In an afternoon update, Ukraine's Defense Ministry warned that Russia is increasing the number of troops around the besieged capital, Kyiv, despite "heavy losses."

The ministry also said Russia is still pushing toward the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been partly controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, and that Russia is recruiting citizen-volunteers, including "people with a criminal record," to keep "order" in those territories.

The ministry claimed Russia is operating its "defense-industrial complex" around the clock to produce missiles, indicating Russia is experiencing "a significant reduction in the arsenal of missile weapons." It praised international sanctions for hindering the trade of high-tech products needed to manufacture missiles.

Ukraine's internet connectivity dipped significantly Monday, as one of its major internet providers said it suffered a cyberattack.

One of Ukraine's largest phone and internet service providers, Ukrtelecom, saw internet activity drop to less than 20 percent of its usual rate, according to NetBlocks and Ioda, organizations that monitor such traffic.

In a comment on its Facebook page, Ukrtelecom wrote that the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Internet providers appear to have been the biggest civilian targets for cyberattacks in Ukraine since Russia began its invasion in late February. Another service provider, Triolan, also went down after a cyberattack, and a major satellite internet service company, Viasat, had its European and Ukrainian services severed after hackers targeted it around the start of the invasion.

Vanesa Rincón said she has barely slept since Feb. 24, when the thunderous sound from the bombs tore her from her sleep. She said she experiences terror daily in Belgorod, a Russian city bordering Ukraine, where she studies international law.

“One wants to get away from the war and the bombs,” said Rincón, who is from Colombia. “We're so anguished that I never want to hear that noise again. I want to return to Bogotá as soon as I can.”

Rincón said that during the first week of the conflict, she was on night duty with her fellow students in case something happened. Belgorod is about 25 miles from the war zone, so Rincón is counting the days to be able to leave.

“It’s not normal, it’s not pretty, and you’re scared all the time. It doesn’t matter who’s good or bad. All you want is to run away,” she said.

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Iryna Timonshenko managed to flee Ukraine with her three children last month but had to leave her husband, her mother and her pets behind.

She said in an interview with MSNBC's Jose Diaz-Balart that it has been difficult to watch what's happening to her country from the safety of Miami.

"We all now have the ,fear but we're trying to not [think] about it, because if I will try, I just need to [cry] every day," Timonshenko said. "I will not be so good mother, you know, if I be like in the full distress."

Her children "think they're on vacation," Timonshenko said, but they know that their country is at war, having escaped while bombs were falling.

The U.S. cannot confirm who is in control of the Ukrainian city of Irpin, a senior Defense Department official said.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushin announced on the Telegram social media app early Monday that the city "has been liberated" from Russian forces.

But the defense official said Ukraine has recaptured the town of Trostyanents from Russian forces.

Russia has launched more than 1,370 missiles since the beginning of the conflict, the official said.

Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulation Inspectorate, the country's nuclear watchdog, said the neutron source nuclear facility in Kharkiv was severely damaged when it was shelled again Saturday.

The installation, part of Kharkiv's Institute of Physics and Technology, performs experimental research on radioisotopes for medical and industrial needs. Russian shelling also hit it earlier this month. 

The agency said it could not assess the extent of the damage and its impact on nuclear and radiation safety because of intense fighting in the area.

Ukraine is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and since Russia launched its invasion, at least 39 landmarks across the country have been damaged, looted or reduced to ruins, according to the Transatlantic Dialogue Center, a Ukrainian political nonprofit based in Kyiv.

Mariupol’s city council confirmed via Telegram last week that the Russian military destroyed the city’s Arkhip Kuindzhi Art Museum, housing over 2,000 exhibits and an extensive collection of works by prominent Ukrainian artists. The fate of the artwork remains unclear.

Targeting historic monuments and cultural heritage sites is a war crime under international law, according to the Hague Convention of 1954. But that all seems to be part of Russia’s plan, some cultural authorities say.

“They just want to erase from the map Ukraine — our heritage, our history, our identity and Ukraine as an independent state,” said Iryna Podolyak, Ukraine’s former vice minister of culture, according to whom Russia’s military seems to be targeting cultural heritage sites in addition to houses, hospitals and schools.

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Six U.S. aircraft and about 240 Navy personnel are scheduled to arrive at Spangdahlem Air Base on Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.

The EA-18 Growlers are designed for electronic warfare to "jam the enemy," he said

This transfer is not in response to any acute threat, Kirby said, but is part of efforts to bolster readiness and heighten NATO deterrence. They will not be used against Russian forces in Ukraine, he said.

Kirby called the aircraft shipment a "prudent decision" as the U.S. continues to re-evaluate force posture on the Eastern flank.