“Z HOUR HAS BEGUN” (MASSIVE ARMOUR COLUMN IN KHARKOV, UKRAINE)

As casualties in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine mount, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats began talks Monday on the Belarus border.

Russian forces pushed into Kharkiv on Sunday, sparking a battle for control in Ukraine’s second-largest city that included heavy street fighting and back-and-forth rocket firing.

Though much of the Russian onslaught has focused on Kyiv, the eastern city of Kharkiv — with 1.5 million residents — is also crucial.

Kyiv was rocked by a major explosion in the early hours of Sunday as fighting continued close to the capital of Ukraine. A missile hit the Kyiv TV tower on Tuesday and satellite images showed a 40-mile convoy of Russian forces heading toward Kyiv, drawing within 20 miles of the city’s center.

Kyiv is less than 70 miles from the Belarusian border, and Russian troops are approaching the capital from the north.