1 million flee Ukraine as Russia ramps up attack on Mariupol, Kherson

According to Ukrainian officials, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant caught fire early Friday morning after it was attacked by Russian forces, sparking calls for troops to withdraw immediately amid fears of a nuclear threat.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said on Twitter that if the Zaporizhia power plant explodes, “it will be ten times bigger than Chernobyl”.

“Russian army is firing on Zaporizhia from all sides,” Kuleba tweeted. “Fire has already broken out.”

He called for an immediate ceasefire near the plant.

The latest developments on Ukraine:

Andriy Tuz, a spokesman for the Enerhodar power plant, said in a video posted to Telegram that “there is a real threat of nuclear danger at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.”

The attack prevented firefighters from immediately accessing the nuclear power plant, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a Statement posted on Facebookand added that rescuers were on standby.

the This was announced by the International Atomic Energy Agency It was aware of the shelling and was monitoring the situation.

President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a White House official told NBC News. The call came amid media reports of the nuclear power plant fire, but details of their discussion were not immediately clear.

The renewed tensions in Ukraine came just hours after the end of a second round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials, in which the two sides tentatively agreed on humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians caught in the crossfire and the delivery of Land to set up relief supplies to those caught in the crossfire.

“I think this is significant progress,” Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator at the ceasefire talks, said in a video message.

More than 1 million people have already done it fled Ukraine in a rapid exodus after a week of war as the Russian military bombed key cities across the country amid staunch resistance to the invasion.

The conflict has fueled a growing humanitarian crisis in Europe and has faced a mounting air and ground attack on those who remained in Ukraine.

But a mile-long Russian military convoy threatening the Ukrainian capital has made little headway for the past three days. The northern advance of Russian forces faced a fierce Ukrainian defense and logistical problems of their own. They appear to have made more significant gains in the south, with a key port city under Russian control and another struggling to withstand a siege.

The bombardment didn’t look like it would end any time soon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, a source at the Élysée presidential palace said, describing it as “not so friendly”.

Putin said the campaign would continue if Ukraine did not accept Moscow’s terms, the source said.

The Russian leader told Macron in the call that “the situation will get worse, but Ukraine has chosen it,” the source said. “Putin’s goal is to take control of all of Ukraine,” they added.

Zelenskyy called on residents to continue their resistance while branding Russian soldiers as “exploited children.”

Moscow faced further international isolation and condemnation. But the country pledged to continue the war even as officials from both sides sat down for a second round of talks in Belarus that ended with no significant breakthroughs.

Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, said his team had reached an agreement with Ukrainian negotiators to create humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.

Meanwhile, the US military has established channels to communicate directly with the Russian military to defuse tactical movements in Ukraine, according to a senior defense official.

“Humanitarian Disaster”

From the capital Kyiv to Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson in the south, Russia’s advances have destroyed major Ukrainian cities and civilian areas.

The bombing of Ukrainian cities has prompted residents to flee to neighboring countries, forcing many more of the country’s 44 million residents to seek shelter underground or head west by road or train.

“I have been working in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years and have rarely witnessed such a rapid exodus,” Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a statement released on Thursday.

In Lviv, a western city that has become a hub for international diplomats and news media, trains from Ukraine are packed with families desperate for safety.

Many are lugging small suitcases and backpacks with everything they could carry. In freezing temperatures, the parents are wrapped in thick winter coats and hats, their children’s faces frightened.

Serheii Shpak, 28, said it took his family two days to make it from Kharkiv to Lviv. He decided it was time to leave after hiding in the subway system with his one-year-old son and wife while Russian troops shelled the city.

He said the trip was filled with panicked Ukrainians trying to get to safety. “The wagons were really crowded,” said Shpak, a web developer.

He said he plans to go to nearby Vinnytsia so his family can start a new life, further away from the threat of Russian attacks.

The United States will gain what is known as temporary protection status, which would allow them to remain in the country without fear of deportation, effective April 1. Persons entering the United States after this date will not be eligible.

“Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people who are suffering so many tragedies and so many losses,” Mayorkas said in one Video posted on Twitter. “We will do everything in our power to support them.”

The Biden administration also on Thursday asked Congress to allocate $10 billion in humanitarian and defense assistance to Ukraine.

But for Ukrainians in two key cities who wanted to flee, the outlook dimmed on Thursday.