Putin carpet-bombs Kharkiv killing nine and injuring 37 as he sends 3-mile convoy towards Kyiv despite peace talks

RUSSIA has unleashed a civilian slaughter with a devastating missile and rocket bombardment – as two-faced Kremlin officials met with a Ukrainian delegation to talk about peace.

At least nine people are believed to have been killed and 37 injured including three children as a barrage of rockets and missiles smashed into Kharkiv, the second city of Ukraine.

The horrific midday massacre came as thousands of desperate residents queued outside supermarkets for food.

And it happened just as Ukrainian and Russian officials are meeting for peace talks on the border with Belarus amid Vladimir Putin's stalled invasion.

Putin's troops have been given a bloody nose as their tanks and trucks are left burnt out by the roadside by brave Ukrainian defenders.

But the campaign took an even more horrific turn amid the new bloodshed in Kharkiv.

Oleg Sinegubov, the region's governor, said: "The Russian enemy is bombing residential areas.

"As a result of the bombardments that are ongoing, we cannot call on the emergency services."

Footage showed multiple blasts raining down on Kharkiv in quick succession - thought to be unguided Grad rockets or banned cluster bombs.

Both are considered “area weapons” because they are not accurate enough for precision strikes.

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Russian fighter bombers were also seen roaring over the city - which has seen some the bloodiest fighting since the start of the war.

Harrowing footage showed crumpled bodies and streets smeared with blood.

It comes as...

• Ukraine faces a "crucial 24 hours" as officials from Kyiv and Moscow sit down for high level peace talks
• Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly assisting in the peace process
• UK defence sec Ben Wallace warned Vladimir Putin's forces could unleash an "indiscriminate and ruthless" bombing campaign
• Russia fears a bank run and civil unrest after crushing Western sanctions were imposed over the weekend
• Heartbreaking scenes show thousands of Ukrainian kids separated from their dads at the border
• And a little girl, 6, wearing unicorn pyjamas was killed in a Russian airstrike as doctors told reporters 'show this to Putin'
• Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being hailed as a hero after he went from being a comedian to a war time leader
• Putin has been accused of taking muscle-boosting steroids that may be giving him roid rage

It is understood one group of people were queuing to fill up water bottles as they were caught up in the attack.

At least one woman appeared to have lost a foot - with blood smears covering the streets.

The remains of rocket casings could be seen littering the streets amid the horrific scenes.

It came amid chilling warnings that Russian generals have been ordered to take the city at all costs.

The devastating attack hit the north east of the town where a Russian attempt to take the city was forced to retreat on Sunday.

Russia is understood to have used BM-21 Grad rocket launchers - which have been pictured being moved into Ukraine.

The weapons - first developed in the 1960s - are known as "hail" launchers as they fire a bombardment of unguided projectiles.

With such an indiscriminate assault, it raises new fears amid the escalating violence in Ukraine - which has killed scores of civilians and a number of children.

"The Russian occupiers fired en masse on residential areas of Kharkiv. Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded Ukrainian citizens," said the general staff of Ukraine.

Hours before the latest bombardment The Sun had watched the city’s defenders fight street battles with Russian infantry.

A convoy of Russian Tiger trucks, used by Spetznaz special forces, had sneaked into the city before dawn.

They appeared to be part of a lightly armed pincer movement, backed by soft-akin army lorries.

Residents were ordered to stay indoors and take shelter as soldiers, special forces, police and civil defence volunteers launched a counter-attack.

The Russians were ambushed by Ukrainian forces and soldiers fled into a nearby homes as they tried to retreat on foot.Ukrainian troops fired volleys of rocket propelled grenades at suspected Russian hideouts.

It is thought the Russians made a last stand in a nearby school which was burned to the ground overnight.

The Sun saw a tank called up to the fight to flush them out of their hideout.

Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko said: "We will never forget and forgive this crime against humanity - the showy executions of our Kharkiv by the Russians.

"With special cynicism and cruelty, the Hail destroyed civilian neighborhoods and houses."

Speaking earlier today before the attack, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace warned that Putin could launch "ruthless" and "indiscriminate" bombing amid the slow progress of his invasion.

Mr Wallace said that Russia's forces are "strung out" and "behind schedule" as they face a tough Ukrainian resistance.

The much larger and supposedly better armed Russian army has found itself grinding to a halt and having little success.

Ukraine claims it has killed, captured or incapacitated 5,300 soldiers, destroyed 151 tanks, blown up 816 armoured vehicles, and shot down 58 warplanes and helicopters.

It is believed the invasion is costing Russia at least £15billion a day - and it could totally fail unless Putin make significant progress within the next ten days.

And this money burning exercise could see Moscow left without enough cash to prop up the invasion.

But this embarassing state of play of the Russians - who expected they could roll in and take the capital in days - could force Vlad's hand to try and stamp out the defenders.

