1 million have fled Ukraine as Russian forces capture port city Kherson: Updates

According to the United Nations, 752 civilian casualties have been recorded in Ukraine till now but the real figures could be much higher.

Russia's launch of a full-scale war in Ukraine completed a week on Thursday. According to the United Nations, 752 civilian casualties have been recorded in Ukraine till now but the real figures could be much higher. The Russian side has also suffered casualties with the defence ministry saying that nearly 500 soldiers have died and over 1,500 have been wounded, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. Amid the escalating war situation in Ukraine, Moscow and Kyiv are likely to meet for a second round of ceasefire talks in Belarus.

People gather in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 2, 2022.  (AP)

Here are the top updates on the Ukraine war:

> The United Nations' refugee agency said on Thursday that one million have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its attack on February 24. The agency predicts four million could eventually leave the war-ravaged country.

> Russian forces have now captured Kherson, which is situated in Ukraine's southern region. With a population of 250,000, Kherson is the first significant city to fall into Russia's hands. Till Wednesday, the Ukrainian military was continuing to defend the city, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

> Ukraine's Kharkiv continues to be hit by Russian shelling with police and university buildings among the latest struck, according to news agency AFP on Thursday.

> On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution that demanded Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine. The resolution which also deplores Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in the strongest terms and condemns Vladimir Putin's decision to put nuclear forces on alert was backed by 141 out of 193 UN member states.

> A total of 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since advisories were issued and the Modi government has increased flights under Operation Ganga. On Thursday morning an Air India evacuation flight from Romania reached Mumbai.

> Two Indian nationals have died in Ukraine so far. The first death was of 21-year-old Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, who was killed in a suspected Russian missile strike in Kharkiv on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, 22-year-old Chandan Jindal, who was hospitalised after suffering a stroke in Ukraine last month, died.

> The Indian government has refuted Russian defence ministry claims that its nationals are being forcibly held in Kharkiv. The ministry claimed that Indians, mostly students, were being forced to evacuate through active conflict areas.

(With agency inputs)