Russian troops have entered the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Mykolayiv for the first time, regional authorities said Friday. Russia has intensified fighting, bombarding cities with shells and missiles, forcing civilians to cover in basements.
In a video statement shared online, Mykolayiv Governor Vitaliy Kim said fighting was under way in parts of the city. "Let's not get nervous," he said.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia, located in southern Ukraine, reported a fire after fighting broke out between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the area. "This is the first time in our history. In the history of mankind. The terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said as he accused Moscow of resorting to "nuclear war".
Ukraine and Russia held second round of talks during which both sides agreed to create humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from as-yet unspecified locations.
Russian forces have taken control of the Black Sea port of Kherson, the first major city to fall after a string of setbacks for Moscow. The besieged port city of Mariupol is without water or power.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow's advance in Ukraine is going "according to plan". In a televised address, Putin said that Russia was rooting out "neo-Nazis", and said that he will never "give up on (his) conviction that Russians and Ukrainians are one people".