Mr Wallace said although the Ukrainians were putting up "a very strong fight" the reality was they were going up against "the overwhelming scale of the Russian Federation Army".

Putin "convinced himself that all these people would somehow welcome them with Russian flags and thank them for being great liberators", he said.

But instead the Ukrainian resistance had made these plans "go awry" - but he warned the offensive is likely to become "more violent".

Mr Wallace said: "So we have to brace ourselves for what may come next, which could be ruthless, indiscriminate bombing of cities and propelling forward of soldiers and high casualty levels, and that's going to be horrific."

Pictures show the utterly devastating impacts of what had long been warned to potentially become Putin's very own Vietnam War - a slow, costly, grinding defeat.

Burned out Russian vehicles and dead soldiers have been seen scattered across Ukraine.

And there have also been reports of Putin's tanks running out fuel and other supplies as Moscow was stunned by the level of fightback by Kyiv.

One video shows a Russian tank crew standing by their broken down vehicle as they are taunted by a Ukrainian driver on the roadside.

Another clip shows one of Putin's 'Z' tanks being towed away by a tractor, and other footage shows a pair of tanks stuck in the mud.

Ukrainian locals and militia have been raiding the abandoned Russian vehicles for weapons themselves - only adding to Putin's humiliation.

Other footage has shown Russian tank convoys reported blown up by drones as Moscow failed to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine.

And at least one Russia helicopter has also been caught on camera appearing to crash in a ball of flame.

Ukrainians have described seeing Russian troops simply being picked off "one-by-one" in street battles.

Back at home, the Kremlin appears to be preventing details of deaths - and woundings - from reaching soldiers' families.

US intelligence sources claim there is growing frustration in Moscow over the sluggish advance.

Russia has made no official announcement of its war dead amid the ongoing invasion.

Russia is known have deployed more devastating weapons - such as thermobaric artillery - to the region, which are not yet believed to have been deployed against Ukraine.

However, Mr Wallace also downplayed the nuclear threat from Russia after Putin announced his forces were now on "high alert".

"We've looked at their posture. There isn't a significant change," he said on LBC radio, accusing Putin of trying to "flex muscles" with his invasion bogged down.

Wallace said he had assured his 12-year-old son: "No, we're not going to have a nuclear war.

"What I've said to him is, look, President Putin is dealing at the moment in a rhetoric, he wants to distract from what's gone wrong in Ukraine, and he wants us all to be reminded that he has a nuclear deterrent."

But Britain, France and the United States had their own nuclear deterrence available, Wallace stressed: "It's kept us safe for decades. It is a deterrent by definition and design."

The minister said the progress of Russia's advance into Ukraine was deteriorating, telling BBC radio in a separate interview: "There are many reports of Russians either sort of deserting or surrendering.

"Because they are confused as much as anyone why they are engaged in a war with people they're probably related to."

Before dawn, explosions were heard in the capital city and also in the country's second largest city Kharkiv.

Powerful blasts were also reportedly heard in the cities of Cherkasy and Chernihiv as the brutal barrage continues.

Ukraine's army says it fought off several attempts by Russian forces to storm the outskirts of Kyiv overnight with the capital also hit by three missile strikes.

Russia has so far fired more than 350 missiles at Ukraine, with many hitting civilians.

Moscow has failed to win full control of Ukraine's airspace, despite advances across the country.

US officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned - sparking concern Putin could start to use even more vicious weapons.

"It appears that they 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 US official said.

It is estimated nearly 400,00 civilians, mainly women and children, have now fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries.

EU commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic said: "We are witnessing what could become the largest humanitarian crisis on our European continent in many, many years."

Meanwhile, Putin's closest ally, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko - who is known as Europe's Last Dictator, accused the West of "pushing Russia into World War 3".

It comes after Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert just after warning the West "may face the greatest consequences in history".

The Russian tyrant is said to be "furious" he's not been able to subdue Ukraine and lashed out at NATO for its "unfriendly measures" he says forced him into the chilling nuclear gamble.

The move means Putin has ordered the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads prepared for launched readiness - raising the terrifying possibility the crisis and a miscalculation could spill over into nuclear war.

In an address on state TV, Putin claimed aggressive statements by NATO leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow have forced his hand.

He said "not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures" such as "illegal sanctions" but "top officials of leading NATO countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country".

Putin said he has now ordered his military command to put Russia's deterrence forces - a reference to units which include nuclear arms - on high alert.

Boris Johnson described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “a disastrous, misbegotten venture by President Putin” which “can lead to no good” for Russia.

And he had a phone call this afternoon Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a statement, Downing Street said: "The leaders categorically condemned the barbaric airstrikes being carried out by Russia against innocent civilians, including children.

“The Prime Minister updated President Zelenskyy on UK military support being sent to Ukraine, and committed to sending more in the coming hours and days.”