AP

Ukraine, Russia battle in the east as Zelenskyy visits front

May 28, 2022, 9:05 AM | Updated: May 29, 2022, 11:00 pm

A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukrain...

A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)


              A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              People walk in a street during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A man rides a bicycle during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A musician plays an instrument during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A man attends a street concert during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian MT-LB in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly man boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Two soldiers ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl celebrates a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              A woman places a flag to honor soldiers killed fighting Russian troops during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen gather next a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              People walk in a street during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian MT-LB in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian Army Chaplain Vasyl removes his habit after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Children play on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen and civilians attend a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Two soldiers ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman attends a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre, inspects damaged buildings,  as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A woman places a flag to honor soldiers killed fighting Russian troops during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen gather next a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              People walk in a street during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian MT-LB in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian Army Chaplain Vasyl removes his habit after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Children play on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen and civilians attend a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Two soldiers ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman attends a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre, inspects damaged buildings,  as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              People walk in a street during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A man rides a bicycle during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A musician plays an instrument during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A man attends a street concert during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian MT-LB in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly man boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Two soldiers ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl celebrates a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              A girl dances as she attends a concert of an orchestra during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              People walk in a street during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A man rides a bicycle during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A musician plays an instrument during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A man attends a street concert during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen inspect a Russian MT-LB in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly man boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Two soldiers ride scooters during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl celebrates a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A woman places a flag to honor soldiers killed fighting Russian troops during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A Ukrainian national fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine holds her child as she arrives at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              An elderly patient waits on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine arrive at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A woman places a flag to honor soldiers killed fighting Russian troops during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A Ukrainian national fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine holds her child as she arrives at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              An elderly patient waits on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine arrive at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A couple embrace during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              A woman places a flag to honor soldiers killed fighting Russian troops during Kyiv Day celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine's capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              Ukrainian Army chaplain Vasyl talks to Ukrainian serviceman after a Sunday mass at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian BMP-2, an infantry combat vehicle, in the Kharkiv area, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The Ukrainian military has been recovering abandoned Russian combat vehicles on the frontline to repair them and use them to their advantage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              A Ukrainian national fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine holds her child as she arrives at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              An elderly patient waits on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing war in Ukraine arrive at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
            
              A patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              The remains of a cluster-type munition lie in a field in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman attends a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              An elderly man boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              The remains of a cluster-type munition lie in a field in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman attends a Sunday Ukrainian Orthodox mass in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with his stuff as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, awards a servicewoman as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, May 29, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on as he visits the war-hit Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as "indescribably difficult." The "Russian army is trying to squeeze at least some result" by concentrating its attacks there, he said in a Saturday night video address. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
            
              An elderly man boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient boards a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              An elderly patient is carried on a stretcher to board a medical evacuation train run by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) at the train station in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The train is specially equipped and staffed with medical personnel, and ferries patients from overwhelmed hospitals near the front line, to medical facilities in western Ukraine, far from the fighting. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              People walk with their bicycles to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              The remains of a cluster-type munition lie in a field in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              People walk with their bicycles to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              People walk with their bicycles to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              People walk with their bicycles to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              Scattered grain sits inside a warehouse damaged by Russian attacks in Cherkaska Lozova, outskirts of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war and a Russian blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
            
              People walk with their bicycles to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service released on Saturday, May 28, 2022, Russian soldiers control the situation sitting on a board of a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian air force during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
            
              People wait to receive humanitarian aid in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              A Donetsk People's Republic militia serviceman speak on a communication device prior to fire with a multiple rocket launcher from its position not far from Panteleimonivka, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
            
              A nun attends a mass at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. The leaders of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine that were affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church have announced on a statement they will sever ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
            
              People receive humanitarian aid in the village of Andriivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman walks past a gypsum manufacturing plant destroyed in a Russian bombing in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Fighting has raged around Lysychansk and neighbouring Sievierodonetsk, the last major cities under Ukrainian control in Luhansk region. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              A Donetsk People's Republic militia's multiple rocket launcher fires from its position not far from Panteleimonivka, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
            This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows towed artillery in firing position deployed in the north of Lyman, Ukraine, Thursday May 26, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)

POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian and Ukrainian troops traded blows in fierce close-quarter combat Sunday in an eastern Ukrainian city as Moscow’s soldiers, supported by intense shelling, attempted to gain a strategic foothold to conquer the region. Ukraine’s leader also made a rare frontline visit to Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, to assess the strength of the national defense.

In the east, Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the strategic city, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation there as “indescribably difficult,” with a relentless Russian artillery barrage destroying critical infrastructure and damaging 90% of the buildings.

