KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces Wednesday carried out punishing strikes against key Ukrainian cities, brushing aside mounting world outrage over the execution-style killings of civilians even as Washington and its Western allies prepared to impose tighter new sanctions against Moscow.
Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, urged residents of an imperiled eastern region to flee an expected Russian assault while it was still possible to do so.
Foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathered in Brussels to weigh options to better support Ukraine in its 6-week-old battle against the Russian invaders. And the European Union was set to vote on whether to ban Russian coal imports.
