LYIV: Ukrainian troops have repulsed several Russian assaults in the country’s east, the focus of a new offensive by the invading forces, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy says this week will be crucial to the course of the war.

       Austrian leader Karl Nehammer planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday and call for an end to the conflict. It would be Putin’s first face-to-face meeting with a European Union leader since Russia’s invasion started on Feb 24.

       Russian forces were also pushing their offensive to establish control over the southern port city of Mariupol, a key target whose capture would link up areas of Russian control to the west and east.

       Ukrainian forces were preparing for a “last battle” to control Mariupol as ammunition was running low, marines in the city said yesterday.

       The invasion has left a trail of death and destruction that has drawn condemnation from Western countries and triggered concern about Putin’s broader ambitions.

       About a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million population has been forced from their homes, cities turned into rubble and thousands of people have been killed or injured.

       Ukrainian forces had beaten back several assaults and destroyed Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery equipment, it said in its regular intelligence bulletin.

       The report also said Russia’s continued reliance on unguided bombs greatly increased the risk of further civilian casualties. — Agencies