March 4, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Democratic and Republican US senators received an invitation to attend a Zoom meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, according to two sources familiar.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington extended the invitation for the meeting, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to one of the sources. 

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said sanctions imposed as a result of the war in Ukraine were not about seeking any regime change in Russia.

“We are not on the regime change. The sanctions are not in order to provoke a regime change in Russia,” Borrell said.

Borrell also said the sanctions would not end the war in Ukraine right away.

“We can do many things but if people are expecting financial sanctions to stop the war overnight, they don’t know what they are talking about. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability to stop the war in its tracks. What we can do however is weaken the Russian economy significantly over time,” he said.

Borrell added the EU’s response was not against the Russian people but to uphold international norms.

“This is not the East against the West. This is not a remake of the Cold War. We are defending the sovereignty of the nations – all nations. We are defending the territorial integrity of states – all states. On the East, on the West, on the North and in the South. It’s not again the battle of two hemispheres. We are defending international law, sovereignty of the states, territorial integrity, non-violation of borders is something that is valuable for anyone in the world. We are not enemies of the Russian people, we are friends of Ukraine, we are supporting them on their fight but we are not against the Russian people,” Borrell said.

“That’s Putin war, and only Putin can end it,” Borrell added.

Borrell also said the EU will “not ask [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky to surrender.”

“We are not going to ask Zelensky to leave Kyiv, we are not going to ask him to stop fighting,” he added.

US Vice President Kamala Harris during an event on March 2, in Durham, North Carolina.

US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Poland and Romania next week, the White House says, as the Biden administration continues to show support for Ukraine and the US’ eastern NATO allies while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters a dangerous new phase.

Harris’ trip will take place from Wednesday through March 11, and will include stops in Warsaw and Bucharest, according to a Friday announcement by the White House.

She’ll meet with the leaders of both countries to coordinate on their response to Russia’s invasion and discuss how the US can further support Ukraine’s neighboring nations as they prepare to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict.

“Her visit will demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and US support for NATO’s eastern flank allies in the face of Russian aggression. It will also highlight our collective efforts to support the people of Ukraine,” the White House announcement states.

The Eastern Europe visit will take place on the heels of Harris’ latest international travel to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Harris also spoke over the phone with several Eastern European leaders on Tuesday, including Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.

The Hill was first to report on the discussions to send Harris to Poland and Romania.

Thousands of volunteer hackers and IT specialists around the world are helping defend Ukraine, and some are doing so by targeting Russian organizations with cyberattacks, a senior Ukrainian government cybersecurity official asserted on Friday.

Russian media outlets that are “constantly lying to their citizens,” and financial and transportation organizations supporting the war effort, are among the potential targets for digital attacks from the so-called Ukrainian “IT army,” according to Victor Zhora, an official at the Ukrainian cybersecurity agency charged with protecting government networks.

The “IT army” is a loose band of Ukrainian citizens and foreigners that are not part of the Ukrainian government — but Kyiv is encouraging them. It’s an example of how the Ukrainian government is pulling out all the stops to try to slow Russia’s military assault, and illustrates how cyberattacks have played a supporting role in the war.

The goal of the “IT army” of Ukraine is to “do everything possible … to make [the] aggressor feel uncomfortable with their actions in cyberspace and in Ukrainian land,” Zhora told journalists in a video conference Friday.

Hacktivists of various stripes — from Belarusians opposed to the war, to self-described Russian vigilante hackers — have entered the information war and claimed to have carried out hacks on their opponents. 

The website of Russian state media outlet TASS was hacked Monday and briefly displayed a message referencing Russian casualties in the war in Ukraine and denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though it wasn’t clear who example was responsible for the hack, the logo of the hacking collective Anonymous appeared on the TASS website.

More background: In calling for volunteer hackers last Saturday, Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a link to a list of potential targets that included major Russian energy and financial firms.

Zhora asserted that any hacking conducted by the “IT army” was defensive in nature, and that the Ukrainian government does not take responsibility for cyberattacks the volunteers carry out on Russian organizations.

Ukrainian cybersecurity officials continue their work protecting government networks despite the Russian bombardment of key Ukrainian cities, Zhora said.

“We are not afraid” of any escalation in cyberspace from Russia, Zhora said. 

“We are much more afraid of missiles targeting Ukrainian schools, hospitals, and residential districts,” he continued.

Ukrainian army soldiers watch smoke from shelling on March 4, in Irpin, Ukraine. Russia began the invasion of Ukraine late last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he was “extremely concerned” about the “risks to nuclear safety, security and the implementation of international safeguards that result from the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” in a statement sent by the Elysee Palace.

Macron added that France, along with its international partners, has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the issue.

The French president called on Russia to “immediately cease its illegal and dangerous military actions in order to allow full control by the Ukrainian authorities over all nuclear facilities within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.”

“Russia must also allow free, regular and unhindered access of personnel to the facilities to ensure their continued safe operation of the facilities,” the Elysee statement added.

The French Presidency added that Macron had a phone call with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Macron “praised and supported” the agency’s “efforts in favor of the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”

According to the statement, France will propose in the coming hours “with its main partners, on the basis of IAEA technical criteria, concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s five main nuclear sites.”

“Russia and Ukraine must reach an agreement on this basis and together ensure the implementation of the fundamental principles for the preservation of nuclear safety and security of nuclear facilities in the current context,” the Elysee statement concluded.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö thanked US President Joe Biden for his leadership during the current “very difficult times” when the two met in the Oval Office Friday to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said he and Niinistö had been in regular touch for “some time now” and had “coordinated a united transatlantic response to Russian – holding Russia accountable for unjustified aggression against Ukraine.”

He thanked the Finnish leader for helping “Ukraine defend itself, and supporting humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people.”

Biden said the relationship between the US and Finland was “vitally important to the United States,” and he hoped the meeting would be “another opportunity to further strengthen that relationship.”

Niinistö began by remarking that “we are really living in very difficult times,” before he thanked Biden “for the leadership you show.”

“We need it now,” he said, adding their “thoughts today, and we are with the Ukrainian people.”

“I hope that during this meeting and discussion, we can strengthen them more between the United States and Finland and the Nordic countries all together,” the Finnish president added.

Just before cameras left the room, Biden said that his former boss President Barack Obama “used to say we’d be alright if we left everything to the Nordic countries. We’d be fine.”

“We usually don’t start wars,” Niinistö replied.

Vitaliy Kim, head of the regional administration in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, says there is a standoff between Ukrainian and Russian troops around the city.

“We don’t shoot anymore. They do not shoot,” he said on his Telegram account.

Kim said the Russians had left the military airfield but were still “right near the city.”

“In general, not a fun situation — they seem to be here, but it seems like they are not in the city, sometimes they shoot, protect themselves,” he said.

Earlier on Friday: Kim said Russian forces had been driven out of the city.

“We kicked them out a bit, but the fighting goes on,” he said, “But they are on the outskirts now. We kicked them out of the city.”

Council of Economic Advisors Chair Cecilia Rouse during a briefing at the White House in Washington, on March 4.

The White House is assessing the impact of cutting off imports of Russian oil, Council of Economic Advisors Chair Cecilia Rouse told reporters at a Friday news briefing. 

While Rouse said the US doesn’t import a lot of Russian oil, she added that “energy is the global market and we do not want to disrupt that market.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed back against calls to sanction Russian energy directly, arguing it wasn’t in the “strategic interest” of the West because it would raise gas prices domestically as well as increase Russian profits through rising energy prices.

Recently, there have been bipartisan calls on Capitol Hill for US President Joe Biden to sanction Russian gas and ban importing Russian energy to the US.

While Blinken said nothing is “off the table,” he argued that the sanctions the US and Europe have put into place intend to have the maximum impact on Russia and President Vladimir Putin while minimizing harm to the US and its allies. The goal, Blinken said at a news conference following meetings in Brussels Friday, was to degrade Russia’s status as a global energy supplier over time.

The top US diplomat pointed to sanctions that were already implemented, including shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany and denying technologies to Russia for energy exploration through export controls.

As war rages, Blinken was asked how long the sanctions would take to change Russia’s behavior. The secretary of state declined to put a timeframe on it.

“What’s happened in record time, as we’ve seen, are sanctions and other measures that a few weeks ago, people would have said we’re never going to happen,” Blinken said, adding that when the US began raising the prospect of devastating sanctions in November, “I know some people thought that that was more rhetoric than reality.”

“I think we’ve demonstrated already how strong that reality is,” he said. “We’re looking every day at measures to increase the extraordinary pressure we’re already exerting.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Brussels on Friday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the establishment of a no-fly zone in Ukraine by the United States and its NATO allies could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe.” He said Washington would continue to work with its allies to provide Ukrainians with the means to defend themselves from Russian aggression.

“The only way to actually implement something like a no-fly zone is to send NATO planes into Ukrainian airspace and to shoot down Russian planes, and that could lead to a full-fledged war in Europe. President Biden has been clear that we are not going to get into a war with Russia,” Blinken said during a news conference Friday in Brussels, where he is meeting with European allies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We are looking every day at what technologies, what capacities we can effectively deliver to, to Ukraine to defend itself, and that’s an ongoing conversation, literally happening on a daily basis both with Ukraine and government officials, as well as among allies and partners. And so, the main focus is on making sure that anything we provide can be used, used effectively and in a timely way,” Blinken said.

More background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for NATO and Western allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and aerial bombardment of its cities.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine is a NATO decision, but that it would be “one step too far” with a “real risk of escalation and a real risk of a possible third international war.” 

NATO’s chief said Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance.

“We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels. 

There has been “no leakage of radioactive material” from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that was attacked by Russian forces, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during an on-camera briefing at the Pentagon on Friday.

The Pentagon cannot speak to “what operational status” the power plant is in now or if Russians have control of the plant, Kirby said.

The Department of Defense is helping the Department of Energy in the US response to the incident, Kirby said.

“Because we have experience running nuclear power plants in the Department of Defense, we’re a part of that effort providing some advice and counsel to the Department of Energy,” Kirby said.

Kirby called the attack “exceedingly dangerous.”

“Attacking a nuclear power plant is exceedingly dangerous and could have visited a lot more damage and destruction to the people of Ukraine and perhaps even to neighboring countries had this gone a different way,” he said.

A satellite image shows the convoy on February 28.

Actions by Ukrainians have “stalled” the large Russian military convoy headed in the direction of Kyiv, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during an on-camera briefing at the Pentagon on Friday.

“We do have reports that a bridge was blown up that we believe was in the path there. We also have indications that the Ukrainians have struck the convoy elsewhere and on vehicles,” Kirby said.

