Updated Mar 21, 2022 - World

In photos: Russian forces attack Ukraine civilian areas

Rebecca Falconer

Firefighters extinguish fire broke out after a Russian shelling of a shopping mall in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine on March 21. — Firefigters try to extinguish the fire that broke out when Russian forces shelled a shopping mall in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv on March 21. Photo: State Emergency Services of Ukraine/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian forces shelled the northwestern Kyiv district of Podilskyi late Sunday, striking a shopping center and houses and killing at least eight people, Ukrainian officials said.

The big picture: Russian naval forces were launching missile strikes on "targets across Ukraine" from blockaded coastal areas, per a U.K. Defense Ministry update as the invasion entered a 26th day. The besieged port city of Mariupol was hit by particularly intense attacks from land, sea and air.

Smoke rises from behind Mariupol buildings as the city's civilians are evacuated in groups under the control of pro-Russian separatists on March 20. — Smoke rises in Mariupol as civilians are evacuated under the control of pro-Russian separatists March 20. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had bombed a city art school sheltering about 400 civilians earlier in the day. Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A man leaves with a few belongings from a building damaged after a Russian rocket fire in the cottage district of Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 20. — A man leaves with a few belongings from a building damaged by Russian rockets in Kharkiv on March 20. Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Soldiers and police examine the aftermath of a missile landing near a residential building after being shot out of the sky in the Bilychi neighborhood in Kyiv. — Soldiers and police examine the aftermath of a missile strike near a residential building in the Bilychi neighborhood of Kyiv on March 20. Photo: Matthew Hatcher/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Ukrainian police officer cordons off an area near a residential building which was hit by the debris from a downed rocket, in Kyiv, on March 20. — A Ukrainian police officer cordons off an area near a residential building that was hit by the debris from a downed rocket in Kyiv on March 20, as Russian forces tried to encircle Ukraine's capital. Photo: Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images

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Editor's note: This article has been updated the death toll in Kyiv.

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In photos: Russian forces attack Ukraine civilian areas

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