Russia-Ukraine crisis: Russia to hold fire in Ukraine capital Kyiv, 3 other major cities today

The Russian invasion entered day 12 on Monday as forces stepped up their shelling of Ukrainian cities in the center, north and south of the country late Sunday. "The latest wave of missile strikes came as darkness fell," said presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich.

Presently, the areas that are under heavy shelling include the outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, according to the news agency AP.

In Kharkiv, shelling damaged the television tower and heavy artillery was hitting residential areas. While, in Chernihiv, officials said all regions of the city were coming under missile attack.

Meanwhile, oil soared above $135 a barrel after the White House said it was considering an embargo on Russian supplies.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it's having trouble getting through to staff operating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is now under the control of Russian forces.