The US also believes Russian forces’ own challenges with sustainment, logistics and fuel have slowed the movement of the convey, Kirby said.

The deconfliction line established this week between the US and Russia is a bilateral “US to Russia deconfliction level,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing at the Pentagon on Friday.

The line is being managed by US European Command under Gen. Tod Wolters, the Commander of US European Command,

Kirby said the deconfliction line is valuable “to reduce the risks of miscalculation and to be able to communicate in real-time, if need be, particularly now the airspace over Ukraine is contested by both Russian and Ukraine aircraft.”

The phone line is “at a lower operational level,” Kirby said.

“It’s basically staffed by staff-level officers there at European Command headquarters,” he continued.

More background: The deconfliction phone line that was set up this week between the US and Russia did work in its initial setup, a senior US defense official told reporters on Friday.

The phone line worked in the initial test call the US made to Russia, the official said.

“It is in place, the Russians have acknowledged it, in our initial test of it, they answered the phone, so we know that they know who’s calling and that they will at least, in terms of the initial initiation of it, the setting up of it, it worked, and they did answer the line,” the official said.

The establishment of the agreement was particularly noteworthy because until now Pentagon officials have said they have not had any direct communications with Russian counterparts since the invasion. 

There had been an effort to establish the communications line since late last month. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Feb. 18. The two also spoke one week earlier. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley last spoke to the Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov on Feb. 11th.

The US has specifically rejected any no-fly zone over Ukraine saying it would put US pilots into a combat scenario in order to enforce such a plan. But the door is not shut on a potential future air humanitarian corridor to guarantee safe flight of relief supplies hostilities cease, officials say.                      

A deconfliction protocol has existed for several years between US and Russian forces in Syria. For the most part it has worked, although US officials have complained on several occasions the Russians have not given enough advance warning of their operations. The US does not give Russia detailed information but did notify them recently when US aircraft would be operating in a broad area northeast Syria. 

Russia announced Friday it is blocking Facebook in the country, according to its communications regulator.

Meta president Nick Clegg responded to the ban, saying the company was doing “everything we can to restore our services” but that soon Russian users would be cut off from reliable information.

The White House also responded to the move, saying it was “deeply concerned.”

“This is a pattern,” press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday, referring to Russia’s effort to restrict information about the war in Ukraine by independent journalists, state-backed media, and now social media platforms.

Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya addresses the UN Security Council on Friday.

During a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador called for an urgent discussion on banning flights through air space in Ukraine and said there was damage to the nuclear plant attacked by Russian forces.

Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia “committed an act of nuclear terrorism while shelling and seizing” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

He also said his Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, had lied in his remarks. Nebenzia told the council that the nuclear plant is fully operational and there is no threat of a release of radioactive material.

Several employees responsible for maintaining nuclear security at the site have reportedly been killed by Russian soldiers, Kyslytsya said, and there has been no rotation of personnel since yesterday morning. 

CNN cannot independently confirmed any number of deaths.

He said state nuclear safety inspectors are not allowed access to the site, and changes in the radiation situation have not been registered. Data from the automated radiation monitoring system of the power plant “does not work.”

In a statement Friday morning local time, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRI) confirmed the power plant was occupied by Russian military forces, but said officials remained in contact with plant management.

The plant’s six reactors remained intact, though the compartment auxiliary buildings for reactor unit 1 had been damaged, the SNRI said in its statement. Four of the remaining units were being cooled down while one unit is providing power, the statement said.

He demanded clear and decisive action from the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

A top International Atomic Energy Agency official earlier told the council that “no security or safety systems have been compromised near the reactors themselves” at the plant.

Kyslytsya also said “urgent discussion” of a no-fly zone “should be a top priority for the security council.”

“Today, I have sent a letter to the UNSC president reminding of the council’s decisions on no-fly zone during previous conflicts in order to prevent further civilian casualties,” he said.

“In this regard we request to consider the issue of protection of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” he added.

Ukrainian refugees wait in an empty shopping center to be transported from Przemysl, Poland, on March 4.

President Biden thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda for welcoming nearly 700,000 Ukrainians who have fled during the Russian invasion, the White House said of the call today between both leaders.

The White House noted that on the call, Biden highlighted how Poland is hosting 9,000 US forces, including 4,700 service members sent in recent weeks to bolster NATO allies. 

Demonstrators in Tbilisi, Georgia, watch an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 4.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for solidarity while speaking to several European cities on Friday.

During Zelensky’s live message via Zoom, he encouraged Europe to stand with Ukraine and paused for a moment of silence to honor those who have fallen in this war, saying, “This first minute I would like to dedicate to the moment of silence to those who have fallen in the fight for their country, to our soldiers, to those who serve … those who are working as pilots, those who are making heroic deeds in different areas protecting their country and have given their lives away for this.”

“Let us commemorate the soldiers. Rest in Peace,” he said in the call with several European cities, including Bratislava, Frankfurt, Prague, Lyon, Tbilisi, Vienna and Vilnius.

Zelensky also shared some thoughts on the forces from across Europe, as well as “ordinary people” in Ukraine.

“But from recently the soldier greeting, this army greeting, is something that ordinary people are starting to use in their day-to-day language when greeting each other because we are protecting our country from Russian invasion, from the Russian attack. We are protecting our homes and our land full-fledged and out of [Russian] war and Russian aggression,” Zelensky said. “Today our servicemen, some of our military servicemen, serving our country in the army, others are serving as doctors with scalpels in their hands doing the surgical operations. [Others] are working to protect the children and their families. And this is our heart, this is the heart of Ukraine, standing together against the evil.”

Zelensky used the final portion of his address to speak to people across the entire European continent, promising victory for Ukraine and the whole of democracy.

“I would like to dedicate to you, to the people of Europe. I would like to call upon you not to be silent. I would like you to come out on the streets and support Ukraine, support our efforts and support our fight because if Ukraine will not stand, Europe will not stand. If we will fall, you will fall so please don’t be silent, do not turn the blind on eye on this,” said Zelensky.

“Come out and support Ukraine as much as you can … And if we win, and I’m sure we’ll win, this will be the victory for the whole democratic world. This will be the victory of our freedom. This will be the victory of light over darkness, of freedom over slavery. And if we win, we will become as blossoming as Europe, and Europe will be flourishing more than ever after this magnificent victory. Glory to Ukraine.” 

Zelensky then held his fist up in the air in a salute.

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm tweeted Friday that “Russian forces are in control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant” and called on Russia “to allow the Ukrainian operators to continue to operate safely – including allowing shift changes at both Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl.”

In a series of tweets, Granholm also praised Ukrainian operators for being “extremely responsible in how they responded to yesterday’s appalling attack by safely taking 2 of the reactors offline.” Granholm noted one reactor is currently “operating at partial capacity to keep the power grid stable.”

Granholm also pointed out how the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “is designed to withstand significant shelling or bombardment.”

“We have seen no elevated radiation readings overnight. Safety systems are intact, and reactors continue to receive cooling,” Granholm tweeted.

“This is a game of Russia, a production. They brought their actors from the Crimea to make a movie about their claim that we want to be part of the Russian Federation,” Yulia, a resident of Kherson, Ukraine, said in a video she posted to social media as she described the arrival of Russian aid trucks.

“The Russian military occupied Kherson and the Kherson region, cut off our telephone connection, we cannot contact relatives and families either in the city or outside,” she continued.

Earlier this week, Yulia said she saw and heard explosions, firefighting, soldiers, and trucks as Russians battled to take over her city from Ukrainian forces.

Yulia herself gave birth two months ago. Now she’s struggling to find diapers and baby products.

“There are catastrophically few in the city. We also have a grandmother with dementia who needs diapers and medicines on an ongoing basis, which are also not available in the city,” she shared.

Yulia said her close family is with her and they have food and electricity, although they are not going out.

 “We are in hiding. There is a curfew in the city, if people go out after eight in the evening, they shoot to kill. You can move in the company of no more than two people,” she said.

The woman declined to give more details about her extended family who live in different parts of the city.

“We have bunkers around the city, not all houses have basements. There is an alarm around the city when we need to go to cover,” Yulia explained.

“The Ukrainian flag is still over Kherson, the city did not surrender to the invaders. the military said not to provoke them and everyone would be alive,” she added.

Editor’s Note: CNN is only using the person’s first name to protect their safety.

Following a missile attack on a large apartment block in Borodyanka on March 2, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service has told CNN that people may still be trapped in the wreckage of the building.

Viktoriya Ruban, spokesperson of the SES in the Kyiv region, told CNN on Friday that “about 100 people may be trapped under the rubble” in Borodyanka but “it is impossible to give a more precise figure at the moment.”

“Rescuers do not have access to these people due to the constant shelling. We are ready to evacuate people as soon as there is an agreement on a ‘green corridor,’” she said.

The town, which is just northwest of Kyiv, has seen persistent shelling over the past few days, as have small towns around it. 

The area has seen the heaviest fighting in the Kyiv region since the Russian invasion began just over a week ago.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press in Brussels on March 4.

The European Union is ready to adopt more sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin does not stop the war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

“We know that this conflict is far from over, and to be very clear, we are ready to take further severe measures if Putin does not stop and reverse the war he has unleashed,” she said alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.

Von der Leyen said over 40 countries were now “partially or completely” aligned with the sanctions, saying it was “testimony to the determination of the global community to reject this invasion.”

Speaking after von der Leyen, Blinken commended the European Union for its response to Russia, saying, “this union is strong, it’s united and it’s acting.”

“If we allow those principles to be violated with impunity, then we’re opening a Pandora’s Box, in every corner of the world for this to happen again and again and again,” Blinken said.

He also warned that the war in Ukraine “may not be over soon” and that the US and European allies must sustain tough pressure on Russia until it ends.

“Unfortunately, tragically, horrifically this may not be over soon,” he said.

“We have to sustain this until it stops, until the war is over,” he added.

Journalists gather outside the Novaya Gazeta office in Moscow in 2021.

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said Friday that it was removing articles on the war in Ukraine, saying that new Russian censorship efforts necessitated removing those materials.

“Dear friends!!” a statement on the Novaya Gazeta Twitter account said. “Military censorship in Russia has shifted to [using] the threat of criminal prosecution against both journalists and citizens who disseminate information about hostilities that differs from Defense Ministry press releases. Therefore, we are removing materials on this topic.”

Russian lawmakers have advanced legislation criminalizing the spreading of false information discrediting the Russian military. Russia’s communications regulator issued warnings to the country’s few remaining independent news outlets telling them to stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an “attack, invasion or declaration of war.”

