The Russian military and intelligence services in Ukraine say the Russian offensive against the country continues, but at a significant pace today, another senior Russian military commander was killed, while frightened residents fled the bombing cities.

In the town of Irfin, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, residents drove with their small children or carried in their arms, while others grabbed their pet boxes, plastic bags and suitcases.

Ukrainian military intelligence says today that a Russian general was killed by Ukrainian forces near the besieged city of Kharkiv, Russia’s second-in-command in the invasion.

The first deputy commander of the 41st Russian army, Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, was killed yesterday, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The General Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that although the Russian offensive was very slow, it was continuing.

The Russian invasion, the largest attack on a European country since World War II, led to the evacuation of 1.7 million refugees and imposed sanctions on Moscow, and there are fears of widespread conflict as Western nations provide military aid to Ukraine.

Kiev has rejected Moscow’s offer of possible humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus.

However, Moscow later proposed to offer residents of Sumi and Mariupol the option of relocating to other parts of Ukraine, with Kiev’s approval deadline early in the day, Russian news agencies reported.

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