Russia is planning public executions in conquered Ukrainian cities in an effort to shatter morale, it has been claimed.
The nation's Federal Security Service is understood to have drawn up the sadistic strategy, which also includes cracking down on protesters, according to an anonymous European intelligence official, reports Bloomberg.
Reporter Kitty Donaldson, who broke the story, tweeted: "The agency is also planning violent crowd control and repressive detention of protest organisers in order to break Ukrainian morale."
Day eight of Vladimir Putin's invasion has seen Moscow troops open fire in a town next to Europe's largest nuclear power plant after entering it with tanks, a Ukrainian official has said.
For all the live updates from the Russian invasion follow our live blog
Fierce fighting has been raging for much of the day around the Zaporizhzhia plant in southeastern Ukraine.
The battle came as Putin claimed Ukraine is using civilians and foreigners as "human shields" - while his forces bomb densely-populated areas.
The outrageous claim followed a day of continued attacks on cities including the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv, which have suffered intense damage.
The city of Kherson has been taken by Russian troops but elsewhere the invaders have met with fierce Ukraine resistance.
The port city of Mariupol is being catastrophically bombed round the clock and is in danger of becoming 'like Leningrad', according to officials.
The then-Soviet city of Leningrad, now called St Petersburg, saw a protracted Nazi siege during World War 2, resulting in 1.5million people killed over two years.
Dramatic maps show how invading troops have closed in, after shelling left citizens without water and in a blackout after the power was cut.
Supplies are also unable to enter and people cannot evacuate.
Earlier today an airstrike on an apartment block in Chernihiv killed 22 civilians.
Putin praised his military as heroes and said all was going to plan despite reports suggesting intel showed he planned to take Kyiv within 48 hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters he must speak to Putin to stop the war.
He was asked by a journalist during a press conference in Kyiv today: “You have just mentioned you want to talk with Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin has so far not been willing to meet with you.
"Do you have a message for him now that Ukrainian cities are under attack? This city is under attack.
"A convoy is on its way here. Is there a way to prevent this war from escalating even further, now?”
Zelensky replied: “It is not about I want to talk with Putin, I think I have to talk with Putin.
"The world has to talk with Putin because there are no other ways to stop this war.
"That’s why I have to.”