Independent Russian television station TV Rain and Echo of Moscow, a storied radio station, have both shut down broadcasting amid the crackdown on Russian media.

US Vice President Kamala Harris boards a plane after her visit to Durham, North Carolina, on March 2.

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to travel to Poland early next week, a White House official told CNN, as the Biden administration continues to show support for Ukraine and its eastern NATO allies while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters a dangerous new phase.

The Poland visit will take place on the heels of Harris’ latest international travel to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Harris also spoke over the phone with several Eastern European leaders on Tuesday, including Poland’s and Romania’s prime ministers.

A source familiar with the discussions said the White House is also considering sending Harris to Romania, but no final decision has been made.

When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked on Friday whether she could confirm any details about the vice president’s trip, she said, “Not yet, but certainly the vice president has been deeply engaged.”

“She’s obviously already made a trip to Europe. I expect there’ll be more soon but I don’t have anything to report out to you at this particular moment,” Psaki added.

US and other Western officials warned this week that Russia’s strategy is shifting toward a “slow annihilation” of the Ukrainian military, warning that Russia could focus on violent bombardment of cities and civilian targets as the conflict becomes a grinding war of attrition.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the US and allies have ramped up their responses to the conflict, establishing a variety of economic sanctions and providing Ukraine aid.

Since the invasion began, Russia’s military has launched more than 500 missiles, a senior US defense official said Friday.

A White House statement following Tuesday’s calls said that in each of her conversations, “the Vice President underscored the strength and unity of our Alliance and welcomed each of her counterparts’ leadership and coordination on robust response measures, including sanctions and other economic measures through the European Union. They also discussed the robust NATO response.”

Harris also reiterated the US’ support for Ukraine and “reaffirmed US support for the international rules and norms that have brought peace and security in Europe since World War II and that have served as the foundation of the NATO Alliance.”

United States United Nations ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the world “narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night” following the fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

She called Russia’s reactions “reckless” and “dangerous” saying it put the largest nuclear power plant at grave risk and it threatened the safety of civilians in Russia and across Europe.

She called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the plant to ensure operators have full access to the site and are able to communicate with regulators, ensure shift changes, and the safety stability and security of the plant. 

Thomas-Greenfield said praised “the ability of the Ukrainian operators to keep all six reactors in safe conditions while under attack and to report as they were able to their nuclear regulator.”

“We are gravely concerned that the Ukrainian operators are now doing their jobs under extreme duress,” she added.

The US supports the IAEA Director in his efforts to ensure nuclear safety and “prevent nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine”

She called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to not send his troops on a “suicide mission” against a nuclear power plant.

“Nuclear facilities cannot become part of this conflict,” she said

What Russia is saying: Meanwhile, Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that the nuclear plant is fully operational and there is no threat of a release of radioactive material.

Nebenzia insisted there is “artificial hysteria” and “lies about how Russian troops attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” He claimed the area was taken by the Russian army back on Feb. 28. He said in the area adjacent to Zaporizhzhia, a Russian mobile patrol was attacked by a Ukrainian “sabotage group.”

The plant and adjacent territory are being guarded and experts have been brought in to manage the facility, and a similar situation exists in Chernobyl, he said. The security of facility is being ensured by Russian Armed forces and Ukrainian operators, he added. 

“Together with the people of Belarus and Ukraine we lived through the tragedy of Chernobyl, so we are more interested than most in maintaining a normal radiation situation throughout the territory of Ukraine,” he said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of his security council on March 3.

There is a loud and growing chorus of calls for the International Criminal Court to pursue Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the court said it would immediately proceed with an active investigation of possible war crimes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The US Embassy in Kyiv said on Friday that Russia committed a war crime by attacking a nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

“It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant,” the embassy said on its official Twitter feed. “Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further.”

Russia’s suspected use of cluster bombs and so-called vacuum bombs in dense areas with many civilians has also been described as a war crime.

“I want to be very clear about this, that Mr. Putin is a war criminal,” former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday. “He has to sit behind the bars in International Criminal Court.”

However, if justice in general moves slowly, international justice barely moves at all. Investigations at the ICC take many years. Only a handful of convictions have ever been won.

Here’s a very broad look at war crimes and the international justice movement:

Note: Some of what’s below comes from CNN’s research library, which compiled information about the International Criminal Court.

What is a war crime? The International Criminal Court has specific definitions for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read about them in this guide published by the ICC.

Specifically, targeting civilian populations, violating the Geneva Conventions, targeting specific groups of people and more could be potential Russian war crimes.

“One thing is certain, that intentionally directing shelling or targeting civilians or civilian objects is a crime within the jurisdiction of the court,” the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.

“And even if there’s military necessity, there’s a clear obligation upon parties to a conflict to not use disproportionate force, to make sure the ordnance used and the weapons don’t have a very wide footprint in heavy civilian areas,” said Khan.

What are cluster bombs and vacuum bombs? The feared use of banned weapons meant to kill without discrimination is what people are discussing now as a very specific war crime.

With a cluster bomb, a missile is fired and explodes thousands of feet in the air, releasing smaller bombs that each detonate when they fall to the ground. See an illustration from The Washington Post. Amnesty International said a Russian cluster bomb fell on a Ukrainian preschool.

“Vacuum bombs,” or thermobaric weapons, suck in the oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a powerful explosion and a large pressure wave that can have enormous destructive effects. Russia previously used them in Chechnya, and a CNN team spotted a Russian thermobaric multiple rockets launcher near the border with Ukraine late last month.

Read the full analysis here.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi points at a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 4.

A top International Atomic Energy Agency official said “no security or safety systems have been compromised near the reactors themselves” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine — the largest in Europe — which Russian troops have occupied.

He said he continues to be in contact with Ukraine officials, including the company that operates the facilities and operators at Zaporizhzhia. 

He is ready to travel as soon as practical to Chernobyl to consult with Ukrainian counterparts, he said, but “if necessary, when necessary” will consult with “the forces in charge in order to establish a stable framework so the observance of the basic principles of safety and security starting with the physical integrity of the facilities can be observed.”

He requested UNSC support of the IAEA’s efforts.

He delivered the briefing virtually while airborne to Tehran for a separate issue.

US Labor Sec. Marty Walsh indicated Friday he didn’t think Russia’s war on Ukraine would impact job creation in the United States, but “certainly” had “potential to have impact on inflation in some cases.” 

He predicted more American companies will cut ties with Russia. 

“I hope companies and people continue putting pressure on Russia, every, every pressure point we can, so they realize that the world does not support their action in the world stands firmly behind Ukraine,” he said. 

US President Joe Biden imposed new sanctions Thursday on eight members of the Russian elite, along with members of their families.

The US State Department sent an urgent message to all US embassies in Europe telling them not to retweet the US Embassy Kyiv’s tweet calling the attack on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant attack by Russia a war crime this morning, according to the message reviewed by CNN. 

The message is an indication that the US government may not be endorsing the war crime allegation made by the embassy. 

“All – do not/not retweet Embassy Kyiv’s tweet on shelling of the facility being a possible war crime,” the message said. “If you have retweeted it – un-retweet it ASAP.”

As Russian forces continue their onslaught on key Ukrainian cities, the country’s biggest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, came under attack Friday. A blaze there initially sparked fears of a potential accident, but the fire has since extinguished. The International Atomic Energy Agency also said the reactors at the plant are safe and no radioactive material was released.

Thus far, the administration of US President Joe Biden has not said that any of Russia’s aggressions in Ukraine amount to war crimes. President Biden said they are following Russia’s actions closely when asked about the matter on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has given brief remarks multiple times today in Brussels, but he has not mentioned the attack on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant.  

The US has no reason to doubt Russian claims that they are in control of the nuclear power plant, a senior defense official said on Friday. But the official also said that it is “deeply concerning” that US doesn’t know what Russian control looks like, expertise of people there and their near-term intentions.

NBC was the first to report on the message.

CNN’s Jamie Crawford contributed reporting to this post.

The US “has no reason to doubt” Russian claims that they are in control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant that they assaulted overnight in Ukraine, according to a senior defense official.

The official said the US believes there is not any radioactive leakage.

The US is “deeply” concerned about what the Russian intentions are regarding their control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, according to the official.

The official said the US does not know how many people the Russians have at the plant and what their control looks like “in terms of continuation of operations.”

The US doesn’t know the expertise of the Russians in control of the plant or what their near-term intentions are for the plant, according to the official.

“We are in no position to refute claims that they are in control of the nuclear power plant. But we don’t know exactly right now what that control means and what it looks like. So I would be loath to say that we know with specificity, you know, how many people they have there and what their control over the power plant looks like in terms of continuation of operations. And again, that’s one of the things that deeply concerns us, is that we don’t know what expertise they have, what they’ve applied to this, what their intentions are in the near term. I mean all of that is of great concern,” the official said.

A satellite image shows the convoy on February 28.

Direct attacks on a massive Russian convoy outside Kyiv, coupled with a destroyed bridge in the convoy’s path, have stalled the Russian forces about 15 miles north of the city, a senior defense official said Friday. Meanwhile, Ukraine retains a “significant majority” of its air combat power, as Russia remains unable to establish air supremacy.

The convoy, stretched out more than 40 miles of road, has not appreciably advanced since the weekend, the official said. 

Earlier this week, the official said logistical and sustainment issues have also contributed to the slow advance of the convoy. But the US believe Russian forces in the convoy are regrouping and learning from their mistakes as they continue to try to attack the Ukrainian capital.

As the fight on the ground continues, the Ukrainian air force still has fighter jets, helicopters and drones available, though they have suffered some losses, the official said. The losses are due both to “Russian actions” and inoperability, the official added.

Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov warned on Friday that Ukrainian forces in the city of Kharkiv were readying a “provocation” in concert with Western journalists by firing heavy weaponry from a residential area with the aim of provoking a retaliation by Russian forces that would be caught on camera.

Russian statements about supposed “provocations” by the Ukrainian side have been a prelude to shelling or strikes by Russian forces.

“In the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian nationalists are preparing a provocation with the participation of Western journalists,” Konashenkov said in a video briefing released by the Russian MOD. “According to confirmed data, on Zhylyardi Street, Kyiv District, in a private residential area, multiple launch rocket systems are placed between the houses. Nationalists have forbidden local residents, including children, from leaving their homes. Now the installations are ready for shelling units of the Russian armed forces located outside the city. The purpose of the provocation is to call back fire from Russian artillery on the residential sector of Kharkiv. All this is planned to be filmed on cameras with the subsequent transfer of filming to Western journalists.”

