Russian troops pound densely populated city

KHARKIV, UKRAINE >> Russian shelling pounded a densely populated area in Ukraine's second-largest city Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring at least 23 others with a barrage that struck a mosque, a medical facility and a shopping area, according to officials and witnesses.

Police in the northeast city of Kharkiv said cluster bombs hit Barabashovo Market, where Associated Press journalists saw a woman crying over her dead husband's body. Local officials said the shelling also struck a bus stop, a gym and a residential building.

The bombardment came after Russia on Wednesday reiterated its plans to seize territories beyond eastern Ukraine, where the Russian military has spent months trying to conquer the Donbas region, which is south of Kharkiv. It also followed Ukrainian attacks this week on a bridge the Russians have used to supply their forces in occupied areas near Ukraine's southern Black Sea coast.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attacks early Thursday targeted one of the most crowded areas of the city, which had a prewar population of about 1.4 million. “The Russian army is randomly shelling Kharkiv, peaceful residential areas,” Terekhov said.

In other developments Thursday:

• The operator of a major pipeline from Russia to Europe says natural gas has started flowing again after a 10-day shutdown for maintenance. But the gas flow was well short of full capacity and the outlook was uncertain. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany had been closed since July 11 for annual maintenance.

Russia has seen “epic fails” in its initial goals to remove Ukraine's president, capture Kyiv and sow disunity in the West, adding that Russian gains were “tiny” and that Russia is “about to run out of steam,” said MI6's Richard Moore, the chief of the Br BELARUS Kyiv RUSSIA

Sources: The New York Times, The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Politico, Stars and Stripes, USA Today, Al Jazeera, NPR, Ukrinform JEFF GOERTZEN, SCNG