Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine city of Mariupol dey 'near to humanitarian calamity' afta bombardment

Di important Ukraine port city of Mariupol don "near humanitarian calamity" on Wednesday afta more dan 15 hours of continuous bombardment by Russia forces, di city deputy mayor tell BBC.

"Russia army dey work through all dia weapons here - artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, airplanes, tactical rockets. Dem dey try to destroy di city," Serhiy Orlov tok.

Orlov say Russia forces dey several kilometres from di city on all sides and don launch strikes on important infrastructure, dem cut water and power supplies to parts of di city.

One residential district wit plenty population for di city left bank dey "nearly totally destroyed", im tok.

"We no fit count di number of victims dia, but we believe say at least hundreds of pipo don die. We no fit go carry dia deadi body. My father dey live dia, I no fit reach am, I no know weda e dey alive or dead."

Russia forces bin target strikes against pump stations and electrical transformers, Oga Orlov tok, and food shortage dey parts of di city - dis dey raise fears of coming humanitarian crisis.

Mariupol na important strategic target for Russia becos to seize am go allow separatist forces wey Russia dey support for eastern Ukraine to join forces wit troops for Crimea, di southern peninsula wey Russia takeover for 2014.

Ukraine army don resist Russia forces so far important parts of di kontri but di air bombardment of cities wey don increase don raise fears say Russia dey shift tactics.

"Ukraine army dey very brave and dem go continue to defend di city but di style of Russia army be like pirates - dem no dey fight wit dia army, dem just dey destroy entire districts," Orlov tok.

"We believe in our Ukraine army, but we dey for terrible situation."

Russia invasion of Ukraine don heavily affect civilians on Wednesday as dem bombard residential areas for several big.

Ukraine emergency service say more dan 2,000 civilians don die so far for di invasion, though BBC no fit independently confam di numbers.

UN on Tuesday say 136 civilians na im dem kill, thought e estimates say di actual number dey higher.

Fears bin dey on Wednesday say di number of death dey get worse as e be like say Russian troops don surround di kontri second-largest city, Kharkiv, and di port city of Kherson.

Ukrainian forces say Russia paratroopers land near Kharkiv on Wednesday, and dis lead to street fighting for outskirts of di city.

Local officials say cruise missile hit one city council meeting, blow off di top of di building, wunjure three.

According to report, at least 18 pipo don die for di city for di past day.

Area pipo for Kharkiv tell BBC dem bin dey experience heavy air bombardment. "E dey tire and e dey terrifying to live under dis pressure," Iryna Ruzhynska, 40, wey dey shelter wit her family for her second-floor house, tok on Wednesday.

"We don put Scotch tape for di windows and pillows by di window stills," Madam Ruzhynska tok. "We no dey on lights, only di torch for our phones. We bin managed to go store yesterday, but we queue for four hours and food almost finish."

Russia defence ministry claim say im forces dey in control of Kherson, one city of nearly 250,000 pipo just north of Crimea.

But local authorities say di city still dey under Ukraine control, even though we dey surrounded.

Video footage wey BBC comfam bin show like Russian troops dey di centre of Kherson.

Larysa Pavlovska, wey be 58-year-old paramedic for Kherson, tell BBC her part of di city bin dey quiet on Wednesday but oda parts still dey burn slowly afta intense overnight bombing and some residential districts, dem don "bomb dem out".

"Local residents say dem see Russia armoured cars dey move for di city, pipo say about 50 units," she tok. "Dem don see dem by di state regional administration building."

Inesa Chamlai, di deputy head of di emergency aid centre for Kherson, say Russia troops prevent dem from taking one 55-year-old man wey wunjure go hospital. Di man step on mine and lost im leg, Oga Chamlai tok.

"We bin dispatch our ambulance team but Russian troops prevent us from taking di man to hospital," im tok. "Di soldiers order to carry am back to im house wia im go definitely die."

Growing fears also dey for di capital, Kyiv, as over 40-mile long convoy of Russia military vehicles dey just 15 miles north of di city, though US officials tok on Wednesday say di column almost no dey move.

Russia air force strike one television mast for di capital on Tuesday, kill five people for di site of one Nazi massacre wey kill more dan 33,000, mostly Jews, while one missile strike west of Kyiv, for di city of Zhytomyr, kill four people including one pikin, one Ukraine official tok.

For one video message on Wednesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, wey be Jew, condemn di strike for di site of di massacre, accusing Russia of trying to "erase" Ukraine pipo.

"Dem no know anytin about our capital. About our history. But dem get order to erase our history. Erase our kontri. Erase us all," im tok.

One UK goment tok tok pesin say Prime Minister Boris Johnson speak to Oga Zelensky on Wednesday "to condemn di abhorrent attacks on Ukraine for di recent hours and days".

For di address on Tuesday, di US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin "dictator" and promise "robust action to make sure di pain of our sanctions target Russia economy".

Nearly a week afta invasion, Russia dey face increasing economic palava for home as increasing sanctions dey hit am.

Moscow Stock Exchange don remain closed for di third day back to back on Wednesday as authorities try to limit di impact of di sanctions.

"Russia economy don suffer serious blow," Kremlin tok tok pesin Dmitry Peskov tok, but insist say e "still dey stand".