Ukrainian forces reach Russian border as offensive sweeps through Kharkiv

In a direct message to Putin, he said the Russian leader had not understood who he was fighting and would not be deterred by such attacks.

“Read my lips: Without gas or without you? Without you. Without light or without you? Without you. Without water or without you? Without you. Without food or without you? Without you,” Mr Zelensky said, underscoring his country’s willingness to shoulder the burden of driving out Russian forces.

Ukraine’s nuclear operator said the last reactor at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was shut down on Sunday.

Raphael Grossia, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Monday that both sides had shown “signs that they are interested” in agreeing to a demilitarized zone around the plant.

The speed of the Russian collapse led to shocked and sometimes angry exchanges among Russian commentators trying to explain the disaster.

Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-appointed official in the Kharkiv region, said Ukrainians outnumbered Russians eight to one during the offensive.

Speaking on an NTV television talk show, Boris Nadezhdin, a former member of parliament, blamed “the people who convinced President Putin that the operation will be quick and effective” and said it was time to consider peace talks.

“These people really put us all together,” he said. “We are now at the point where we have to understand that it is absolutely impossible to defeat Ukraine using these resources and colonial methods of war.”