Russian advances sparked fears the Ukrainian capital Kyiv could soon be encircled. (File)
The mayor of Ukraine Melitopol was kidnapped on Friday by Russian soldiers occupying the city, said President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the latest development in Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.
The war, continuing for over two weeks now, saw the Western allies stepping up sanctions against Russia as the US imposed a ban on Russian seafood, vodka and diamonds, and along with the European Union, banned exports of luxury goods to Russia.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden yet again ruled out any direct intervention in the Ukraine-Russia crisis and warned that such conflict pitting the NATO alliance against the Kremlin “is World War III”.
Russia and Ukraine failed to make a breakthrough Thursday in their first top-level talks since Moscow’s invasion two weeks ago, as Russian advances sparked fears the Ukrainian capital Kyiv could soon be encircled.
Here are the Live Updates on Ukraine-Russia War:
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Ukraine Live News: Air Raid Sirens Heard Across Most Of Ukraine, Say Reports
Air raid sirens were heard across most Ukrainian cities early on Saturday morning urging people to seek shelters, local media reported. Sirens were heard in the capital city of Kyiv, the western city of Lviv in Odessa, and Kharkiv, Cherkasy, as well as in the Sumy region in northeast of the country, a number of local Ukrainian media reported. Russian forces appeared to be regrouping on Friday for a possible assault on Kyiv, with satellite images showing them firing artillery as they closed in on the capital. (Reuters)
Ukraine Live Updates: Russia Inches Towards Ukraine Capital, Over 1,500 Killed
Russian forces inched towards Kyiv and pounded civilian areas in other Ukrainian cities Friday, drawing warnings of “unimaginable tragedy” as the US and the EU moved to tighten the economic noose around the Kremlin. Sixteen days after Moscow shocked the world by invading Ukraine, the United Nations and others said it may be committing war crimes in cities such as Mariupol, which for days now has been besieged by Vladimir Putin’s forces. On Friday, officials in the southern port said more than 1,500 people had been killed during 12 days of attacks. (AFP)
In a video message late Friday after the mayor of Ukraine’s Melitopol was “kidnapped”, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the abduction, calling him “a mayor who bravely defends Ukraine and the members of his community”. “This is obviously a sign of weakness of the invaders… They have moved to a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of legitimate local Ukrainian authorities,” he said. (AFP)
Ukraine War Live: Ukraine Says Melitopol Mayor “Kidnapped” By Russian Forces
The mayor of southern Ukraine’s Melitopol was kidnapped on Friday by Russian soldiers occupying the city, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials said. “A group of 10 occupiers kidnapped the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov,” Ukraine’s parliament said on Twitter. “He refused to cooperate with the enemy,” it added. It said the mayor was seized when he was at the city’s crisis centre dealing with supply issues. (AFP)
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