Konashenkov provided no evidence to support the claim. Russia has previously made baseless claims about humanitarian workers in Syria being involved in staging or provoking attacks to prompt international outrage and spur Western governments to intervene militarily. “Ukrainian nationalists” is a shorthand the Russian government has used to characterize forces putting up resistance to Russian troops.

Journalists working in Ukraine have extensively documented the heavy shelling of Kharkiv by Russian forces, including in residential areas.

The Ukrainian delegation participating in talks with Russia “understands the motives” of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office said Friday, adding that while the Ukrainian side is aware of “where [Russia] wants to go,” concessions won’t be made on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. 

Speaking during a press briefing in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, Mykhailo Podoliak said that Ukraine’s position is being “boosted” by western partners, adding that President Volodymyr Zelensky “is definitely not going to make any concessions that would diminish our territorial integrity and freedom.”

The press briefing comes a day after the second round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Belarus. In a tweet on Thursday, Podoliak said the talks did not deliver the results sought by Ukraine, though the delegations were able to reach a “solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors.” 

Speaking on Friday, David Arakhamia — a senior official of Ukraine’s governing party who also participated in the talks — said that Zelensky has not made an official request for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that it remains “too early” and that further negotiations are needed before they speak.

Arakhamia also noted that Russia is facing increased “pressure” from the wider international community over attacks by Russian forces on civilian areas in Ukraine. 

Pressed on Russia’s attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Arakhamia said that Ukrainian negotiators suggested a 30-kilometer conflict-free zone around all nuclear facilities in Ukraine during talks on Thursday, “and then immediately Zap happened.”

The “vast majority” of a $350 million US security assistance package has been delivered to Ukraine, a senior defense official said, one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Approximately $240 million of the package has reached Ukraine, and the rest should arrive within days and maybe weeks “but not longer,” the official said Friday. The components that have already been delivered including “the most-needed capabilities, like anti-armor capabilities.”

The equipment being sent in is equipment on which the Ukrainians have already received training, including some “just-in-time” training in late December and early January. The Ukrainians can “use proficiently” the vast majority of the military equipment being sent in, the official said.

The US has also been coordinating the delivery of security assistance from other countries. A total of 14 countries have contributed security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, but the official declined to list the countries, instead preferring they speak for themselves.

US European Command is using its liaison network with allies and partners to coordinate “in real time” to send materials into Ukraine, the official said. 

EUCOM is also coordinating with other countries, including particularly with the UK, in terms of the delivery process “to ensure that we are using our resources to maximum efficiency to support the Ukrainians in an organized way,” the official said.

A screen grab captured from video shows a view of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following clashes at the stie on March 4.

Russian troops have occupied Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, after fierce fighting near the Ukrainian facility that drew international condemnation and sparked fears of a potential nuclear incident.

Those concerns were quickly downplayed by experts, who warned against comparisons with the plant at Chernobyl, where the world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred in 1986.

Modern plants are significantly safer than older ones like Chernobyl, they said. But analysts nonetheless expressed horror that Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine has spilled into nuclear facilities, a development with few recent parallels.

And the operator and regulator of the site have communicated that the situation on the ground is “extremely tense and challenging,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“No country besides Russia has ever fired upon an atomic power plant’s reactors. The first time, the first time in history,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook post.

The IAEA called for fighting around the facility to end, and world leaders were swift in their criticism of Russia’s move.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that what happens next at Zaporizhzhia is “a situation that is very difficult to sustain, very fragile” while there is an active military operation and Russian forces in control. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “Completely uncharted waters.”

Read more about the attack here.

Russian forces are still about 25 kilometers (more than 15 miles) outside of the city center of Kyiv in the north, and Russian forces remain 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) outside of the city centers of Chernihiv and Kharkiv in the north, a senior US defense official told reporters on Friday. 

In Kharkiv and Chernihiv, being 10 kilometers away from the city center “equates to really being on the outskirts of the city,” because of the way the city is spread out, the official said.

The US does see more success for Russian forces in the south. The US does not dispute reports that Kherson has been taken by Russian forces, but has no way to independently verify those claims, the official said.

The US is also seeing fighting between Ukrainians and Russians near the city of Mykolaiv in the south, the official said. Mykolaiv is northwest of Kherson.

The Russians have not taken the southern city of Mariupol yet, according to US observations, but there is continued fighting there, the official said.

“We continue to believe that the Russians want to move on Mariupol from the north as well as moving up that coast on the Sea of Azov,” the official added. 

Residential buildings damaged in yesterday's shelling in the city of Chernihiv, Ukraine, on March 4.

The European Union’s diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said the Russian army is “bombing and shelling everything” in Ukraine.

“Today, what we see is the ugly face of war erupting again in our borders. And the Russians are bombing and shelling everything: hospitals, houses, schools. A lot of civilian casualties. It is a barbarian way of doing war,” Borrell told journalists ahead of a EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Friday.

He appealed for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the shelling and bombing.

The EU diplomacy chief added that the UN’s Human Rights Council would soon “launch a mission in order to assess the violation of human rights which are happening in Ukrainian territory.”

US and other Western officials have told CNN Russia is expected to increasingly hit civilian targets and shifting toward a strategy of “slow annihilation” of the Ukrainian military.

CNN has geolocated and verified 13 incidents involving civilians over three days, as attacks intensified on Kharkiv, a city of about 1.5 million people, following Ukraine’s resistance. CNN has analyzed and verified digital evidence, including videos and photos, of several indiscriminate attacks in the city.

Switzerland will adopt the new European Union sanctions on Russia and freeze the assets of more people with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the government announced Friday in a statement.

The newly adopted measures concern certain goods and financial services, the government said in a statement, adding that Switzerland’s list of sanctions has been extended accordingly. 

According to the government, the implementation of these sanctions is compatible with Switzerland’s neutrality.

“The export of all dual-use items to Russia is now prohibited, regardless of their end-use or end-user. In addition, the export of goods that could contribute to Russia’s military and technological enhancement or the development of the defence and security sector is prohibited,” the government said, adding that “it is also prohibited to provide technical assistance, brokering services or financing.”

Transactions with the Russian Central Bank are also no longer permitted.

The government has also decided “to add the individuals on the list of persons adopted by the EU on 28 February to Annex 8 of the Ordinance and thereby freeze the assets of further persons with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Citizens of Odessa form a human chain has they prepare for a Russian offensive, Odessa, Ukraine, on March 3.

Ukrainians in Odessa, a city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, formed a human chain to fill sandbags in preparation of a possible Russian attack.

CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh showed the chain of mainly young men who were passing down the sandbags to be placed into trucks and brought to the center of the city, which is the third largest in Ukraine and a popular tourist destination.

Residents are concerned about a Russia amphibious landing on the shore, Paton Walsh reported, especially because an Estonian vessel sank off the city’s port on Thursday. The ship was hit by Russian artillery, according to the official Twitter account of Ukrainian parliament.

When a man in line was asked if he ever expected to be there in the chain, he said, “We will defend our city and our country, for sure.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that a third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine has been scheduled for this weekend, according to a readout from Germany’s chancellery following a telephone call between the two leaders on Friday.

The second round of talks held Thursday didn’t deliver any results that Ukraine needed, a Ukrainian negotiator said after the talks ended. However, humanitarian corridors for civilians were agreed on during that round of talks.

“Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors,” senior Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak said in a tweet.

Social media videos Friday afternoon showed the aftermath of what was likely a missile strike against the Chaika area in western Kyiv. The strike caused considerable damage to multi-story buildings in the area, according to videos geolocated by CNN.

According to map databases, the building that appears to have been most impacted by the blast is a business center. It is surrounded by open land.

The explosion reverberated across the city. 

There is no news of possible casualties.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands as they pose for a photograph during a ceremony in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia on June 24, 2020.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he discussed Belarus’ interest in having access to the Baltic Sea in a phone call with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

“Just today we talked with the President of Belarus on this matter. Our Belarusian friends are interested in being present in the Baltic, interested in developing their own port facilities. You know that I also support it,” Putin said during a ceremony for a new Russian ferry, which he attended virtually. 

Belarus is a landlocked country, so it is unclear what practical steps Putin and Russia could take to provide access to the Baltic Sea. However, Russia has customs union with Belarus and shares a long common border. 

NATO’s Baltic members — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — are among those most concerned about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

This week, a Ukrainian government official told CNN that Ukrainian intelligence indicates Belarusian “readiness to maybe participate directly” in the invasion.

So far, however, US officials have not seen Belarusian troops “being readied to move into Ukraine” or “that they are moving or are in Ukraine,” a senior US defense official said Monday, adding that the forces inside Ukraine are Russian.

The White House on Wednesday detailed a new slate of economic measures levied against Russia and Belarus, condemning Belarus for “enabling Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

“I’ve asked you to provide all possible assistance. This applies to various places, points, structures where our Belarusian friends could fulfill these options. I won’t go into details now, you know about them,” Putin also said during his remarks. “They are important not only for Belarus, but also for us because this is the development of our infrastructure, an increase in cargo transportation on our coast, for our country. Accordingly, the benefits of Belarus will extend to the Russian economy. We are also interested in this, so I ask you to support all these initiatives.”

A province of Russia, Kaliningrad, is situated between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic Sea coast.

Microsoft said Friday it will suspend “all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia.”

In an online post, Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote that the company is also “stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.”

It was not immediately clear if the suspension of sales was a direct result of sanctions compliance. Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The company added that it also continues to offer cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine and “most recently” helped to defend the country against a cyberattack targeting a “major Ukrainian broadcaster.” 

Microsoft’s cybersecurity team has helped respond to cyberattacks targeting “more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations,” Smith wrote.

European Commission vice-president in charge Europe fit for the digital age Margrethe Vestager gives a press conference at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on June 3, 2021.

The European Commission has suspended cooperation with Russian entities in research, science and innovation, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the commission said Friday in a statement. 

It is also suspending payments to Russian entities under existing contracts and “will not conclude any new contracts nor any new agreements” with Russian organizations. 

The assessment of the situation as it regards to Belarus is ongoing, the commission added.

Russia has used cluster bombs, widely banned artillery in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.

“We have seen the use of cluster bombs and we have seen reports of use of other types of weapons which would be in violation of international law,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Friday. 

Stoltenberg added that NATO and its allies were “collecting information and monitoring very closely what is going on in Ukraine.” 

“I also welcome the decision by the International Criminal Court to open the investigation to this because we have to make sure that President Putin, the president of Belarus are held accountable for what they do,” he said.

