Russia-Ukraine war: Key things to know about the conflict

Loud blasts thundered through Kyiv just before dawn Tuesday as Russian forces escalated their bombardment on the Ukrainian capital, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the war's third week. Officials from both countries agreed to more talks, despite the failures of diplomacy so far.

The figures tell the story of a devastating human toll. The number of Ukrainians forced to flee their country since the invasion has now surpassed 3 million, the United Nations said, the vast majority women and children. Thousands of soldiers and civilians are dead. Food and water are running out in besieged Mariupol.

On Tuesday a projectile slammed into a 15-story apartment building, killing at least one person.

“Ukraine is on fire,” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned. “The impact on civilians is reaching terrifying proportions.”

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As the offensive pressed closer to central Kyiv, the leaders of three European Union countries headed to the battered Ukrainian capital on a surprise visit to show support.

Here are some key things to know about the conflict:

What is happening on the ground?

Fighting for Kyiv has intensified, with artillery fire echoing through the city and Russia launching a flurry of strikes that early Tuesday blew out windows and ignited a huge fire in an apartment in western Kyiv. At least one person was killed as rescue efforts continued.

Russian forces also stepped up strikes overnight on the capital’s northwest suburbs, the head of the Kyiv region said.

Explosions around the city caused significant structural damage, with shockwaves from a blast tearing through the entrance of a downtown subway station that has been used as a bomb shelter and another igniting a fire in Kyiv's Podilsky district.

The day before, at least four people were killed and more wounded when Russian strikes on the capital slammed into Ukraine’s largest aircraft factory and a nine-story apartment building. Russian rockets destroyed a television tower in the western city of Rivne, where authorities said Tuesday the death toll had risen to 19.

Elsewhere in the country, Russian forces unleashed scores of new artillery strikes on downtown Kharkiv in the east.

As the sun rose, rescuers pulled bodies from the rubble after attacks on residential buildings in the city’s historical center and a major thoroughfare, a local official said. Thousands sought to flee on evacuation trains amid the chaos and destruction.

After days of relentless Russian shelling on encircled Mariupol, 150 cars carrying hundreds of civilians managed to escape the besieged city.

Hundreds of thousands of people, however, remain trapped as Russia renewed its offensive on the Azov Sea port city on Tuesday.

Escalating bombardment again thwarted a convoy of vehicles trying to bring food, water and medicine to desperate residents. Aid groups warn large numbers of people could face starvation. Bodies are now being buried in mass graves.

Turkish officials, however, expressed hope for imminent evacuations as they said work to open humanitarian corridors had gained urgency.

What has the AP directly witnessed or confirmed?

Flames gutted an apartment building in the Svyatoshynskyi district of western Kyiv as emergency workers rushed to rescue people from ladders and douse the blaze.

Thick, dark smoke choked the air. A firefighter at the scene confirmed one person died and that several have been rescued alive — but that more remained trapped inside. A young woman sobbed outside the charred building and shocked residents assessed the damage.

“People are dying, and the worst thing is that children are dying,” said Andriy, a firefighter at the scene who would only give his first name, before heading back into the burning building.

The war's burden has continued to fall heaviest on the most vulnerable. Over one million children have fled the country, and many more have been internally displaced.

Pasha Bychkov, 10, said his family escaped the nation’s second-largest city of Kharkiv after a bomb struck their apartment building.

“We don’t want to go back there,” Pasha said from the city of Lviv, where he resumed school on Monday.

What is the status of diplomacy?

Although Russian and Ukrainian officials have struck a positive note about ongoing talks, there have been no breakthroughs at the negotiating table.

Ukrainian negotiators were set to meet their Russian counterparts again on Tuesday after a brief pause. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the previous round as “good,” without offering details.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman later described negotiations as “difficult.”

A flurry of diplomatic activity drew in leaders around the world.

The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia were traveling Tuesday to Kyiv on a European Union mission on a mission of solidarity.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett continued his mediation efforts in calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy on Monday.

The U.S. said Russia would have to show signs of de-escalation to demonstrate good faith. Putin's invasion has sparked talk in the American security establishment of building up U.S. military power in Europe on a scale not seen since the Cold War.

What about sanctions?

World powers have continued their efforts to punish Moscow.

Japan’s government said it is freezing the assets of 17 more Russian politicians, tycoons and their relatives to pressure Moscow to end its invasion, bringing the total number of Japan’s asset freezes to 61.

The European Union announced that the 27-nation bloc has approved a fourth set of sanctions to further isolate Russia and drain its resources.

France said the EU also approved a declaration to the World Trade Organization to suspend the most-favored-nation clause for Russia that would withdraw its special treatment throughout the bloc.