Russia-Ukraine war latest: Explosions heard in Kyiv, Melitopol mayor abducted

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, entered day 17 on Friday as heavy fighting continued between the two sets of troops.

There are fears in Ukraine that Russia will soon launch a fresh offensive to capture Kyiv, the eastern European nation’s capital, which it is yet to seize.

Here are some latest updates on the crisis:

(1.) ‘Several’ explosions were heard in Kyiv overnight on March 12 while ‘heavy fighting’ continued in areas outside the city, including Bucha, Ispin and Hostomel, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing a CNN report.

(2.) Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, has been abducted by Russia, the Ukrainian Parliament alleged. The city, which has a population of 150,000 was captured by Russian forces on February 26.

(3,) In a televised address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 7144 Ukrainians were evacuated from four cities–Chernihiv, Energodar, Hostomel and Kozarovichi-via humanitarian corridors, on Friday.

(4.) Condemning Moscow’s decision to <strong>ban Instagram</strong>, Adam Mosseri, who heads the platform, said the move will cut off 80 million Russians from one another, and from the rest of the world. This, Mosseri said, is because 80 per cent Russians follow an Instagram account outside their country.

(5.) US President Joe Biden said as many as 20,000 American soldiers have been deployed in countries bordering Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania. However, Biden also warned that if the US gets involved militarily, it would lead to ‘World War 3.’