Pentagon officials have been briefing journalists on the latest US intelligence assessment of the conflict.
A senior defence official said the US does not believe that a Russian amphibious operation aimed at taking the Black Sea city of Odesa is imminent.
Earlier President Zelensky warned that Russian forces were preparing to bombard Odesa, which is close to the Moldovan border and the Russia-backed breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria.
The US defence official also said the US had observed only ‘limited’ changes on the ground in Ukraine over the past day, with Russian efforts to seize Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv being hotly contested by Ukraine.
A 65km (40-mile) Russian convoy near Kyiv remains stalled and the airspace over Ukraine remains contested despite aircraft losses on both sides.
The US estimates that 600 Russian missile launches of various kinds have taken place since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on 24 February, the official said.
The Pentagon believes that approximately 95% of the Russian forces it had amassed near Ukraine’s border have now been committed to the offensive and deployed into Ukraine
Day 11: What you need to know
It’s just after midnight in Ukraine – as the country moves into the early hours of Monday morning, here are Sunday’s key developments:
- At least three people – a mother and two children – died as mortar fire hit an evacuation route from the town of Irpin near Kyiv, which has been under heavy bombardment. Civilians have been fleeing across a destroyed bridge that was blown up by Ukrainian forces to prevent a Russian advance on the capital
- Another attempt at a ceasefire in the southern city of Mariupol for people to evacuate failed – with both sides again blaming the other. The Red Cross said the sides had not agreed any details for the evacuation. The city has been without electricity and water for days
- The global nuclear watchdog says it is very concerned by reports that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is under the orders of the Russian commander whose forces seized it. The International Agency for Atomic Energy’s head Rafael Grossi says it is vital to safety that staff can work “free of undue pressure”
- More than a million people have crossed into Poland – about two-thirds of the roughly 1.5 million people to flee the country so far
- On the diplomatic front, Russia’s Vladimir Putin told France’s Emmanuel Macron that Russia would achieve its aims through “negotiation or war”, according to a French readout of their nearly-two-hour call. Earlier on Sunday he told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan much the same thing
- In Russia, over 4,600 people were reportedly detained at anti-war demonstrations – more than 13,000 people have been detained since the war began
- The corporate exodus from Russia continues – Netflix, PwC and American Express all announced they were suspending services in Russia. TikTok also suspended live streaming and new content to its video service
BBC
