Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says an expected Russian assault on the key port city of Odesa 'will be a war crime'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video released on Sunday said that Russian forces are expected to bomb Odesa, the country's third-largest city and a key shipping port on the Black Sea.

Zelensky said that the coastal city has been a welcoming place for Russians but could soon face a military onslaught.

Zelensky said that Russians always traveled to Odesa. Bombs against Odesa? What about Odesa? Is there a game against Odesa? This will be a war crime.

Sand from the shoreline is being used for roadblock. Russian warships have been in the city for several days.

Despite setbacks in their incursion into the country, including stiff-armed resistance from Ukrainian forces, Russia has continued their advance into Odesa, with a population of over 1 million residents.

Russia has responded to the scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, according to a Sunday intelligence report from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense.

The report stated that Russia has used similar tactics in Chechnya and Syria in the past.

More than 1.5 million people have left the country because of the lack of heating, water, and electricity, according to Filippo Grandi, the UN refugee agency commissioner.

The displacement is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, according to Grandi.