{"id":18663,"date":"2022-03-11T14:21:19","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T14:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/03\/11\/russian-strikes-hit-western-ukraine-as-offensive-widens\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:39:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:39:01","slug":"russian-strikes-hit-western-ukraine-as-offensive-widens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/03\/11\/russian-strikes-hit-western-ukraine-as-offensive-widens\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian strikes hit western Ukraine as offensive widens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LVIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and an industrial city in the east for the first time as a huge armored column long stalled outside Kyiv was on the move again, fanning out into nearby forests and towns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. and its allies prepared to step up their efforts to isolate and sanction Russia by revoking&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-european-union-97a45ede39b8582d5c184bb70134325b\">its most favored trading status<\/a>. But with the invasion now in its 16th day, Russia appeared to be trying to regroup and regain momentum, with expanded bombardment and tightening on cities already under attack, particularly the key port city of Mariupol, where tens of thousands were struggling to find food under an intense 10-day-old siege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian President Vladimir Putin said there are \u201ccertain positive developments\u201d in Russia-Ukraine talks \u2014 but did not offer details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russian leader hosted Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow for talks on Friday, telling him negotiations were \u201cbeing held almost on a daily basis,\u201d and that \u201cthere are certain positive developments, negotiators on our side reported to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/03\/10\/russians-were-shooting-civilians-ukraine-refugees-saw-abuses\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russia\u2019s \u2018poor planning\u2019 to blame for slowed advance in Ukraine<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The latest on what we know about the Russian war on Ukraine, March 10.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had \u201creached a strategic turning point,\u201d speaking in a video outside the presidential administration in Kyiv<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to say how many days we will still need to free our land, but it is possible to say that we will do it because &#8230; we have reached a strategic turning point,\u201d he said, He didn\u2019t elaborate. He said authorities were working on 12 humanitarian corridors and trying to ensure food, medicine and basic goods to people across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Western and Ukrainian officials have said Russian forces have struggled in the face of heavier-than-expected resistance and supply and morale problems. So far, they have made the most advances on cities in the south and east while stalling in the north and around Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday\u2019s strikes targeted the west, away from the main battlezones, where the Ukrainian air force has used bases to operate. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia used high-precision long-range weapons Friday to put military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk \u201cout of action.\u201d He did not provide details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Lutsk strikes killed four Ukrainian servicemen and wounded six, Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said. In Ivano-Frankivsk, residents were ordered to shelters after an air raid alert, Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another potentially ominous movement, new satellite photos appeared to show the massive Russian convoy outside the Ukrainian capital had fanned out into nearby towns and forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Howitzers were towed into positions to open fire, and armored units were seen in towns near the the Antonov Airport north of the city, according to Maxar Technologies, the company that produced the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 40-mile (64-kilometer) line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had massed outside Kyiv early last week. But its advance had appeared to stall amid reports of food and fuel shortages while Ukrainian troops also targeted it with anti-tank missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6001\" height=\"4001\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg 6001w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.10.3.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6001px) 100vw, 6001px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ukrainian servicemen stand in a foxhole in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow&#8217;s invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn. (AP Photo\/Vadim Ghirda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose of the new moves was unclear. Russia likely intends to eventually encircle the capital. But Nick Reynolds, a land warfare analyst at British defense think-tank Royal United Services Institute, said the move \u201clooks like a defensive measure to allow the convoy to both better protect itself\u201d and may indicate it can\u2019t surround the city quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTherefore, by dispersing, they can better protect themselves in the areas where they do hold ground,\u201d Reynolds said. The Russians seemed to be stalled near Kyiv and Kharkiv but making progress in other areas, and the Ukrainian military has \u201ctaken a battering\u201d while Russia is increasing bombardments and regrouping its forces on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s ugly already but it\u2019s going to get worse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British Ministry of Defense said that after making \u201climited progress,\u201d Russian forces were trying to \u201cre-set and re-posture\u201d their troops, gearing up for operations against Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moscow also indicated it plans to bring fighters from Syria into the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian President Vladimir Putin approved bringing in \u201cvolunteer\u201d fighters and told his defense minister to help them \u201cmove to the combat zone.