Russia-Ukraine war: Russian troops step up deadly assaults on Kyiv suburbs

KYIV, Ukraine - Russian troops kept up the pressure on Ukraine's capital city on Monday and air raid sirens were heard across the besieged country overnight, even as both nations were expected to resume diplomatic talks.The attacks around Kyiv came a day after Russia escalated its offensive by shelling areas close to the Polish border.

The Ukrainian military said Monday that Russian troops had not made great strides over the past day. Russia’s Defense Ministry says its forces have advanced.The fighting, now in its third week, continued to exact a human toll.

A pregnant woman and her baby died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth. Associated Press images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher were circulated around the world and encapsulated the horror of attacks on humanity’s most innocent.The war has forced nearly 2.7 million people to flee Ukraine.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed.Here are some key things to know about the conflict:Russian troops refocused their efforts to seize Kyiv, on Monday, firing artillery on suburbs, a local official said on Ukrainian television.The official also said a town councilor for Brovary, east of Kyiv, had been killed in fighting there and shells fell on the towns of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel, which have seen some of the worst conflicts during Russia’s stalled attempt to take the capital.Two people were killed when artillery hit a nine-story residential building in a northern district of the city early Monday morning, destroying apartments on several floors and igniting a fire.Firefighters rescue a civilian from a damaged apartment building that was hit by a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 14, 2022..