March 9 | Few advances and new bombings

The Russian army has made very small advances in the last few days, but it continues to bomb Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol, Ukrainexe2x80x99s main cities, as it prepares for a potential siege of Kyiv. Russia said that starting on Wednesday it would open humanitarian corridors in these five cities, where it will temporarily halt its attacks.

The Russian army is also reportedly concentrating new troops on all its fronts, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Near the capital, the most active front is in Irpin, in the western outskirts of Kyiv, where civilians have been hit by shelling in recent days. Russian troops did not make any gains, but they are reportedly concentrating their forces ahead of new operations. All analysts agree that Russiaxe2x80x99s goal is to encircle Kyiv and force it to surrender.

In northeastern Ukraine there was fighting in Chernihiv and in Sumy, two cities from which Russian troops are trying to create a communication line to Kyiv. In the east, British intelligence services reported shelling in Kharkiv, Ukrainexe2x80x99s second biggest city. From here, it is believed that Russian forces are seeking to connect with the troops currently deployed in the Donetsk and Donbas regions to create a large front in this part of the country.

Russian troops have reportedly made their greatest advances in the south this past week. There are reports that they have encircled Mariupol and may be trying to advance towards Zaporizhya, which is home to Ukrainexe2x80x99s largest nuclear power plant. Everything seems to indicate that they are coming near Odessa, the main port on the Black Sea.

March 8 | Supplies and reinforcements for the siege

Russian troop movement around Kyiv has several goals: surrounding the capital from several sides, accumulating supplies and reinforcements, and cutting off the cityxe2x80x99s links to the outside world, according to the ISW. The Kremlin is reportedly massing tanks and men on two flanks: the northwest one, where it is trying to gain control of the cities of Irpin, 15 miles from the capital, and Bucha, three miles further north. On the eastern flank, the target is Brovary, a small town in the outskirts of Kyiv. In both cases Russian soldiers are running into resistance from Ukrainians.

Shelling has also been reported in the last two days around 59 miles south of the capital, in the city of Bila Tserkva. This could be an attempt to reach Kyiv from a front where there was little activity in previous days, according to the Rochan Institute and The Guardian.

Irpin, a dormitory town of around 60,000 residents, has become a containment wall against Russiaxe2x80x99s advance west of the capital. It was targeted for bombing at the beginning of the invasion and it has been the scene of fighting over the past week.

Russian soldiers may be using xe2x80x9csiege-and-starvexe2x80x9d tactics on the city, using a strategy that was already used in Syria, according to the ISW. The goal is to get the population to surrender by preventing water and food from coming in, said Ukrainian authorities.

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Evacuation in Irpin on the bridge to Kyiv on Tuesday, after a safe passage was opened. Sergey Supinsky (AFP).

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A day earlier, Russian troops had fired on civilians leaving Irpin on that same bridge to the capital. Emilio Morenatti (AP).

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The Russian attack on the bridge area caused several civilian casualties among Ukrainians. Roman Pilipey (EFE).

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Irpin and the surrounding area was bombed at the beginning of the invasion, and Hostomel airport was rendered useless. Planet Labs (PBC).

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A residential neighborhood in the north came under heavy shelling between March 1 and 2. Serhii Nuzhnenko (Reuters).

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The fighting reached the city. There are images of Russian tanks in a neighborhood near the Bucha River. @Militarylandnet.

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Last Sunday, images of civilians killed by artillery fire as they were trying to flee Irpin created greater pressure for humanitarian corridors to evacuate people and bring in supplies. Attempts at establishing safe passages failed on Monday, but were established on Tuesday in Sumy and Irpin. Around 150 people had fled the latter city in the early morning hours, according to local authorities.

In the east, fighting continued in major cities such as Kharkiv and Sumy, where a bomb attack killed at least 10 people according to Ukrainian authorities. The city of Mariupol is reportedly surrounded by Russian troops.

In the south, a bloody battle took place on Monday for control over the city of Mykolaiv, according to The New York Times. This is a key port on the Black Sea and would help Moscow prepare its attack on Odessa. If it manages to take both cities, Russia will have almost total control over the countryxe2x80x99s access to the sea.