\u201d Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the \u201cvolunteers\u201d include fighters from Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew of \u201cmore than 16,000 applications\u201d from Middle East countries, many of them from people he said had helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad against various groups opposed to his rule, including Islamic State. Opposition activists in Syria have also reported Russian recruitment efforts for the Ukraine war. But they estimate the number of volunteers so far is in the hundreds or a few thousand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the sanctions front, revoking Russia\u2019s \u201cmost favored nation\u201d trade status by the U.S. and other nations would allow higher tariffs on some Russian imports. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow to Russia, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply. Putin has insisted Russia can endure sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"8012\" height=\"5420\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg 8012w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?resize=300,203 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?resize=768,520 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,693 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1039 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UKR3.9.21.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1385 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 8012px) 100vw, 8012px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces member holds an NLAW anti-tank weapon, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Authorities announced a new ceasefire on Wednesday to allow civilians to escape from towns around the capital, Kyiv, as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast. Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors have largely failed due to attacks by Russian forces. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the offensive on Ukrainian cities has expanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Syria, Russia backed the government in imposing long, brutal sieges on opposition-held cities, wreaking heavy destruction on residential areas and causing widespread civilian casualties. That history, along with the ongoing siege of the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, has raised fears of similar bloodshed in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian airstrikes Friday targeted for the first time the eastern city of Dnipro, a major industrial hub and Ukraine\u2019s fourth-largest city in a strategic position on the Dnieper River. Three strikes hit, killing at least one person, according to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Heraschenko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In images of the strikes\u2019 aftermath released by Ukraine\u2019s state emergency agency, firefighters doused a flaming building and scattered ash fell on bloodied rubble. Smoke billowed over shattered concrete and collapsed sidings where buildings once stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ukrainian general staff said the attacks in the west and in Dnipro were launched because the Russians were \u201cunable to succeed\u201d on other fronts. It said Russian efforts remained concentrated around Kyiv and Mariupol, and that Russian forces were regrouping in the north and around the eastern cities of Sumy and Kharkiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Temperatures sank below freezing across most of Ukraine and were forecast to hit -13 degrees Celsius (8 Fahrenheit) in Kharkiv, which has come under heavy bombardment. Some 400 apartment buildings were cut off from heating supplies, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov appealed to remaining residents to descend into the subway system or other underground shelters where authorities and volunteers were distributing blankets and hot food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A deadly strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol this week sparked international outrage and charges of a possible war crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mariupol residents said bombardment continued Friday. Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, said Russian-backed fighters have advanced up to 800 meters from Mariupol from the east, north and west, further squeezing the city which has the Azov Sea to its south. He said the advance was being conducted by fighters from the separatist-held Donetsk region, the standard Russian line for fighting in the east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukrainian authorities are planning to send aid to Mariupol, home to some 430,000, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Repeated previous attempts have failed as aid and rescue convoys were targeted by Russian shelling, even as residents have grown more desperate, scrounging for food and fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 1,300 people have died in the siege, Vereshchuk said. \u201cThey want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s a war crime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, the International Organization for Migration said Friday. Millions more have been driven from their homes. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area\u2019s population, have left the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press journalists Felipe Dana and Andrew Drake in Kyiv, Ukraine, along with other reporters around the world contributed.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and an industrial city in the east for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":39205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,92,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3238],"class_list":["post-18663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5DACP7IBG5CDJCGP5HYYCD3ZYM","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/03\/11\/russian-strikes-hit-western-ukraine-as-offensive-widens\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Russian strikes hit western Ukraine as offensive widens - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and an industrial city in the east for the first time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russian strikes hit western Ukraine as offensive widens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and an industrial city in the east for the first time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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