The pace of the Russian offensive against Ukraine has slowed, military officials told AFP Monday. This comes hours before the two sides are scheduled to sit down at peace talks hosted by Belarus.

The United Kingdom‘s defence ministry confirmed this in a report by Reuters as well, saying that Russia’s advance on capital Kyiv had been delayed by logistical problems and dogged resistance from the Ukrainian military.

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“Russian occupiers have reduced the pace of the offensive but are still trying to develop success in some areas,” the general staff of the armed forces said.

The UK defence ministry said, “The bulk of [President Vladimir] Putin’s ground forces remain more than 30km to the north of Kyiv, their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces defending Hostomel airfield, a key Russian objective for day one of the conflict.”

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News agency Reuters reported that Russian forces have, however, taken two towns in the Zaporizhzhya region in southeast Ukraine, as well the area around a nearby nuclear plant; its operations are unaffected so far.

Heavy fighting continues around Chernihiv in northern Ukraine and Kharkiv in the northeast, the Ukraine’s defence ministry has said. These cities are under Ukrainian control at this time.

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Russia’s war against Ukraine enters day five. The Ukrainian civilians on the outskirts of Koryukivka were seen blocking the movement of Russian tanks. This was captured in a 24-second video shared by news agency AFP early on Monday.

According to the news agency, the Russian soldiers stopped to ask for directions and were surrounded by locals to prevent them from moving towards the capital city of Kyiv.

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Amid the worsening situation, Kyiv has emerged as a hotbed of clashes between the militaries of Russia and Ukraine. Since the beginning of the attack, Russian forces have struck Ukraine’s capital multiple times.