NEW DELHI: Russia is intensifying its attack on Ukraine as its forces bombarded cities across the country with airplanes and artillery. Satellite images showed Russian troops appear to be regrouping for a possible assault on Kyiv as they closed in on the Ukrainian capital.
As Russia widens its bombardment and talks between Moscow and Kyiv seemingly go nowhere, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy's pleas for NATO to intervene have grown increasingly desperate.
US President Joe Biden on Friday again ruled out direct action against nuclear-armed Russia, warning that it would lead to "World War III."
Here are the latest developments in the conflict:
New areas in western Ukraine came under attack Friday, as Ukrainian authorities said Russian airstrikes hit in the western cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk - far from Russia's main targets elsewhere in the country.
Russians push toward Kyiv, keep up siege of other cities
Russian forces appeared to make progress from the northeast in their slow fight toward Ukraine's capital, while tanks and artillery pounded places already under siege with shelling.
New commercial satellite images appeared to capture artillery firing on residential areas between the Russians and the capital. The images from Maxar Technologies showed muzzle flashes and smoke from the big guns, as well as impact craters and burning homes in the town of Moschun, outside Kyiv, the company said.
Russia's Defense Ministry also said Friday that an offensive, led by fighters from the separatist-held Donetsk region, was further squeezing the southern port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said some 1,300 civilians have been killed in Mariupol throughout the siege, but it was not possible to independently verify the figure.
Three more Russian airstrikes hit the industrial city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine on Friday, killing at least one person, according to the Ukrainian interior ministry.
Thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed in the invasion.
Zelenskyy open for talks with Putin in Israel
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is open for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Israel, but only if there is a ceasefire in place.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he would be ready to meet Putin in Jerusalem. Bennett visited Moscow for a meeting with Putin and spoke repeatedly with Zelenskyy and the leaders of France and Germany as he sought to help mediate an end to the war.
Putin has ignored numerous previous offers of talks from Zelenskyy.
Speaking at a news conference, Zelenskyy said the Russians could take the Ukrainian capital "only if they kill us all."
"If that is their goal, let them come," he said. "If they carry out carpet bombings and wipe off the historic memory of the entire region, the history of Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, they could enter Kyiv but they will have to leave on that land alone, certainly without us.
Zelenskyy also deplored Nato's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine despite its repeated pleas. He said that Ukraine has sought for ways to procure air defense assets, but he wouldn't mention any details.
More US soldiers deploy to support NATO allies
US soldiers are continuing to deploy to Europe, joining thousands already sent overseas to support NATO allies amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
About 130 soldiers from the 87th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade gathered Friday at Hunter Airfield in Savannah, Georgia and departed on a chartered flight.
The soldiers are in addition to the estimated 3,800 soldiers from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division who deployed recently from nearby Fort Stewart.
A division commander said that soldiers are being told to prepare for about six months overseas. The Pentagon has ordered roughly 12,000 total service members from various US bases to Europe.
The soldiers' mission is to train alongside military units of NATO allies in a display of force aimed at deterring further aggression by Russia. The Pentagon has stressed US forces are not being deployed to fight in Ukraine.
Ukraine says Russia shelled mosque in Mariupol
The Ukrainian government says Russia's military has shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people in the besieged city of Mariupol.
A government statement issued Saturday did not have any immediate reports of casualties.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey reported earlier that a group of 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, were among those seeking refuge from an ongoing Russian attack on the encircled port city.
An embassy spokeswoman cited information from the city's mayor.
Ukraine hopes Russia will observe ceasefire to allow civilian evacuation
Several humanitarian corridors out of Ukrainian towns and villages including from the besieged southern port of Mariupol will be open on Saturday so civilians can leave, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, adding she hoped Russia would observe a ceasefire to allow this to take place.
She said Ukraine plans to evacuate residents of several towns and villages in the regions of Kyiv and Sumy and some other areas where there is ongoing combat.
"I hope that the day will go well, all the planned routes will be open and Russia will fulfill its obligations to guarantee the ceasefire regime," Vereshchuk said in a video address.
Efforts to provide safe passage for residents of Mariupol have repeatedly failed this week.
Who are 'volunteer' fighters for Russia and Ukraine?
Putin approved bringing "volunteer" fighters from Syria and other countries to join Russia's offensive. Russia's defense minister said there had been "more than 16,000 applications" from the Middle East. He said many were from people who fought alongside Russia against the Islamic State group.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the recruits include fighters from Syria, where Russia intervened in the civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar Assad.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government says about 20,000 foreigners have joined the so-called International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine to fight the Russians.
The pro-Ukrainian fighters are given weapons when they arrive. About 100 Americans are among the fighters. The U.K. has warned veterans not to travel to Ukraine to fight there, saying those who do will be court-martialed.
Are people being safely evacuated from Ukraine?
Ukrainian authorities said there are plans for several evacuation and humanitarian aid delivery routes. The top priority remains freeing people from the city of Mariupol and getting aid to its desperate population.
Buses were being sent Friday to multiple Kyiv suburbs to bring people to the capital, where authorities say half of the metropolitan area's population, or around 2 million, has already fled.
There were also efforts to create new humanitarian corridors around the cities of Kherson in the south, Chernihiv in the north and Kharkiv in the east. Russian forces were blockading Kharkiv and pushing their offensive in the south around three cities and towns, including the hometown of Ukraine's president, Kryvyi Rih.
What about Russia's claims that bioweapons are being developed in Ukraine?
Russia requested a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss its baseless claims that the US was conducting "biological activities" in Ukraine _ an allegation that has been denied by both Washington and Kyiv.
At Friday's meeting, the United States accused Russia of "lying and spreading disinformation" as part of a potential false-flag operation _ a scenario that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned last month could happen as Putin seeks to justify his violent attack on Ukraine. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Friday that the US believes Russia could use chemical or biological agents.
The Pentagon said Friday it supports labs in Ukraine that are devoted to identifying and responding to biological threats. The labs are owned and operated by Ukraine. The work of the labs is not secret, and experts say they are not being used for bioweapons.
China, meanwhile, is amplifying the unsubstantiated and inflammatory claims.
What is the view from inside Russia?
Moscow is making more moves to restrict access to foreign social media platforms. On Friday, Russian's communications and media regulator said it's blocking access to Instagram because it's being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers.
That comes after Facebook owner, Meta Platforms, which also owns Instagram, said it had "made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules on violent speech, such as `death to the Russian invaders'." Meta's statement stressed it would not allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.
Russia has already blocked access to Facebook and limited access to Twitter, but Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site to bypass surveillance and censorship.
Meanwhile, YouTube started blocking global access to channels associated with Russian state-funded media, and said it is removing content about Russia's invasion of Ukraine that violates its policy about minimizing or trivializing "well-documented violent events."
Meta has barred Russian state media from Instagram and Facebook.
Are more sanctions being imposed on Russia?
US President Joe Biden announced an agreement Friday with other nations to revoke Russia's "most favored nation" trade status, which would allow for higher tariffs to be imposed on Russian imports.
The US also banned imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds.
Western nations have been largely united in punishing Russia economically.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday the European Union will continue applying pressure to Moscow and consider all options for more sanctions if Putin intensifies bombing and lays siege to Kyiv.
(With inputs from agencies)
