Local officials claim that Russian forces have bombed a Mariupol theatre where hundreds of people were sheltering.

Although the city council stated that the exact number of casualties is unknown, Sky News confirmed footage from the attack to show the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre.

According to the RIA news agency Russia’s Defence Ministry denied that it was behind the attack.

The US Embassy in Kyiv stated that earlier, 10 people were shot by Russian forces as they waited for bread in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.

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The embassy posted a tweet on its Twitter account: “Such horrendous attacks must stop.”

“We are reviewing all options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crime in Ukraine.”

Putin attacks the West but there are growing hopes for peace negotiations – live updates

Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian presidential advisor, stated earlier that a “radical shift” occurred between Russian and Ukrainian forces after Kyiv launched counteroffensives “in several operational areas”.

He tweeted that it had substantially changed the “parties’ dispositions”, but did not go into detail.

Oleksiy Arestovych was another presidential advisor. He stated that Ukrainian forces were engaging in small-scale counterattacks on multiple fronts.

He stated that the situation in “main hotspots” has not changed and “has no chance to change as Russia has exhausted its resources”.

According to Mr Arestovych, Russian troops continue firing missiles at Ukrainian targets. Around two-thirds have been hitting civilian buildings and infrastructure.

The UK Ministry of Defence has stated that Ukraine is “adeptly exploiting Russian forces’ lack of maneuverability” and inflicting severe losses.

It added that Moscow is also trying to overcome the “challenges” imposed on it by Ukraine’s terrain.

On Wednesday, high-rise buildings in Kyiv were hit again. However, Russian troops are believed to be firing from a Mariupol hospital, where 500 people are being used for human shields.

According to President Volodymyr Zeleskyy, Russian troops “continued shelling peaceful Ukrainian cities and towns” Tuesday night. This included Kharkiv Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast.

He added that they also attacked the coast beyond the southern port Odesa.

He said that six members of the town council were held hostage in Bucha, Kyiv province.

“The Russian state has become a terrorist, and it has no shame,” Mr Zelenskyy stated.

However, Russia is struggling to rally its forces around Kyiv and is facing problems with its people, according to General Sir Richard Barrons, Sky News’s Sky News correspondent.

The retired British Army officer said that Russian forces are “doubtful” of their ability to fight for Kyiv, and suggested that they would not be able to do so if it was not destroyed. This is why Moscow has increased its bombardment of the capital.

He said that while the Ukrainian forces are doing well, they do not have the ability to eliminate the Russians fully.

General Sir Richard anticipates a “bigger attack on Kyiv” in the near future, which could prove to be very destructive.

In other developments:

* President Zelenskyy asks the US Congress to “remember” Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks

* The parts of a possible peace agreement with Russia are close to being reached, with Putin “ready” for talks

* Russian journalist, who protested her safety but didn’t flee country

* Abramovich could not be allowed to return and the UK could impose additional sanctions. Liz Truss warns

In its most recent intelligence update, the MOD stated that Russian troops had remained largely on roads and “demonstrated an unwillingness to conduct off-road maneuvers”.

The “key role” of the Ukrainian military in demolishing bridges has also been played.

The ministry stated that Russia’s inability to control the air has severely limited their ability to use air maneuver effectively, further restricting their options.

“The Ukrainian armed forces have mastered Russia’s inability to maneuver, frustrating its advance and inflicting heavy loss on the invading troops.”

After an artillery shell crashed into an apartment block in central Kyiv, Wednesday morning, it was visible as smoke rising into the sky. The top floor was destroyed and a fire started.

Early reports indicate that two people were injured.

Additionally, social media footage also shows two high-rise buildings in Moscow’s Schevchenkivskyi neighborhood being shelled Wednesday morning.

As the airstrikes strike, loud booms can be heard and smoke rises. Sky News verified the video and found it.

According to Iryna Vereshchuk, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Russian forces are firing from artillery positions on the grounds of Mariupol’s hospital, which they had captured on Tuesday.

She said that 400 patients, civilians and medical staff were being held hostage.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional leader, put this number at 500. He stated that troops had forced approximately 400 people from nearby houses into the Regional Intensive Care Hospital. About 100 patients and staff were also not allowed to leave.

President Zelenskyy stated that the “occupiers” are using it to shell a position and it is a war crime.

He added that a team of investigators from International Criminal Court are currently in Ukraine to collect evidence.

Ms Vereshchuk stated that it was “open to question” whether a humanitarian corridor will be opened in the port on Wednesday.

According to the Ukrainian prosecutor general, 103 children were killed in the conflict since its beginning.

Iryna Venediktova, a Facebook user, stated that Russian forces had destroyed 59 educational institutions and more than 400 others.