Cluster bombs — which not only deliver an initial explosion on impact but also contain multiple smaller bombs that spread over a wide area — are largely condemned by the international community due to the risk of civilian casualties when they’re used in populated areas.

US President Joe Biden’s envoy to the United Nations has accused Russia of preparing to use banned weapons, including “cluster munitions and vacuum bombs,” in Ukraine. And she issued a stark warning to invading Russian soldiers. 

“Your leaders are lying to you. Do not commit war crimes,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during remarks to an emergency session of the General Assembly on Wednesday.

CNN teams in Ukraine have also spotted Russian thermobaric “vacuum bombs” launchers this past week.

You can read more about cluster bombs and the International Criminal Court’s investigation into possible war crimes here.

Following the attack on a nuclear plant in Ukraine by Russian troops, the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 11:30 a.m. ET Friday in New York, according to three UN diplomats. 

Russian troops have occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Europe — where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Ukraine’s nuclear regulator.

It will be an open meeting with speeches including from an International Atomic Energy Agency official and a UN official.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK foreign secretary had said they wanted to have an emergency meeting following the attack.

NATO’s chief said Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance.

“We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels. 

He warned that the days to come in Ukraine “are likely to be worse” with “more deaths, more suffering and more destruction,” and appealed for dialogue.

NATO is not seeking a war with Russia, Stoltenberg emphasized.

This week, NATO deployed the NATO Response Force for the first time and has “130 jets at high alert and over 200 ships from the high north to the Mediterranean” to reinforce NATO’s defensive posture in the eastern part of the alliance. Stoltenberg pledged that the alliance will “continue to do what it takes to protect and defend every inch of NATO territory.”

“President Putin has failed to divide us. NATO’s more united more determined and stronger than ever,” Stoltenberg said.

More background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for NATO and Western allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and aerial bombardment of its cities.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine is a NATO decision, but that it would be “one step too far” with a “real risk of escalation and a real risk of a possible third international war.” 

The United States has said that it will not put US troops in the air to create a no-fly zone in Ukraine, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Google has suspended all advertising in Russia, the company confirmed to CNN Friday. 

The decision covers all Google’s ad surfaces in Russia, including Google display advertising, YouTube and search, the company said. 

Google’s decision was first reported late Thursday by Reuters.

The move follows a similar decision by Twitter last week to suspend advertising in both Russia and Ukraine.

It is unclear whether Meta, Facebook’s parent, also intends to suspend advertising in Russia. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Google and Meta had both already taken steps to prevent Russian state media from running ads on their respective platforms.

The International Organization for Migration has received credible and verified reports of discrimination experienced at Ukraine’s borders by foreign nationals attempting to flee violence amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, IOM Director-General Antonio Vitorino told CNN Friday. 

“We have reports – credible reports, verified reports – and we are acting with the authorities on both sides,” Vitorino said. 

“We have already approached the authorities both in Ukraine and the neighboring countries to make sure everybody who is fleeing the country, irrespective of their nationality, of their territory of origin, of the color of their skin, is allowed to cross,” he added. 

Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Isa Soares, Vitorino stressed that all those seeking to flee the conflict “need to be treated on equal footing.” 

In a report published Friday, Human Rights Watch said dozens of foreign nationals interviewed by the organization — many of them students — had “revealed a pattern of blocking or delaying foreigners from boarding buses and trains.”

“Foreigners living in Ukraine have faced unequal treatment and delays as they attempt to flee the war alongside hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians,” Human Rights Watch said. 

Foreign students attempting to leave the country have told CNN that they are experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces and border officials.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the government has established an emergency hotline for foreign students wishing to leave Ukraine. 

“We are working intensively to ensure their safety and speed up their passage,” Kuleba tweeted, adding that those attempting to cross the border “need to have equal opportunities to return to their home countries safely.”

Russian and Ukrainian officials take part in talks, Belarus, on March 3.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there is “no talk” of Russia and Ukraine signing any formal documents after Thursday’s second round of talks between the two sides.

Asked about the possibility of the two sides signing any high-level agreements, Peskov said, “There is no talk of (signing) any documents yet. The talks that took place were a good opportunity to clearly convey our vision of this problem.”

More than 18,000 people have arrived in Germany from Ukraine since the Russian invasion just eight days ago, according to the German interior ministry. 

“Up until now 18,436 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Germany,” Maximilian Kall, interior ministry spokesperson told reporters at a press briefing in Berlin. 

”According to Germany’s Federal Police, most of them (refugees) are families without men – and a large number of them are women and children.”

Kall said that of the total refugees around 15,000 people are nationals of Ukraine and around 3,000 people are non-EU residents.

He clarified that ”people who are fleeing the war zone can enter the EU – regardless of whether they are Ukrainian asylum seekers or third-country nationals.” 

Most of the non-Ukrainian refugees had permanent residence in Ukraine, which means they do not have to go through an asylum procedure.

So far more than one million refugees have been forced to flee Ukraine in just seven days, according to the United Nations.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a statement Thursday: “I have worked in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years, and rarely have I seen an exodus as rapid as this one.”

Half a million of the refugees are children, according to UNICEF, which warned Europe could be facing its largest refugee crisis since World War II.

CNN’s Helen Regan, Paul P. Murphy and Tim Lister also contributed to this post.

Ukraine's ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko attends a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 4.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted to set up an independent commission of inquiry as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The Human Rights Council has decided to urgently establish an independent international commission of inquiry as a result of #Russia’s aggression against #Ukraine,” the council said in a Twitter post Friday.

“UN members from all regions around the world joined together at the council to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms,” the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Yevheniia Filipenko, said following the vote.

Two countries – Russia and Eritrea – voted against the decision, and 13 member states abstained, including China, Cuba, Armenia, Kazakhstan, India, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.​ 

There were 32 countries that voted in favor of the decision.

Independent Russian news outlet TV Rain ended its final broadcast with the words “no to war” on Thursday.

The station was forced to shut down because of the Russian government’s crackdown on local media over unfavorable coverage of the war in Ukraine.

TV Rain had already been forced off television airwaves but continued operating a YouTube broadcast. Its staff signed off, saying “no to war,” before walking off the station’s set.

The network then broadcast Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, a nod to the 1991 coup attempt against the government of then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. As that coup was taking place, the ballet played repeatedly on television, an indication to viewers that something was wrong.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a flag-raising ceremony via a video link at his residence outside Moscow, Russia, on March 4.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the international community to normalize relations with his country, while claiming it could benefit from sanctions.

“We have no bad intentions, there is no need to escalate the situation, impose restrictions, we fulfil all obligations,” Putin said during a flag raising ceremony of a new Russian ferry, a joint venture between Russia and Turkey.

“If someone does not want to cooperate with us within the framework of single cooperation, and by doing so harms themselves, they will, of course, harm us too,” Putin added.

Putin went on to say the Russian economy would have adapt to the current situation.

Countries across the world have leveled sanctions against Russia in an effort to squeeze Putin as the invasion of Ukraine advances.

President Joe Biden imposed new sanctions Thursday on eight members of the Russian elite, along with members of their families, as he warned Russia is intensifying its bloody invasion of Ukraine with indiscriminate bombing.

The White House, as well as the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, announced last weekend they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world.

In a major break from its longstanding neutrality, Switzerland also announced it would join the European Union in imposing sanctions on Russia.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Betsy Klein, Phil Mattingly, Kaitlan Collins and Kate Sullivan contributed reporting to this post.

A fire that broke out at one of Europe’s largest nuclear power plants following heavy shelling by Russian forces was extinguished early Friday, as key Ukrainian cities come under attack from invading troops.

Here’s what you need to know today:

Nuclear plant blaze extinguished: A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex initially sparked fears of a potential accident but the blaze has since been put out. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said the reactors at the plant are safe and no radioactive material was released.

However, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said it was “unprecedented” to run a nuclear plant while military operations raged nearby.

Accusations fly: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky led a chorus of leaders who condemned the Kremlin for intentionally firing on the plant. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the clashes at the nuclear facility showed “the recklessness of this war,” while UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said “it’s very difficult to believe that it wasn’t done deliberately.”

And Ukraine’s nuclear operator said the plant management was now “working at gunpoint.”

Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied those allegations. A spokesman said that its forces took control of the plant and territory adjacent to it on Monday but was attacked by a “a Ukrainian sabotage group” early Friday morning.

The Russian government has routinely and without evidence claimed the Ukrainian government is staging “provocations” to provoke a military response by Western governments.

Key cities under assault: Russia is laying siege to the key Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The southeastern city’s deputy mayor said it was “surrounded” by Russian forces and in desperate need of military and humanitarian aid.

In northeastern Ukraine, 34 civilians were killed by Russian attacks on the Kharkiv region within a 24 hour period, emergency services said Thursday. Kharkiv’s mayor said the Russian military is “intentionally trying to eliminate Ukrainian people” as it targets civilian spaces. Russian troops are also advancing toward Odessa, the strategically significant city on the southern coast.

Talks end with no breakthrough: A Ukrainian negotiator on Thursday said that a second round of talks with Russia didn’t deliver any results that Ukraine needed.

However, humanitarian corridors for civilians were agreed on by both sides. Zelensky said the world will see today if those corridors work.

Growing humanitarian crisis: The UN estimates that more than 10 million people may end up fleeing their homes in Ukraine, including 4 million who may cross the border into neighboring countries. More than 1 million have fled already. Want to help? You can learn how to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine here. 

People in the Ukrainian city of Kherson have been subjected to violence by Russian troops, a local resident told CNN on Friday.

The individual warned that the situation inside the city is deteriorating.

The resident shared with CNN a video of a convoy of civilian cars, accompanied by some Russian military vehicles, arriving in Kherson Wednesday night. 

“Yesterday 50 buses from Crimea drove past us, and settled in the local administration,” the resident said, although CNN has not been able to verify that the cars came from Crimea.

In a statement on Thursday, Hennadii Lahuta – the head of the Kherson Regional State Administration – said Russian forces had “completely occupied” the regional state administration building, but stressed that local officials had not given up their responsibilities. 

Kherson’s mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military was no longer in the city and that its inhabitants must now carry out the instructions of “armed people who came to the city’s administration” – indicating that Kherson had fallen under Russian control. 

Intelligence from the British military that was released early Thursday noted that “some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson,” but cautioned that the military situation on the ground “remains unclear.”

France strongly condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the country’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Brussels on Friday.

“We strongly condemn this damage to the integrity of a nuclear structure,” Le Drian said.

