By Oleksandr Kozhukhar and Alessandra Prentice

LVIV/KYIV – Ukrainian authorities denounce Russian artillery fire on the cities of the northeast as well as the continued siege on the southern port of Mariupol. Moscow claims it took almost complete control of Mariupol after nearly two months of fighting.

The Russian military, having failed to conquer the Ukrainian resistance, has now refocused their ground offensive in Donbas while simultaneously launching long-distance strike at targets other than Kyiv.

In the city’s northeastern area of Kharkiv over 100 people were wounded and 18 died in recent shelling, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zilenskiy stated.

“This is nothing other than deliberate terror: mortars and artillery against ordinary residential buildings, against ordinary civilians,” said he late Sunday.

Russia denied that it targeted civilians. It has also rejected the evidence from Ukraine that atrocities were being staged to disrupt peace talks. Russia calls the operation a military special to demilitarize Ukraine and eliminate dangerous nationalists.

Kyiv, the West, and Russia accuse Vladimir Putin of unprovoked aggression.

Denys shmyhal, Ukrainian prime minister, said that the troops fighting in Mariupol’s port pulverized port continued to fight on Sunday, despite Russian requests for surrender.

He said that “The city has not fallen” and added that some areas of the city were still under control by Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia declared Saturday that it controlled urban areas. Some Ukrainian fighters remained in Azovstal’s steelworks which overlook the Sea of Azov.

Russia would love to capture Mariupol the principal port of the Donbas, which is a strategic prize. This will allow Russia to connect territory in the east held by pro-Russian separatists with Crimea, which Moscow annexed last year.

Small groups of people were seen lining up in Mariupol under colorful blankets. They were surrounded by scorched buildings and destroyed trees.

Some residents rode their bicycles while others navigated around damaged tanks and civil vehicles, while Russian soldiers checked motorists’ documents.

Irina was among them. She was with her niece, who was also wounded during the shelling.

“I have DNR daughter,” she stated, in reference to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. “Maybe we will move there for now.

“I wish they would re-build Mariupol. Utility systems are the most important thing. It will go quickly in summer, but it will take a lot of effort to do so in winter.

“EASTER OF WORR”

Around four million Ukrainians fled their country. Cities have been destroyed and thousands of people have lost their lives since February 24, when the invading forces began.

It is a serious economic disaster. Shmyhal claimed that the budget deficit in Ukraine was approximately $5 billion per month. She urged Western governments to offer more financial support.

Zelenskiy stated that he discussed the financial stability of Ukraine and post-war reconstruction preparations with Kristalina Georgieva (NYSE:). She quoted Zelenskiy as saying she believed support was necessary to build foundations.

As officials from Ukraine completed the questionnaire, which was a beginning point for the EU’s decision on membership, they continued their efforts to join quickly.

He said, “May peace be granted to war-torn Ukraine,” adding that it had been so badly beaten by violence and destruction from the senseless and cruel wars into which it was being dragged.”