Russian ground forces began their long expected push west towards the key port of Odesa in the south of Ukraine with an assault of the shipbuilding centre of Mykolaiv, as the area around the capital Kyiv came under fresh heavy attack.
Mykolaiv, where Ukrainian officials say they repelled a Russian attack, is seen as the next key stepping stone for Russian forces on the road to Odesa, which came under naval shell fire on Friday, after taking the key southern city of Kherson earlier this week.
