President Zelensky Condemns Russian Artillery Strike: Deliberate Terror Against Civilians

President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Wikimedia Commons / President Of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian authorities have condemned Russian artillery attacks on cities in the east, as well as the ongoing siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, where Moscow says it has been held almost completely, following nearly two months of bloody fighting.

Having failed to overcome Ukrainian resistance in the north, Russia's military has refocused its ground offensive on the Donbas, while launching long-range attacks on targets elsewhere, including the capital Kyiv.

Eighteen people have been killed and more than 100 injured in shootings in the past four days in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"This is nothing but deliberate terror: mortars, artillery against ordinary settlements, against ordinary civilians," he said.

On the streets of Mariupol, small clusters of corpses lined up under colorful blankets, surrounded by felled trees and charred buildings.

Residents, some pushing bicycles, made their way around destroyed tanks and civilian vehicles while Russian soldiers checked riders' documents.

Among them was Irina, who was evacuated with a niece who was injured in the shooting.

"I have a daughter in the DNR," he said, referring to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

"Maybe we will try to move there for a while."

"I hope they will rebuild (Mariupol). The most important thing is the utility system. Summer will pass quickly and winter will be difficult," he hoped.

Russia denies targeting civilians, rejecting what Ukraine says is evidence of staged atrocities to undermine peace talks. Moscow calls its actions a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine and eradicate what it calls dangerous nationalists. The West and Kyiv have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of unreasonable aggression.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said troops in the devastated Mariupol port were still fighting on Sunday, despite Russian calls to surrender before dawn.

"The city still hasn't fallen," he told ABC's 'This Week' program, adding Ukrainian troops continued to control parts of the southeastern city.

Earlier, Russia said it had taken control of urban areas, with the few remaining Ukrainian fighters at the Azovstal steel mill overlooking the Sea of Azov, on Saturday.

Seizing Mariupol, the main port in the Donbas region, would be a strategic gift for Russia, linking territory held by pro-Russian separatists in the east with the Crimea region that Moscow annexed in 2014.

Separately, Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the neighboring region of Lugansk, which has seen heavy fighting, repeated pleas for people to evacuate.

"Next week will be difficult. This may be the last time we have a chance to save you," he said in a post on his Facebook page.