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Russia-Ukraine War: What to know as Ukraine resists advance

People wait in a queue outside a supermarket in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated East-West tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces put on high alert following new crippling Western sanctions that forced his Central Bank to sharply raise its key rate Monday to save the ruble from collapse. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) The Associated Press

Refugees exit the border control after fleeing the conflict from neighbouring Ukraine at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. The European Union's commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson visited Romania's northern border crossing in Siret Monday where thousands of refugees are entering from neighboring Ukraine as they flee the conflict with Russia. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) The Associated Press

Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. Street fighting broke out in Ukraine's second-largest city Sunday and Russian troops put increasing pressure on strategic ports in the country's south following a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere that appeared to mark a new phase of Russia's invasion. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) The Associated Press

ADDS THAT THE PERSONNEL CARRIER IS RUSSIAN - A Russian armored personnel carrier burns amid damaged and abandoned light utility vehicles after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. The city authorities said that Ukrainian forces engaged in fighting with Russian troops that entered the country's second-largest city on Sunday. (AP Photo/Marienko Andrew) The Associated Press

Members of civil defense prepare Molotov cocktails in a yard in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. A Ukrainian official says street fighting has broken out in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. Russian troops also put increasing pressure on strategic ports in the country's south following a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere that appeared to mark a new phase of Russia's invasion. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) The Associated Press

Passengers wait at the platform inside Lviv railway station, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, in Lviv, west Ukraine. Thousands of people massed at Lviv's main train station on Sunday, attempting to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine and into the safety of Europe as the Russian invasion of that country continued. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) The Associated Press

People stand in line to withdraw money from an ATM of VTB Bank in downtown Moscow, Russia, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Ordinary Russians faced the prospect of higher prices and crimped foreign travel as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting, leading uneasy people to line up at banks and ATMs on Monday in a country that has seen more than one currency disaster in the post-Soviet era. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) The Associated Press

Volunteers wait for refugees from the Ukraine arriving at the main train station in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. On Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 Russian troops have launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine. Slogan reads: 'Welcome, Informations For Refugees From Ukraine'. (AP Photo/Hannibal Hanschke) The Associated Press

A pregnant woman and children sit on a bench in the improvised bomb shelter in a sports center, which can accommodate up to 2000 people, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Explosions and gunfire that have disrupted life since the invasion began last week appeared to subside around Kyiv overnight, as Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepared to meet Monday, Feb. 28, 2022 on Ukraine's border with Belarus. It's unclear what, if anything, those talks would yield. Terrified Ukrainian families huddled in shelters, basements or corridors, waiting to find out. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) The Associated Press

Posted February 28, 2022 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

Ukrainian troops slowed Russia's advance on key cities, at least for now, while a Ukrainian delegation arrived at the border with Belarus on Monday for talks with Russian officials, though prospects looked uncertain at best.

European Union defense ministers were also to meet, to discuss how to get weaponry they have pledged into Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Western sanctions triggered by the invasion sent the ruble plummeting, leading Russians to line up at banks and ATMs.

The Russian military assault on Ukraine went into its fifth day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nuclear forces put on increased alert, ratcheting up tensions yet further.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND?

Kyiv's outgunned but determined troops slowed Russia's advance and held onto the capital and other key cities - at least for the time being.

Explosions and gunfire that have disrupted life since the invasion began last week appeared to subside around Kyiv overnight. Long lines formed outside supermarkets Monday as residents were allowed out of bomb shelters and homes for the first time since a curfew imposed Saturday

Exact death tolls are unclear, but Ukraine's president says at least 16 children have been killed and another 45 wounded, among hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other casualties. Millions have fled homes or the country.

U.S. officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned, though that could change as Moscow adapts. The British Defense Ministry said Monday that the bulk of Putin's forces are about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Kyiv, their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces.

IS THERE ANY CHANCE FOR DIPLOMACY?

That's hard to tell. Ukrainian and Russian delegations met Monday on Ukraine's border with Belarus but it was unclear what, if anything, those talks would yield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Kyiv's delegation would demand an immediate cease-fire.

While Ukraine sent its defense minister and other top officials, the Russian delegation is led by Putin's adviser on culture - an unlikely envoy for ending the war and a sign of how Moscow views the talks. It wasn't immediately clear what Putin is seeking in the talks or from the war itself.

Western officials believe Putin wants to overthrow Ukraine's government and replace it with a regime of his own, reviving Moscow's Cold War-era influence. His comments Sunday raised fears that the invasion of Ukraine could lead to nuclear war, whether by design or mistake.

The U.N.'s two major bodies - the 193-nation General Assembly and the more powerful 15-member Security Council - are holding separate meetings Monday.

The Security Council gave a green light Sunday for the first emergency session of the General Assembly in decades. It will give all U.N. members an opportunity to speak about the war Monday and vote on a resolution later in the week.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR DETERRENT?

The Russian military said its nuclear deterrent forces have been put on high alert in line with Putin's order.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that command posts of all components of Russia's nuclear forces have been beefed up with additional personnel.

The Defense Ministry said that the high alert status applies to all components of Russian nuclear forces - the Strategic Missile Forces that oversee land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Northern and Pacific Fleets that have submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles; and long-range aviation, which has a fleet of nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces to be put on high alert Sunday, citing Western sanctions and 'œaggressive statements'ť by NATO powers.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE FLED?

The head of the United Nations refugee agency said that more than 500,000 people had fled Ukraine for neighboring countries since Russia's invasion started on Thursday.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, gave the updated figure in a tweet. A day earlier, he had said that 368,000 people had crossed into Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and other countries.

Shabia Mantoo, a UNHCR spokeswoman, said the latest and still growing count had 281,000 in Poland, more than 84,500 in Hungary, about 36,400 in Moldova, over 32,500 in Romania and about 30,000 in Slovakia.

The rest were scattered in unidentified other countries, she said.

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION DOING?

European Union defense ministers were to meet Monday to discuss how to get weaponry they have pledged into Ukraine.

Germany's defense minister said without elaborating that her country has 'œchannels and possibilities'ť to do that, and a trainload of Czech equipment arrived Sunday. Blocking off those shipments will clearly be a key Russian priority.

That action comes on top of a raft of Western economic sanctions in which the EU has been a leading player, and the 27-nation bloc has agreed to close its airspace to Russian airlines.

WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT?

The Russian currency plunged about 30% against the U.S. dollar on Monday after Western nations moved to block some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system and to restrict Russia's use of its massive foreign currency reserves. The ruble later recovered ground after swift action by Russia's central bank.

People wary that sanctions would deal a crippling blow to the economy have been flocking to banks and ATMs for days, with reports on social media of long lines and machines running out.

Moscow's department of public transport warned city residents over the weekend that they might experience problems with using Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay to pay fares because VTB, one of the Russian banks facing sanctions, handles card payments in Moscow's metro, buses and trams.

Economists and analysts said that a sharp devaluation of the ruble would mean a drop in the standard of living for the average Russian. Russians are still reliant on a multitude of imported goods and the prices for those items are likely to skyrocket.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the new sanctions as 'œheavy,'ť but argued Monday that 'œRussia has the necessary potential to compensate the damage.'ť

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Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of the tensions between Russia and Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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