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A Ukrainian soldier on duty north of Kyiv
Photo: Justin Yau/ddp
Dramatic news from south-eastern Ukraine: According to Ukrainian sources, Russian forces fired on the area around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia during the night, resulting in a fire.
It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The fire has since been extinguished.
Fortunately, the authorities did not find any increased radioactivity in the vicinity of the power plant on Friday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that if the power plant exploded, the consequences would be ten times worse than the Chernobyl meltdown of 1986.
According to the Ukrainian army, Russian troops continued their advance towards the capital Kyiv.
Air alarms have been raised several times since midnight.
Residents should be safe.
military situation
Vladimir Putin's soldiers have not yet arrived in Kyiv, but they are moving ever closer to the Ukrainian capital.
"The main efforts of the occupiers are concentrated on the encirclement of Kiev," said the morning report of the Ukrainian army.
Initially, no information was given about the fighting around the city of over a million inhabitants.
According to the Ukrainian account, Russian troops have withdrawn from the strategically important Hostomel airfield northwest of Kyiv.
The southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol is now completely surrounded by enemy forces.
"The enemy had a significant technical advantage," it said.
In addition, the anti-aircraft system on the Black Sea coast was attacked.
The information could not be independently verified.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov reported that the Ukrainian Navy sunk its flagship »Hetman Sahaydachny« itself so that it would not fall into enemy hands.
The frigate was anchored for repairs.
According to Resnikov, Ukrainian forces are holding up against the attackers in strategically important locations, such as in the north-eastern Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Chernihiv.
"The enemy is confused and intimidated," he claimed on Facebook.
situation of the civilian population
The Ukrainian government asked the International Red Cross for help in setting up escape corridors for civilians.
"Old people, women and children do not receive medical help, babies are born in basements and the first thing they hear in their lives is the sound of explosions," Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishchyna said.
The people had nothing to eat and no drinking water.
Many who stayed in the country have disabilities and chronic diseases.
Kyiv has made all the necessary requests for the creation of special corridors to international organizations.
"Unfortunately, the Russian side did not agree to this," said the 36-year-old.
Berlin's Social Senator Katja Kipping (left) expects the largest number of refugees arriving since the Second World War.
"What we have experienced now is just the tip of the iceberg," she said on Deutschlandfunk.
On Thursday alone, 6,500 people came to Berlin by direct train.
However, the left-wing politician pointed out that only some of the arrivals were recorded by the authorities.
According to the Polish border guard, 672,500 refugees from the neighboring country have arrived in Poland since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
On Thursday alone, 99,200 people crossed the border, the Polish border guards announced on Twitter on Friday.
More trains from Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with refugees arrived in the eastern Polish city of Przemysl.
Western reactions
Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted with great concern to the shelling of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia.
The fire in the facility shows "how dangerous the situation is," he said during a visit to the Bundeswehr Operations Command in Schwielowsee.
He warned of an escalation of the war in Ukraine.
The NATO countries would therefore not intervene directly in the military conflicts.
"It is important that the conflict does not spread beyond Ukraine." Nevertheless, the EU supports Ukraine and has imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia.
At the same time, one must ensure that nobody attacks NATO territory.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced further punitive measures against Russia.
"Beyond the three severe sanctions packages that we have already decided on, we will take further measures that target Putin's center of power," she said on Friday at the sidelines of a special meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
The Green politician did not initially give any details.
reactions in Russia
Moscow wants to impose severe penalties on alleged false information about Russian forces invading Ukraine.
The parliament voted in Moscow for a corresponding amendment to the law.
There is a risk of high fines and up to 15 years in prison - for example, if you describe the events in Ukraine as a "war".
Media in Russia has been banned since last week from using terms such as "attack," "invasion," and "declaration of war" in reporting on the invasion.
Moscow describes the war as a “special military operation”.
In order for the amendment to come into force, the approval of the Federation Council, the second chamber of parliament, and the signature of President Vladimir Putin are still required.
However, both are considered formal.
as /dpa/AFP