London | Russia has told Ukrainian civilians to leave key big cities, signalling a furious assault may be about to start even as a second round of ceasefire talks takes place in neighbouring Belarus on Wednesday.

The Kremlin gave a sign of what may follow, directing rocket attacks against a television tower in the capital Kyiv, and unleashing a furious storm of shelling on the second-largest city Kharkiv. It also warned of strikes against offices of the Ukrainian security services.