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Ukraine News Items.

What follows are items about or related to the war in Ukraine. A separate edition of non-Ukraine war News Items will be distributed later today.

1. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heads toward the two week mark, the stakes for both sides in the ground war look set to rise, with potentially catastrophic implications for Ukrainian civilians and greater challenges for the country’s so far remarkably successful defense. President Vladimir Putin yesterday said again the war will continue until Ukraine accepts his demands and halts resistance, dimming hopes for a negotiated settlement. Putin says Ukraine must “demilitarize” and he has made clear his goal is to remove the current government. (Source: bloomberg.com)

2. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his nation to expect a renewed bombardment of major cities today, as Russian forces regrouped and renewed their assault after being stalled by stiff resistance and suffering unexpected heavy losses. Before dawn, a huge explosion on the outskirts of the coastal city of Mykolaiv, witnessed by The New York Times, lit up the sky as artillery fire rang out. Russians have so far failed to take the city, slowing their push on the vital port city of Odessa. Mr. Zelensky warned that Russian forces are planning to bomb Ukraine’s major defense industry production sites, which are mostly located in heavily populated cities. “It is murder, simply murder,” he said in a speech aired overnight. (Source: nytimes.com)

3. U.S. officials have seen “credible reports” of intentional Russian attacks on civilians and are documenting actions that could constitute a war crime, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday. “We’ve seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would constitute a war crime,” Blinken said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We’ve seen very credible reports about the use of certain weapons.” A total of 364 civilians have been killed and 759 injured since fighting began on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations’ human rights office. Speaking on a day known as “Forgiveness Sunday” to Orthodox Christians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in a video message: “We won’t forgive.”

4. Moscow is recruiting Syrians skilled in urban combat to fight in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion is poised to expand deeper into cities, according to U.S. officials. An American assessment indicates that Russia, which has been operating inside Syria since 2015, has in recent days been recruiting fighters from there, hoping their expertise in urban combat can help take Kyiv and deal a devastating blow to the Ukraine government, according to four American officials. The move points to a potential escalation of fighting in Ukraine, experts said. It is unclear how many fighters have been identified, but some are already in Russia preparing to enter the conflict, according to one official. (Source: wsj.com)