiers have been killed. as vladimir putin continues to be frustrated, the question is how many more lives will be lost or destroyed. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. so here we are, one month into this war with the russian advance stalled and thousands of its troops dead. ukrainian forces meanwhile say they are counter attacking. our security correspondent, frank gardner, has this assessment of the russian military campaign, and the problems its troops have encountered.