Russian troops continue offensive in Ukraine

The Russian military is continuing its offensive in urban areas throughout Ukraine, including its eastern and southern parts.

The governor of the eastern region of Kharkiv said strikes in the city of Kharkiv on Tuesday killed one man and wounded nine people.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin on Tuesday said an Iskander ballistic missile armed with a cluster warhead struck the southern region of Odesa the day before, killing five people.

Russian forces are also stepping up efforts to expand their occupation of Ukrainian territory.

They are conducting an offensive on the town of Chasiv Yar, a Ukrainian foothold west of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk.

The New York Times on Monday quoted Ukrainian officials as saying that as many as 25,000 Russian troops are involved in the effort.

The newspaper's report noted that if Russian forces capture the town, which is located on a strategic high ground, it would put a main supply point for Ukrainian forces "in Moscow's direct line of fire."

The report said whether supplies from Western countries "will reach the battlefield quickly enough to stop the Russian advances remains uncertain."