Six Days Of Invasion To Ukraine Hasn't Conquered Even One Big City, Russia Changes Tactics?

Damage from the Russian attack in Kyiv. (Wikimedia Commons/dpsu.gov.ua/Sergey Vasilyevich Deineko)

JAKARTA - Russia warned Kyiv residents to leave their homes on Tuesday, as Russia stepped up bombardment of cities as part of a change of tactics, after a six-day offensive stalled.

A US official said the armored convoy for miles stuck around the capital Kyiv, had made no progress in the past 24 hours, was frozen by logistical problems, fuel, and food shortages, and might stop to reassess tactics.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops would strike targets in Kyiv used by Ukrainian security services as well as communications sites. The ministry warned residents near the site to leave their homes, while providing no information on where in the city of three million people the target was.

Speaking at a heavily fortified government compound in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia must "first stop bombing people" before peace talks can make progress.

In joint interviews with Reuters and CNN, President Zelenskiy also urged NATO members to impose a no-fly zone to stop Russia's air force, something the military alliance has ruled out.

As President Zelenskiy spoke, news emerged that a Russian missile had hit a TV tower near the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv, killing at least five people.

A rocket attack on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, killed at least 10 people and injured 35, said Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko. A similar attack killed and injured dozens of people in Kharkiv on Monday.

A puff of smoke in Kyiv. (Wikimedia Commons/Mvs.gov.ua/Міністерство ав аїни)

President Zelenskiy, who also spoke by phone for 30 minutes with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, said the artillery attack in Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million people, amounted to 'state terrorism'.

In their phone call, the two leaders discussed how Russia is intensifying attacks on sites used by civilians, with the US president underscoring Washington's economic and security support and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv, the White House said.

The West has imposed tough sanctions on Russia to shut its economy out of the global financial system, prompting companies to halt sales, cut ties and dump tens of billions of dollars in investments.

It is known that almost a week since Russian troops invaded the border, they have not captured a major Ukrainian city after encountering much fiercer resistance than they had expected.

"Looking at the Russian operations so far, they are having tremendous problems with logistics and communications. The whole effort seems to be in disarray," Michael Kofman, a Russian military expert at Washington DC's Wilson Center, wrote in a Twitter post.

Many Western military analysts fear that Russia will now back down on tactics that call for crushing bombardment of built-up areas before trying to enter them.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said:

"One of the reasons why things seem to have stalled in northern Kyiv is, Russia itself is regrouping, rethinking, and trying to adjust to the challenges they face."

The Russians were shocked not only by the scale of the Ukrainian resistance but also by the poor morale among their own troops, some of whom surrendered without a fight, US officials said.

Russia still has more power to put into the fight, even though President Vladimir Putin has drawn global condemnation and sanctions that have sent the ruble into free fall and forced Russians to queue outside banks for their savings.

Damage from the Russian attack in Kyiv. (Wikimedia Commons/Kyivcity.gov.ua)

Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the "special military operation" would continue until it achieves its goals, which Putin defines as disarming Ukraine and arresting "neo-Nazis" who he says run the country.

In the south, Russia claims to have completely laid siege to Ukraine's Sea of Azov coast. If confirmed, it would mean Russian forces invading Crimea have joined forces with separatists in the east and have cut off Ukraine's main eastern port, Mariupol.

Images released by US satellite company Maxar show Russian tanks, artillery, and fuel trucks stretching 40 miles (60 km) along a highway north of Kyiv.

President Zelenskiy said Kyiv remained the main target. Some Kyiv residents have taken shelter in underground metro stations at night. There were long lines for fuel and some products were out of stock in the shops.

In an emotional address to the European Parliament via video link on Tuesday, a day after he signed a formal request to join the European Union, Zelenskiy urged the bloc to prove that it is siding with Ukraine.

"Prove that you will not let us go. Prove that you are indeed European and then life will triumph over death and light will triumph over darkness," he said.

To note, more than 660,000 people, mostly women, and children, have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries such as Poland and Romania since the invasion began, the UN refugee agency said.

At the Hungarian border crossing Tiszabecs, a mother holds a baby in her arms after a four-day drive from Kyiv.

"I saw war, I saw rockets," said his older son, Ivan, 15, who looked exhausted after the trip. Meanwhile, the father chose to survive to carry out armed resistance.