“Capturing Sievierodonetsk is a principal task for the occupation force,” Zelensky said, adding that the Russians don’t care about casualties.

The city’s mayor said the fighting had knocked out power and cellphone service and forced a humanitarian relief center to shut down because of the dangers.

The deteriorating conditions raised fears that Sieverodonetsk could become the next Mariupol, a city on the Sea of Azov that spent nearly three months under Russian siege before the last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.

Sievierodonetsk, located 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of the Russian border, has emerged in recent days as the epicenter of Moscow’s quest to capture all of Ukraine’s eastern industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up its efforts to capture the nearby city of Lysychansk, where civilians rushed to escape persistent shelling.

The two eastern cities span the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last major areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, which makes up the Donbas together with the adjacent Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, visited soldiers in Kharkiv, where Ukrainian fighters pushed Russian forces back from nearby positions several weeks ago.

“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app after the visit.

Russia has kept up its bombardment of the northeastern city from afar, and explosions could be heard shortly after Zelenskyy’s visit. Shelling and airstrikes have destroyed more than 2,000 apartment buildings in the city since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov.

In a video address later Sunday, Zelenskyy praised Kharkiv regional officials but said he had fired the regional head of the country’s top security agency, the SBU, for his poor performance. In the wider Kharkiv region, Russian troops still held about one-third of the territory, Zelenskyy said.

After failing to seize Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Russia is focused on occupying parts of Donbas not already controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told French TF1 television Sunday that Moscow’s “unconditional priority is the liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” adding that Russia sees them as “independent states.”

He also suggested other regions of Ukraine should be able to establish close ties with Russia.

In Luhansk, constant Russian shelling has created what provincial governor Serhiy Haidai called a “severe situation.”

“There are fatalities and wounded people,” he wrote on Telegram. On Saturday, he said, one civilian died and four were injured after a Russian shell hit a high-rise apartment building.

But some Luhansk supply and evacuation routes functioned Sunday, he said. He claimed the Russians had retreated “with losses” around a village near Sievierodonetsk but conducted airstrikes on another nearby river village.

Civilians who reached the eastern city of Pokrovsk, 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Lysychansk, said they held out as long as they could before fleeing the Russian advance.

Yana Skakova choked back tears as she described leaving with her 18-month and 4-year-old sons while her husband stayed behind to take care of their house and animals. The family was among 18 people who lived in a basement for the past 2 1/2 months until police told them Friday it was time to evacuate.

“None of us wanted to leave our native city,” she said. “But for the sake of these small children, we decided to leave.”

Oksana, 74, who was too afraid to give her surname, was evacuated from Lysychansk by a team of foreign volunteers along with her 86-year-old husband.

“I’m going somewhere, not knowing where,” she wept. “Now I am a beggar without happiness. Now I have to ask for charity. It would be better to kill me.”

Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Striuk said there was fighting at the city’s bus station on Saturday. Residents remaining in the city, which had a prewar population of around 100,000, risked exposure to shelling just to get water from a half-dozen wells, and there was no electricity or cellphone service. Striuk estimates that 1,500 civilians in the city have died since the war began, from Russian attacks as well as from a lack of medicine or treatment.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, questioned the Kremlin’s strategy of assembling a huge military effort to take Sieverodonetsk, saying it was proving costly for Russia and would bring few returns.

“When the battle of Sieverodonetsk ends, regardless of which side holds the city, the Russian offensive at the operational and strategic levels will likely have culminated, giving Ukraine the chance to restart its operational-level counteroffensives to push Russian forces back,” the institute said late Saturday.

In Mariupol on Sunday, an aide to its Ukrainian mayor alleged that after Russia’s forces gained complete control of the city, they piled the bodies of dead people inside a supermarket. The aide, Petro Andryushchenko, posted a photo on the Telegram messaging app of what he described as a “corpse dump” in the occupied city. It showed bodies stacked alongside closed supermarket counters.

“Here, the Russians bring the bodies of the dead, which were washed out of their graves during attempts to restore the water supply, and partially exhumed. They just dump them like garbage,” he wrote.

It was not immediately possible to verify his claim.

Regions across Ukraine were pummeled overnight by renewed Russian airstrikes. On the ground in the eastern Donetsk region, fighters battled back and forth for control of villages and cities.

The Ukrainian army reported heavy fighting around Donetsk, the provincial capital, as well as Lyman to the north, a small city that serves as a key rail hub in the Donetsk region. Moscow claimed Saturday to have taken Lyman, but Ukrainian authorities said their fighters remained engaged in combat in parts of the city.

“The enemy is reinforcing its units,” the Ukrainian armed forces’ General Staff said. “It is trying to gain a foothold in the area.”

___

Mazalan reported from Kyiv. Andrea Rosa in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Ukraine, and AP journalists around the world contributed.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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