“We fully support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s initiative to demand Russia to stop all assaults of this kind.”

Le Drian also tweeted on Friday his full support for IAEA’s initiatives to monitor the situation of Ukrainian civilian nuclear facilities.

“The bombings last night that hit the Zaporizhzhia power plant are dangerous and unacceptable,” he said in a Twitter post.

Le Drian is in Brussels for a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers which he said will be an occasion to show the allies’ unity to continue isolating Russia in the international community.

He joins a chorus of global leaders who have criticized the strikes on the Zaporizhzhia plant, where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Ukraine’s nuclear regulator.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia’s efforts to take over the massive nuclear power plant was “terror at an unprecedented level.”

“The Russian tanks knew that they were firing with a direct fire at the station,” Zelensky alleged.

Zelensky drew parallels with the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the world’s worst-ever nuclear accident, but there is no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzia have been affected by the shelling.

CNN’s Tim Lister, Sharon Braithwaite and Manveena Suri contributed reporting to this post.

Management at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar is now working at gunpoint, the company that runs the station said.

Petro Kotin, the head of the state-owned nuclear power generator Energoatom, said on Telegram that Russian forces “entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant.”

Kotin said staff were “were admitted in the morning to perform their duties.” He said the company does not have “a direct connection to the station” and is getting information from sources there.

Status of the reactors: Kotin said the six reactors at the plant have fuel in each of them, while pre-reactor pools are storing spent nuclear fuel, the irradiated byproduct of the reactors.

Kotin said that if the nuclear facilities were hit by shelling, it “will lead to nuclear disaster.”

Ukrainian service members walk near a school building destroyed by shelling in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on March 4.

A school in Zhytomyr, northern Ukraine, was hit by a Russian rocket on Friday morning, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Images geolocated by CNN of the school after the attack show significant damage and partial collapse of the building.

In a video statement, Zhytomyr Mayor Sergei Sukhomlin also confirmed the strike saying the Russian attackers “do not stop at anything. This is a school. Rather these ruins are a former school in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr.” 

The news comes after at least three schools in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, were hit by Russian military strikes on Tuesday, according to videos and photos posted to social media. CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos and photos.

Other buildings that have been reported as destroyed during Russian’s invasion of Ukraine include cultural sites such as churches, cathedrals and museums, namely in the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, according to statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

CNN’s Radina Gigova, Paul P. Murphy, Celine Alkhaldi and Katie Polglase contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 3.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Kremlin’s efforts to take over a massive nuclear power plant was “terror at an unprecedented level,” and again called for NATO to implement a no-fly zone over his country.

Russian forces have now “occupied” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Earlier, a fire broke out at the facility, according to Ukrainian nuclear authorities. The blaze had sparked fears of an accident.

“The Russian tanks knew that they were firing with a direct fire at the station,” Zelensky alleged.”

Zelensky drew parallels with the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the world’s worst-ever nuclear accident, but there is no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzia have been affected by the shelling.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier called for a stop to fighting around the facility but said Ukrainian authorities had reported background radiation levels were normal and the fire had not affected “essential” equipment.

Zelensky also reiterated his appeal for a NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying “an immediate closure of the skies over Ukraine is needed.”

The United States has previously ruled out using troops to create a no-fly zone. Such a move could put American forces in direct combat with Russia.

The Saint Sophia Cathedral at sunrise in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 15

Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Oleksandr Tkachenko, called Friday “for closing the skies over Ukraine, because Russian aggressors are destroying Ukrainian cultural sites.”

“Most of Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine have been committed from the air,” the ministry said in a statement. 

“Russia’s missiles and planes are deliberately destroying historic centers of big cities. Putin wants to destroy Europe’s heritage and culture, wipe it from the face of the earth.”

“A mad dictator threatens to destroy St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO church built in the 11th century,” the ministry warned.

“Hundreds of innocent victims, the total destruction of churches, cathedrals and museums - is the price of the still opened sky over Ukraine.” 

The ministry said in the city of Kharkiv, Russian forces shelled the Assumption Cathedral; parts of the Kharkiv National University of Arts; and dormitories of the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture. People had used the cathedral to seek refuge from the violence, the ministry said.

In Ivankov, near Kyiv, the museum of “world-famous artist Maria Pryimachenko, whose works were admired by Pablo Picasso” was also shelled. The Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Arts and Design has also been damaged by the “occupiers.”

While “ordinary Ukrainians stop Russian tanks with their bare hands,” the ministry said, “Russian missiles and planes vilely and dishonestly continue to bomb our beautiful peaceful cities.”

“The world must stop this,” the ministry added. 

A screen grab captured from a video shows a view of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a fire following clashes around the site in Ukraine on March 4.

A Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was “reckless” and likely deliberate, UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Friday. 

“It’s very difficult to believe that it wasn’t done deliberately. But in any event, it is unlawful to attack a site like this and not to do your due diligence on it and to keep bombarding it,” Raab told BBC Breakfast.

Ukrainian authorities said a fire that broke out at a nuclear power plant early Friday amid heavy shelling by Russian forces has now been extinguished. The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country’s 15 nuclear energy reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also called the attack “reckless” and “hugely concerning.” 

“We are seeking an urgent session of the UN Security Council and will use all the legal and political means at our disposal to address the issue,” she said in a post published from her verified Twitter account.

The news comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the “abhorrent attacks” on Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

Zelensky thanked Johnson for the UK’s support and defensive aid, saying “it had been vital in holding back Russian forces,” according to a statement from Johnson’s office.

Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell holds a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, on February 28.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed his support for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following an attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian forces, warning that such attacks could have “catastrophic” consequences.

“Russian attacks in the direct vicinity of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants can have catastrophic consequences. They must stop immediately,” Borrell tweeted Friday.

“Shelling and resulting fire at (Zaporizhzhia) power plant can endanger the whole of Europe,” he added. 

On Friday, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said Russian forces had “occupied” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

According to a statement shared by Energoatom – Ukraine’s nuclear power operator – via Telegram on Friday, the plant’s staff continues to work on power units, “ensuring the stable operation of nuclear facilities.”

Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov attends a ceremony on October 30, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary.

Russia’s second-largest oil firm has called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Lukoil is majority owned by Vagit Alekperov, and his deputy, Leonid Fedun, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeals to Russians to stage protests over Russian forces' seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, during an address from Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 4, via video message.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it will become clear Friday if the warring parties can successfully create humanitarian corridors to help civilians escape some of the worst fighting in the country.

Envoys from Russia and Ukraine agreed to put in place the corridors during talks in Belarus on Thursday.

 “Today we will see if the agreement works,” Zelensky said.

Russian casualties: Zelensky claimed that Ukrainian forces were inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops. He said that almost 9,200 had been killed and acknowledged that the Kremlin continues to target Kyiv, the capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged casualties on his side.

CNN is unable to verify casualty numbers claimed by either side in the conflict. 

The Russian military issued a lengthy statement Friday on fighting around the nuclear power plant near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

In a video briefing, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces took the city of Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the territory adjacent to it on Monday.

Konashenkov claimed that the plant’s technical staff continued regular work on the facilities, but that Ukrainian forces attempted a “monstrous provocation” in the early morning hours Friday.

Konashenkov claimed the Ukrainians were suppressed by return small-arms fire and said the Ukrainians deliberately set fire to the training building.

CNN could not immediately verify any details of the firefight on the territory of the plant. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s attack on the nuclear power plant in a Facebook message earlier on Friday and warned of the dangers associated with attacks on nuclear facilities. There has been no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia have been affected.

Konashenkov claimed that Zelensky’s statements and communication about the incident “leave no doubt. The purpose of the provocation of the Kyiv regime at a nuclear facility is an attempt to accuse Russia of creating a source of radioactive contamination.”

The Russian government has routinely and without evidence claimed the Ukrainian government is staging “provocations” to provoke a military response by Western governments.

Satellite imagery from Hostomel air base after an attack on February 27.

Russian state broadcaster Perviy Kanal 1 has shown a report filed from Hostomel airport in the outskirts of Kyiv, seemingly one of the first from the frontlines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Russian state media have avoided broadcasting footage from the frontlines, specifically of shelled civilian infrastructure. Their reports on the war in Ukraine have focused on supplies and aid being distributed by the Russian military in certain areas or on destruction in the Donbas region, where pro-Russian separatists have been at war with the Ukrainian military since 2014. 

In the footage broadcast on Friday, a Russian reporter is seen showing viewers around the airfield, full of debris, with unexploded ordnances and damaged hangers. Explosions can be heard in the background and the reporter claims the damage was caused by the Ukrainian military shelling of the airport. 

She also points at the hanger where the remains of Antonov An-225 Myria, the largest airplane in the world, can be seen. The reporter claims the Myria was destroyed by Ukrainian shelling of the airport. 

The Ukrainian military and government had previously said Russian attacks on the airport had been responsible for the destruction of the An-225. 

The report on the Perviy Kanal 1 broadcast claims Hostomel airport is under Russian control. The Ukrainian military has denied Russia has control of the airport. CNN understands the area is contested but is unable to independently verify who holds control over Hostomel. 

CNN cannot independently verify when the Perviy Kanal 1 report was filmed. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press statement prior to an extraordinary NATO foreign ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 4.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg denounced on Friday the “brutal” Russian invasion of Ukraine, and condemned attacks on civilians and on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine.

“We condemn the attacks on civilians. And over the night, we have also seen reports about the attack against the nuclear power plant,” Stoltenberg said in a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ahead of a meeting with Western foreign ministers in Brussels.

“This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging good faith in diplomatic efforts,” Stoltenberg added.

He said that while NATO allies have “implemented unprecedented sanctions” on Russia and provided “support” to Ukraine, “NATO is not part of the conflict.”

“At the same time, we need to make sure that there is no misunderstanding about our commitment to defend and protect all Allies.”

He said that NATO forces have increased their “defensive presence” in the eastern part of the Alliance.

Stoltenberg also called on the US, Europe and Canada for support.

“I welcome the strong commitment from the United States with more troops,” he said.

“I met many of them. And it is always great to meet US troops in Europe and to see their commitment, and their professionalism, being part of the transatlantic bond.

“I also welcome that European Allies and Canada are stepping up with more presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, on land, at sea and in the air.

“If anything, I think the crisis we are faced with now demonstrates the importance of North America standing together in strategic solidarity in NATO,” he added.

Also reacting to the attack, UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told BBC Breakfast, “It’s very difficult to believe that it wasn’t done deliberately. But in any event, it is unlawful to attack a site like this and not to do your due diligence on it and to keep bombarding it.”

