Dramatic new pictures of Russian tanks apparently firing into a residential block of flats in Mariupol have provoked worldwide condemnation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using terrorist techniques after claiming the mayor of a town under Russian control was kidnapped.
And, as Russian forces close in on Kyiv, Zelensky said they'd have to kill every single person there before they can take the capital.
After 13 days under siege, the tortured Ukrainian city of Mariupol continues to suffer.
Russian tanks treat the streets like their playground, reversing carelessly into position and firing straight into a residential block.
There is a shelling here every 30 minutes, the mayor says, aid vehicles are prevented from entry and the corridors of the hospital are filled with those who have miraculously escaped with their lives but don’t feel lucky at all.
Anastasiya Erashova is found weeping as she holds her sleeping child. She should be holding two, but her other baby was just killed in the latest attack.
"We don't know where to run to," she says, because all exits from the city are cut off.
The United Nations has now recorded that close to 600 civilians have been killed since the war began.
Zelensky likened the actions of Russian invaders to that of ISIS terrorists - and they are closing in on the capital.
In Melitopol, Mayor Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped and CCTV footage showed the moment he was marched away by Russian soldiers.
It prompted thousands of protesters to gather, demanding his release.
The angry cries of Ukrainians feel a world away from the ongoing diplomatic talks.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 75 minutes on Saturday, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
But the only takeaway for the West was a warning that the Russian President remains "determined", but they wouldn't reveal anything else.
Ukrainians are matching Putin's resolve on every front.
"They will lose tanks on every street, every block, every crossroads," one soldier says.
Soldiers dig the trenches deeper and construct checkpoints at every corner.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko is defiant.
"By no means will you put the people of Ukraine on their knees. Ukrainians are not afraid and even in the occupied cities they go out unarmed on actions against the occupiers," he says.
"We will kick you out of every inch of our land. We will not give up. Together we will withstand."
And at the heart of the deserted capital city, Ukraine's national anthem rings out. It's day 17 of the war and Kyiv is vowing to hold strong.