Russia\u2019s Central Bank scrambled to shore up the tanking ruble Monday
\n KYIV
\nOutgunned but determined Ukrainian troops slowed Russia\u2019s advance and held onto the capital and other key cities \u2014 at least for now. In the face of stiff resistance and devastating sanctions, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia\u2019s nuclear forces put on high alert, threatening to elevate the war to a terrifying new level.
\nExplosions and gunfire that have disrupted life since the invasion began last week appeared to subside around Kyiv overnight, as Ukrainian and Russian delegations met Monday on Ukraine\u2019s border with Belarus. It\u2019s unclear what, if anything, those talks would yield.
\nTerrified Ukrainian families huddled in shelters, basements or corridors, waiting to find out. Exact death tolls are unclear, but the UN human rights chief said 102 civilians have been killed and hundreds wounded \u2014 warning that figure was likely a vast undercount \u2014 and Ukraine\u2019s president said at least 16 children were among the dead. More than 500,000 people have fled the country since the invasion, another UN official said Monday \u2014 among the millions who have left their homes.
\nRussia\u2019s Central Bank scrambled to shore up the tanking ruble Monday and the US and European countries upped weapons shipments to Ukraine. While they hope to curb Putin\u2019s aggression after he unleashed Europe\u2019s biggest conflict since World War II, the measures also risked pushing an increasingly cornered Putin closer to the edge.
\n\u201cI sit and pray for these negotiations to end successfully, so that they reach an agreement to end the slaughter, and so there is no more war,\u201d said Alexandra Mikhailova, weeping as she clutched her cat in a makeshift shelter in the strategic southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Around her, parents sought to console children and keep them warm.
\nIn Kyiv, long lines formed outside supermarkets on Monday as residents were allowed out of bomb shelters and homes for the first time since a curfew imposed Saturday.
\nThe relative lull in warfare Monday morning in Ukraine was unlikely to last.
\nNeighboring Belarus could send troops to help Russia as soon as Monday, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of current US intelligence assessments. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
\nUS officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned, though that could change as Moscow adapts. The British Defense Ministry said Monday that the bulk of Putin\u2019s forces are about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Kyiv, their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces.
\nWestern nations ramped up the pressure with a freeze on Russia\u2019s hard currency reserves, threatening to bring Russia\u2019s economy to its knees. Russians withdrew savings and sought to shed rubles for dollars and euros, while Russian businesses scrambled to protect their finances.
\nIn addition to sanctions, the US and Germany announced they will send Stinger missiles to Ukraine among other military supplies. The European Union \u2014 founded to ensure peace on the continent after World War II \u2014 is supplying lethal aid for the first time, including anti-tank weapons and ammunition. At least one Western country is studying a request from Ukraine to provide fighter jets, a European official said. She spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not yet public.
\nEU defense ministers were to meet Monday to discuss how to get the pledged weaponry into Ukraine. Germany\u2019s defense minister said without elaborating that her country has \u201cchannels and possibilities\u201d to do that, and a trainload of Czech equipment arrived Sunday. Blocking off those shipments will clearly be a key Russian priority.
\nIt remains to be seen how much the weaponry will help Ukraine fend off Russia\u2019s vastly greater arsenal.
\nThe increasingly erratic Putin made a clear link between ever-tightening sanctions and his decision Sunday to raise Russia\u2019s nuclear posture. He also pointed at \u201caggressive statements\u201d by NATO as a reason for his move, a reference to his long-running stance that the US-led alliance is an existential threat to Russia.
\nUS and British officials played down Putin\u2019s nuclear threat, and its practical meaning was not immediately clear. Russia and the United States typically have land- and submarine-based nuclear forces that are prepared for combat at all times, but nuclear-capable bombers and other aircraft are not.
\nA tiny sliver of hope emerged as talks began between Ukrainian and Russian officials Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u2019s office said it would demand an immediate cease-fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russia\u2019s Central Bank scrambled to shore up the tanking ruble Monday KYIV Outgunned but determined Ukrainian troops slowed Russia\u2019s advance and held onto the capital and other key cities \u2014 at least for now. In the face of stiff resistance and devastating sanctions, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia\u2019s nuclear forces put on high alert, threatening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4548,3212,4549,456],"class_list":{"0":"post-246977","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-nuclear-threat","9":"tag-russian","10":"tag-shadow","11":"tag-ukraine"},"yoast_head":"\n