Russian forces have occupied Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following a fire at the facility early on Friday, Ukrainian authorities have said.

The fire was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 4.

Russia is effectively in control of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday.

Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Russian forces seized control of it last week.

The Zaporizhzhia plant just fell under Moscow’s control, and during the fighting, a Russian projectile hit a building within the site, causing a localized fire.

None of the reactors were nearby, and they were unaffected. The fire has been extinguished and the radiation monitoring systems are fully functional. 

Ukrainian staff are still at the helm of operations, Grossi said.

Grossi warned that the situation at Zaporizhzhia is “ very fragile.”

He said it was “unprecedented” to run a nuclear plant while military operations raged nearby.

Russian online publication Znak.com has announced it is closing down due to the increasing restrictions on media in the country, it said in a statement on its Telegram account on Friday.

Znak.com, an independent media outlet based in Yekaterinburg, was known for its thorough, independent reporting. It is the latest media outlet forced to close after Russian government tightened restrictions on how media can report on the conflict in Ukraine.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), points on a map of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as he informs the press about the situation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine during a special press conference at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on March 4.

The reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine are safe despite coming under attack from Russian forces, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

A fire at the facility sparked fears of a potential accident, but the IAEA says no radioactive material was released.

The plant has since been “occupied” by Russian forces.

However, the plant’s operator and regulator told the IAEA that the situation on the ground is “extremely tense and challenging,” he warned. 

Russian forces are focused on encircling Kyiv, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

The statement said that Russian troops were “blocked and stopped in the Makarov area,” which is about 60 km (37 miles) away from the Ukrainian capital.

The ministry said Russia’s armed forces have exhausted most of their operational reserves and have started “preparations for the transfer of additional forces and resources from the southern and eastern military districts.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the war in Ukraine was “going according to plan,” despite assessments from other countries that the Kremlin’s invasion has not gone according to plan.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces continue to prepare for landings on the coast of the Black Sea.

Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of the city of Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is located, said Friday the city currently has no heating due to damage from shelling.

Orlov said those who spent the night in shelters can return home but recommended they avoid spending time outdoors due to the “extremely tense situation.”

The lower house of the Russian Parliament has passed a law criminalizing the spreading of false information discrediting the Russian military and any calls for sanctions against Russia, state news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported on Friday.

Those charged with breaking the new law could face fines of 1.5 million rubles (about $14,000) or prison sentences of up to 15 years, TASS and RIA reported.

What happens next: The legislation will be submitted to the upper house of parliament and, if approved, submitted to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his signature. 

The southeastern city of Mariupol is still under Ukrainian control but subject to “intense Russian strikes,” the UK Ministry of Defense said Friday in its latest intelligence update on Ukraine.

Some context: Mariupol authorities warned Thursday of a “critical” situation for residents amid heavy shelling. It’s not clear how many of the strategically important port city’s roughly 400,000 population have been able to evacuate or how many have been killed or injured.

A statue outside Lviv's 14th-century Latin Cathedral.

Residents of the Ukrainian cultural capital Lviv are assisting efforts to safeguard historic monuments, according to local heritage officials, with several stone statues seen being wrapped in protective sheets.

Photos taken at the city’s central Market Square on Thursday show men on stepladders enveloping sculptures of the Roman god Neptune and Greek goddess Amphitrite in plastic. Along with nearby statues of the classical deities Adonis and Diana, the limestone figures were built over 200 years ago, with accompanying fountains located at each of the square’s corners.

Outside the neighboring Latin Cathedral, built in the 14th century, a smaller statue was seen covered in what appeared to be foam and secured with tape.

Although CNN was unable to verify the individual workers’ identities, heritage NGO the Lviv Foundation for the Preservation of Architectural and Historical Monuments said art conservators and “concerned” locals had both been involved in protection efforts.

On Thursday, the organization shared a series of images to Facebook showing a man on a cherry picker boarding up a stained-glass panel at the city’s 17th century Dormition Church. Another post showed monuments at St. Anthony’s Church being encased in protective wooden frames.

Read more:

LVIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 03: One of the statues in the center of Lviv protected from damage by a possible Russian attack, on the eighth day since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, in Lviv (Ukraine). After 8 days of war since the beginning of the attacks in Ukraine by Russia, the balance of the war according to the latest information, both by the Ukrainian government and UNHCR, is at least 2,000 civilians dead and about one million refugees who have fled Ukraine. In the early hours of this eighth day of fighting, Russia has entered a new town of 300,000 inhabitants. Russian and Ukrainian delegations are scheduled to sit down at the negotiating table today. On the table is the demand by the former Soviet republic for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. (Photo By Pau Venteo/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Related article 'Concerned' Ukrainian locals help protect Lviv's historic statues

Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during shelling in Enerhodar, Ukraine, on March 4.

Russian forces have “occupied” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in southern Ukraine after a fire broke out at the facility early on Friday, according to Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate.

The “administrative building and the checkpoint at the station are under occupiers’ control,” Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator, said in a statement via Telegram on Friday.

The power plant’s six reactors remain intact, though reactor unit 1’s compartment auxiliary buildings have been damaged, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said.

“The systems and components important to the safety of the NPP are operational,” the statement said. With Unit 1 out of order, four out of the six units are being cooled down while one unit is providing power.

“At present, no changes in the radiation situation have been registered,” the statement added.

Some context: After heavy shelling from Russian forces early Friday, a fire broke out at the nuclear plant, prompting alarm from experts and Ukrainian officials.

Firefighters were initially unable to access the site. After a while, fighting stopped, firefighters were allowed to enter and the fire was put out. No casualties were reported from the fire.

US and Ukrainian authorities said radiation levels looked normal.

The Moscow stock exchange will not open for trading Friday, the Russian Central Bank said in a statement.

Soon after, the stock exchange said in a statement it would remain closed through March 8. The closure includes “trading and settlements on all markets of the Moscow Exchange,” the statement said.

The stock exchange has not opened all week, after Western sanctions were imposed on Russia over the past weekend.

Some context: US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs on Thursday. The United Kingdom also sanctioned two leading oligarchs with a combined worth of $19 billion.

“We won’t stop here. Our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin’s war machine,” UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

Odessa residents preparing to defend the city, Odessa, Ukraine, on March 3.

In Odessa, a strategically important port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, civilians — computer programmers, IT workers, everyday workers — have taken up weapons to defend against Russia’s invasion.

Zhena was a chief marketing officer for an IT company before he joined Ukraine’s armed forces. He told CNN two of his friends had already been killed in the war, both volunteers who had been fighting in the besieged city of Kherson.

“They have no military grounding at all. Both of them are programmers,” he said.

One 19-year-old volunteer, who formerly worked as a nanny, says she faced the Russian threat to her home once before. When she was 11, she fled Crimea, which was occupied by Russia in 2014 and annexed after a referendum widely seen as a sham.

On the other side of the southern city, Odessa’s mothers knit camouflage netting as they pray for their children’s safety on the front lines.

“We know the danger. We know it will come. But we didn’t know when will it come,” said one mother, Nellia Kononova.

She had asked her children to stay with her for their safety — but they were determined to fight and defend Ukraine “because everybody loves our motherland,” she said, before breaking into tears. “I pray every day, I pray every night, for them to stay alive.”

As the Russian assault on Kyiv steps up, some of the city’s most vulnerable residents can’t leave.

For the Ukrainian capital’s largest children’s hospital, shutting down is not an option, even with the sound of heavy fighting and shelling outside. Children who are too sick to be transferred have been moved to the basement, in case bombardment starts again. There are about 10 patients being treated in the underground hallway, where exhausted staff hover nervously.

One of the patients is 3-month old Milena, who has a brain tumor. Her mother, Sonia, told CNN she had been sleeping on the floor next to Milena for the past seven nights as the bombing gets closer.

She said she has become so stressed that she can’t lactate, and is now using formula to feed her daughter.

Resources are stretched tight as hospitals deal with trauma injuries — so some parents have stepped in to help care for other children in the basement. Non-essential procedures are now on hold. When CNN visited the hospital, one 11-year-old boy needs to have his sutures removed — but the risk of infection is too high.

With no clear end in sight, for many families here the only glimmer of hope is evacuation. On Thursday, Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Belarus for another round of talks, where they agreed to provide humanitarian corridors for civilians and a possible temporary ceasefire in areas where evacuation is happening.

Ukraine’s Minister of Energy German Galushchenko had an “urgent” telephone conversation with his US counterpart Jennifer Granholm about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant early Friday, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy.

The fire at the facility broke out in the early hours of Friday morning, and has since been extinguished with no casualties, according to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.

“The enemy is not concerned about nuclear and radiation security,” Galushchenko said, according to the statement. He added that Russia was “indifferent to the human lives of Ukrainians, Europeans and their own citizens.”

“Therefore, we demand not only a professional assessment of what is happening, but also real intervention, taking the toughest measures, including by NATO and the countries that possess nuclear weapons,” he added.

A fire was reported at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine early on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian authorities said a fire that broke out at a nuclear power plant early Friday amid heavy shelling by Russian forces has now been extinguished.

Here’s what happened:

When did the fire start? Ukrainian authorities said about 2:30 a.m. local time Friday that a fire had broken out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine. The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country’s 15 nuclear energy reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

When did the blaze stop? The Ukrainian State Emergency Service said the fire at the plant’s training building was extinguished at 6.20 a.m. No deaths or injuries were reported, according to the statement.

Are they still fighting? Fighting has since stopped in the area, a spokesperson for the power plant told CNN. In a Facebook post early Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of intentionally firing at the nuclear plant — and urged European leaders to “wake up now” and stop Russian forces “before this becomes a nuclear disaster.” 

How serious is the situation? It’s hard to say since there is still a lot we don’t know. But the plant has not sustained any “critical” damage, the spokesperson for the facility said. The fire has not affected any “essential” equipment, and staff are taking action to mitigate any damage, the IAEA said, citing Ukrainian authorities.

Are we seeing any radiation spikes? No — nuclear regulators and government bodies in the United States and Ukraine say radiation levels appear normal.

What are the risks? The worst-case scenario would be if a fire or attack reached the reactors, disrupted their cooling system and caused a meltdown, which would release large amounts of radioactivity. However, Graham Allison, professor at the Belfer Center, Harvard University, told CNN early Friday that “not all fires in a power plant, have catastrophic consequences.”

A fire that broke out at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant was extinguished early Friday following heavy shelling by Russian forces, as key cities come under attack from invading troops.

