Russia said it had seized its biggest city yet in Ukraine on Wednesday, while stepping up its lethal bombardment of the main cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, which its invasion force has so far failed to tame in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance. With Moscow having failed in its aim to swiftly overthrow Ukraine’s government after nearly a week, Western countries are worried that it is switching to new, far more violent tactics to blast its way into cities it had expected to easily take.

Moscow said on Wednesday it had captured Kherson, a port city and a provincial capital of around a quarter of a million people on the southern front. There was no immediate word from Ukraine but the regional governor had said overnight that it was surrounded, under fire, and Russian troops were looting shops and pharmacies.