Russian troops have focused the fury of their bombardments on the eastern city of Lysychansk while also targeting Kyiv and other areas around Ukraine after capturing Sievierodonetsk over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.

A spokesman for the separatist forces, Andrei Marochko, as saying Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychansk and that fighting was taking place in the heart of the city. Regional governor Serhiy Haidai wrote on Facebook that the Russian military are sticking to "burnt earth" tactics, such as those that severely damaged most of Sievierodonetsk.

Biden, asked for his reaction to the latest Russian strike, said "it’s more of their barbarism." (See more below).

military veterans captured by Russian forces while serving as war volunteers in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would fight for their release, but some experts say such efforts face massive hurdles.

will ban new imports of Russian gold, the latest sanction aimed at raising the price Russia must pay for its incursion into Ukraine.

That has failed," he said, adding that a “sovereign independent Ukraine is going to be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene." 

"Ever since Putin lost the battle for Kyiv, he had to shift his focus," Blinken said, adding that Russian forces have "launched missiles at a distance to terrorize people."