Here’s what you need to know:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of a "nuclear terror attack" after a fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

In a Facebook post early Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of intentionally firing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, after a fire broke out at the facility following heavy shelling from Russian forces.

Ukrainian authorities say the power plant has not sustained any critical damage, and that radiation levels are currently normal, though the situation remains fluid and firefighters continue to battle the blaze.

“Russian tanks are shooting at the atomic blocks equipped with thermal imagers. They know what they are shooting at. They’ve been preparing for this (attack),” he said in the post.

Zelensky also referred to the Chernobyl tragedy and its victims in the post. “For all Ukrainians, for all Europeans, for all people who know the word ‘Chernobyl,’ how many victims there were.”

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which took place in Soviet Ukraine, is considered the worst nuclear accident in history. It was a “global catastrophe that affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” and had a lasting impact on the country, Zelensky said.

What’s happening now: Ukrainian authorities say fighting has stopped in the area and about 40 firefighters are working to put out the blaze.

But the very fact Russia launched an attack at the plant is itself an extremely dangerous act and could cause a potential catastrophe, he said. “There are 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine. If one of them blows, that’s the end for everyone, that’s the end of Europe,” he added.

The fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been put out, according to a statement from the Ukrainian State Emergency Service on Friday. 

A fire at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant is still burning following an attack by Russian troops, though a plant spokesman says background radiation levels are normal and fighting has temporarily ceased.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine had not sustained any critical damage in the attack, Andrii Tuz, a spokesman for the plant, told CNN on Friday, adding that when firefighters initially arrived they were blocked by Russian troops.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Ukraine’s regulator had told the organization there had been no change in reported radiation levels and that the fire had had not affected “essential” equipment. The White House said it was monitoring the situation.

Attention has focused on the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities as Russia’s invasion of the country intensifies. The prospect of the fire causing damage at the nuclear plant has alarmed experts, though they cautioned that it was too early to gauge the full impact.

Graham Allison, Professor at Belfer Center, Harvard University told Anderson Cooper early Friday that “facts are unfolding” but “not all fires in a power plant, have catastrophic consequences.”

Ukrainian officials called on Russian troops to cease fighting after reports the plant has been attacked first emerged Friday morning local time

A large number of Russian tanks and infantry “broke through the block-post” to the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometers from the Zaporizhzhia power plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, according to a statement from the watchdog.

The agency was closely monitoring the situation, and Grossi spoke with Ukraine’s Prime Minister and the country’s nuclear regulator about the fire, the IAEA said on Twitter early Friday.

Read more:

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is on fire according to the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov.

Related article Ukrainian nuclear power plant attack condemned as Russian troops 'occupy' facility

New videos posted to social media show the horrific aftermath of Russian military strikes that hit an apartment complex in the northern city of Chernihiv on Thursday. 

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of this and other videos that show the moment of the strikes and the aftermath.

One video shows the strike as it happens, with residential buildings torn apart in a split second. Sirens echo as the camera shows parts of the building’s walls torn open, exposing entire apartment rooms. The walls of one apartment complex were reduced to rubble.

A fire is seen on the ground, with smoke elsewhere still rising from the explosion. 

The person filming the video moves out into the street, which is littered with debris and damaged cars. The video shows an injured woman on the ground, beside two people who appear burned and unmoving. “Kids … little kids,” she can be heard saying.

CNN does not know the condition of the woman seen in the video.

A second before the military strikes, the roar of a projectile is heard on a surveillance video from a nearby house in Chernihiv, which shows at least five explosions. 

Deaths reported: The Ukrainian Emergency Services said on Twitter that as of 6:20 p.m. local time, they had pulled 33 bodies from the rubble of the complex in addition to 18 injured people.

There are no military facilities nearby, only civilian structures like residential buildings and schools, the Chernihiv Regional State Administration told CNN.

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Will China help Russia cope with the fallout from economic sanctions?

That has been the big question since Russia invaded Ukraine last week. The two nations have forged close ties in recent years, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping calling Russian President Vladimir Putin his “best and bosom friend” in 2019. During Putin’s visit to Beijing last month, the two states proclaimed that their friendship has “no limits.”

That was before Russia launched its war in Ukraine, and was hit with unprecedented sanctions from Western countries. Now, China’s ability to help its neighbor is being sorely tested. Experts say Beijing’s options are limited.

Beijing has not rushed to help Russia after its economy was slammed by sanctions from all over the world. On Wednesday, Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said that the country won’t participate in sanctions, but he didn’t offer any relief either.

Earlier this week, China’s foreign minister spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, and said that China was “deeply grieved to see the conflict” and that its “fundamental position on the Ukraine issue is open, transparent and consistent.”

And the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a development bank backed by Beijing, said Thursday it was suspending all its activities in Russia as “the war in Ukraine unfolds.”

However, “such moves will fall far short of further antagonizing the United States on account of Beijing’s desire to avoid a complete breakdown in US-China relations,” he added.

Read the full analysis:

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting in Beijing, on February 4, 2022.

Related article Analysis: China can't do much to help Russia's sanction-hit economy

Three schools shelled, one of them with a gaping hole on the side of the building. Multiple rockets raining on panicking shoppers outside a supermarket. People walking through a park forced to rush to safety as shells explode around them.

These were some of the attacks that residents of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, endured in recent days as Russian forces targeted residential areas, hitting civilian infrastructure such as schools, shops, hospitals, apartment blocks and churches.

CNN has geolocated and verified 13 incidents involving civilians over the past three days, as attacks intensified on Kharkiv, a city of about 1.5 million people. following Ukraine’s resistance.

Most of the attacks took place in the northeastern part of Kharkiv in the residential area of Saltivka. But other districts in the northwest, southeast and southwest of the city were also affected. The city’s Freedom Square, the center of public life in Kharkiv, was hit with was believed to be a cruise missile, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister said.

In 24 hours, 34 civilians were killed and 285 injured — including 10 children — in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service said on Thursday morning.

As the Kharkiv offensive ramped up, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced on Wednesday that he had launched an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to Russia’s relentless bombardment of Kharkiv, including the deliberate targeting of residential areas with “jet artillery,” as a “war crime” in a late-night address on Monday.

CNN has analyzed and verified digital evidence, including videos and photos, of several indiscriminate attacks in Kharkiv.

Read more:

Related article Russia sends a message to all of Ukraine by hitting these civilian areas in this city

Hundreds of international students trapped in the Ukrainian city of Sumy by Russia’s invasion have appealed to the world: “Help us, we are stranded.”

She said most of the group are medical students, and they are from Nigeria, Morocco, Tanzania, Congo and India, among other countries.

Sumy lies in the northeast of Ukraine, only around 30 miles from the border with Russia.

As the second round of talks between a delegation from Russia and Ukraine in Belarus ended Thursday, the head of Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky told Russian media the two sides have agreed on humanitarian corridors for civilians.

Udenze later told CNN that more explosions were heard on Thursday evening at around 6:30 p.m local time. The students no longer have electricity or water following the blast, she said.

Read more:

Vivian Udenze and Nnamdi Chukwuemeka are among hundreds of international students trapped in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, as the war seems to be getting closer.

Related article 'Help us, we're stranded': International students say they're trapped in northeast Ukraine

The White House announced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs Thursday, in US President Joe Biden’s latest attempt to squeeze Russian President Vladimir Putin as the invasion of Ukraine advances.

The new list of individuals described as “Putin’s cronies and their family members” will be cut off from the US financial system, their assets in the US will be frozen, and their property will be blocked from use, according to a fact sheet from the White House.

There will be full blocking sanctions on eight Russian elites, plus their family members and associates.

It includes a move to target Putin ally Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, “one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals,” according to the White House, and will include his super-yacht and private jet.

The US is also sanctioning Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, whom the White House describes as “a top purveyor of Putin’s propaganda.”

“The United States and governments all over the world will work to identify and freeze the assets Russian elites and their family members hold in our respective jurisdictions – their yachts, luxury apartments, money, and other ill-gotten gains,” the fact sheet said.

The individuals who will be subject to full blocking sanctions are:

The US will also impose visa restrictions on 19 oligarchs and 47 of their family members and close associates, the fact sheet from the White House said.

Read more about the latest sanctions here.

As air raid sirens blared in the small Ukrainian city of Uman, about 125 miles south of the capital, Kyiv, families crowded into a makeshift bomb shelter underneath a central synagogue.

Before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last week, the basement of the temple was used as a bathhouse for Jewish worshippers to do their ritual washing — or mivkeh — before prayers.

But now, the Synagogue of the Breslover Hasidim is opening its doors to all locals looking for shelter from the threat of Russian troops. Uman was hit by missile attacks on the first day of the invasion, but has not seen any major fighting yet. Still, the city is on edge, and remaining residents are preparing for the worst.

The temporary hideout is lined with wooden benches and has been stocked with mattresses, blankets and hot drinks. The residents have arrived carrying their valuables and bags of clothing, in case they have to camp out for days — or longer — in the shelter.

“It’s safe to be here, that’s why I am here,” said Dasha Borscht, 16, a non-Jewish resident taking refuge in the basement.

Read more:

The Synagogue in Uman where congregants say the Jewish community has dwindled from around 600 people to less than 50.

Related article In a synagogue turned bunker, Ukrainian Jews open doors to 'all people'

A record number of Para athletes — around 700 — were expected to compete in this year’s Winter Paralympics in Beijing, but much of the focus the day before the opening ceremony fell on the 83 who won’t.

That’s after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the U-turn decision to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at the Games in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to the IPC, backlash from the teams and athletes preparing to compete in Beijing was “jeopardising the viability” of the Games and making the safety of athletes “untenable,” even after Russian and Belarusian participants were set to compete as neutrals.

It is against this backdrop that the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics gets underway on Friday with the first events scheduled for Saturday. The competition runs until March 13 and showcases 78 events across six Para sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.

Read more:

BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 1: The light show of the National Stadium in Olympic park during sunset on March 1, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Wang He/Getty Images for International Paralympic Committee)

Related article Winter Paralympics set to get underway in Beijing following exclusion of Russia and Belarus

The US and Russia have established a communications channel where the two sides can notify each other of any potential operations that may be in close proximity to avoid any possible miscalculations near Ukraine.

The communications line is basically an exchange of phone numbers between both sides for quick access. The US side will be run out of the US European Command’s operations center in Stuttgart, Germany, while the Russian side is expected to be coordinated out of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, a second senior defense official said. 

The US had wanted a communications channel because US and Russian troops are now operating on the so-called eastern flank close to Ukraine and Belarus airspace where Russian forces are staging and attacking.