Russian forces have moved 5 km closer to Kyiv in the last 24 hours, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross warns that food and water supplies in besieged Mariupol have fallen dangerously.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Russia's claims that Ukraine is developing chemical or biological weapons on its territory with US assistance.

Satellite images of a Russian convoy near Kyiv show that Russian forces are being redeployed to nearby areas, potentially signaling renewed pressure on the Ukrainian capital.

Day 15 of the Russian Invasion: The West Condemns the Attack on Children's Hospital in Mariupol

This morning, explosions were reported in cities across Ukraine. Local media reported explosions in Lutsk in the northwest, as well as in the Dnieper - an inner-city located on the Dnieper River and a major fortress in central-eastern Ukraine.

Three air strikes were carried out early this morning in Dnipro, Reuters reported. According to state emergency services, one person was killed and one injured. The strikes were in areas near a kindergarten and an apartment building.

In the city of Lutsk, the strike was aimed at an airport, the BBC reported, citing information from locals in the area, which was confirmed by the mayor.

There is also information that a factory in the city was hit, where the engines of certain fighters can be repaired.

None of these cities have come under direct fire so far, the media said, adding that air raid sirens sounded in several cities in Ukraine before the explosions.

The Russian military fired on the Institute of Physics and Technology in Kharkiv, which has an experimental nuclear reactor.

According to a Twitter message from the Ukrainian parliament, fighting in the area has not stopped. Russian forces have been expelled from the city of Mykolaiv and continue to be pushed out of the city, said the head of the regional administration Vitaly Kim.

UNICEF: More than a Million Children have left Ukraine since the Russian Invasion

In another video address tonight, Ukrainian President Zelensky said Ukrainian authorities had managed to evacuate nearly 40,000 people yesterday from a number of cities in the country. According to him, humanitarian aid was successfully delivered - hundreds of tons of products and medicines. Zelensky also described the reports in the Russian media about the development of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as fake news.

“We are accused of developing biological weapons and preparing a chemical attack, which worries me, because we have been convinced many times - if you want to know what Russia's plans are, look at what it accuses others of.”

The US has warned that Russia may be preparing to use Chemical Weapons in Ukraine

He also warned that Russia would receive “the heaviest sanctions” in return if it used such weapons against Ukraine.

The UN Security Council is expected to hold an extraordinary meeting today at Russia's request to discuss Moscow's claim that the United States is funding the development of biological weapons in Ukraine. According to Western countries, Russia has fabricated these accusations to justify its own future use of biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Earlier, the Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that Moscow and Kyiv were ready to work with the organization to ensure nuclear security. The agency expressed concern over the situation after it became clear that the Russian military had seized the largest nuclear power plant in Europe - Zaporizhzhia - as well as the Chernobyl plant.

Russia and Ukraine Negotiations: No Progress on the Ceasefire

Yesterday, peace talks between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia in Turkey ended without progress on a ceasefire. Russia later announced that it would open humanitarian corridors to its territory on a daily basis from the besieged Ukrainian cities. Corridors to Central and Western Ukraine are also allowed, but in coordination with the Ukrainian authorities.

/BNR

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