Kherson, a city in Southern Ukraine, has been taken over by the Russian forces, according to media reports citing Russia’s defence ministry. The news comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is about to complete one week.
Igor Konashenkov, the spokesperson of Russia’s defence ministry said in a televised speech, “The Rusian divisions of the armed forces have taken the regional center of Kherson under full control”, according to AFP reports.
The city of Kherson is nearly 550 kilometers away from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
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While further information is awaited on Kherson, the city of Kharkiv has been witnessing fighting. The city, which is on the eastern border of Ukraine and has a population of nearly 1.4 million people, saw Russian paratroopers land.
The clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces started as soon the airborne troops landed, media reports suggest.
Strategic ports like Mariupol and Odesa, both in southern Ukraine, have also reportedly faced the Russian forces. The humanitarian situation of Ukraine has worsened. At least 660,000 individuals have already left the country, while many others look for safety in underground shelters.
Belarus, considered to be a close ally of Russia, is also expected to join the assault by sending its troops into Ukraine, Kyiv alleged in a statement on social media.
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“During the past 24 hours, according to intelligence findings, there has been significant aircraft activity. In addition, there has been movement of a column of vehicles with food and ammunition” approaching the border,” the statement said.
As the seventh day of the war dawned Wednesday, Russia found itself increasingly isolated, beset by the sanctions that have thrown its economy into turmoil and left the country practically friendless, apart from a few nations like China, Belarus and North Korea, according to reports from Associated Press.
