TOP HEADLINES

· Russian forces bombarded Kyiv's positions along the frontlines in Ukraine's east in what appeared to be the start of Moscow's spring offensive. READ MORE BELOW

· Ukraine's military reported Russian shelling all along the eastern frontlines, adding that 16 settlements had been bombarded near Bakhmut.

· Moldova has temporarily closed its airspace, the national airline announced in a Facebook post. The tiny eastern European country shares a border with Ukraine. Last Friday, Moldova said a Russian missile had violated its airspace before hitting Ukraine.

· NATO allies are meeting in Brussels for two days to discuss plans to boost supplies to Kyiv, with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday refusing to rule out the supply of Western fighter jets to Ukraine. READ MORE BELOW

· The Kremlin has accused the U.S.-led NATO military alliance of becoming more and more involved in the conflict in Ukraine, demonstrating its growing hostility towards Russia by making its participation in the conflict "as clear as possible."

· The Russian private military Wagner group has made gains around the northern outskirts of the Donetsk town of Bakhmut, one of the central points of fighting in Ukraine's east, according to British defense ministry. Ukrainian officials added Russian forces were closing in on the strategic city. READ MORE BELOW

· The UN human rights office has recorded 7,199 civilian deaths and 11,756 injuries since Russia launched its assault on Ukraine last February, but it said the actual figure was likely to be far higher.

· The U.S. has called on its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the conflict in Ukraine.

· International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in next year's Summer Games in Paris did not put his organization on the wrong side of history.

· NATO has announced plans to increase targets for stockpiling ammunition as the Ukraine conflict is using shells much faster than Western countries can produce them, leaving stocks depleted.

· A Ukrainian worker has been killed trying to repair the power network following the latest wave of Russian air strikes, Ukraine's energy ministry has announced.

IN DETAIL 

Bakhmut under pressure as NATO meets in Brussels

Russian forces continued to bombard Ukrainian positions along the line of engagement in the eastern Donetsk region on Tuesday as NATO warned that Moscow's new major offensive had begun in earnest. The Donetsk city of Bakhmut, a major target for Moscow that has been under siege for many months, was in a precarious position, according to local Ukrainian officials. 

"There is not a single square meter in Bakhmut that is safe or that is not in range of enemy fire or drones," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukraine's national broadcaster.

With the first anniversary of the conflict nearing and the arrival of heavy Western weapons imminent, the Kremlin has boosted its operations across Ukraine's south and east, prompting assessments from NATO that Moscow's anticipated spring offensive has already started.

"The reality is we have seen the start (of a Russian offensive) already because we see now what Russia does now – President Putin does now – is to send thousands and thousands more troops, accepting a very high rate of casualty," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

Ukraine's military said on Tuesday its forces had fought back attacks in five settlements in Luhansk and six in Donetsk, including in Bakhmut, over the past 24 hours.

"The situation is difficult as a whole, but controlled," Kyrylenko said. "The enemy has not been able to achieve a tactical or strategic success there."

Bakhmut, where the Russian mercenary Wagner group has made incremental gains in recent days, has been the main site of Russia's intensified war effort, with its capture giving Russia a new foothold in Ukraine's industrial heartland of Donbas.

Amid the uptick in Russian attacks, defense ministers from several NATO allies were set to meet at the organization's headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss sending more weapons to Ukraine.

Ukraine says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles to fight back the offensive, with NATO chief Stoltenberg saying he expected the issue of aircraft to be central to the discussions.

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