Ukraine says dozens killed in indiscriminate shelling in Kharkiv

• Verified videos on social media show Russian rockets being launched into civilian high-rise apartment buildings, causing mass destruction and an untold number of casualties.
• Russia had previously claimed that it is only targeting military infrastructure. Ukraine says it has documented attacks on residential areas and accused Russian forces of war crimes.

The big picture: Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city just 25 miles from the border, was viewed as a key to Russia's strategy for conquering eastern Ukraine.

• Russian forces briefly took control of the city on Sunday, but were pushed back by a counteroffensive that epitomized the fierce resistance that the Ukrainian military has put up since the invasion began.
• Michael Kofman, a Russian military expert at CNA, told the Washington Post that he fears Russia's inability to swiftly take Kharkiv could signal that "the worst is yet to come" — meaning more intense bombardments of civilian areas and a surge in ground forces.

• "It appears that [the Russians] are adopting a siege mentality, which any student of military tactics and strategy will tell you, when you adopt siege tactics, it increases the likelihood of collateral damage," a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Sunday.

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