Russia-Ukraine war: Nuke terror fears, Russian gag law for TV | 5 big points

Amid the ongoing war, Moscow imposed a new law to that could jail any person for intentionally spreading, what the authorities called, "fake" news.

A number of media organisations have decided to suspend operations in Russia over a new legislation that criminalised reporting of the war in Ukraine in a way differing from the government line. The law was passed by Russian authorities on Friday as Moscow continued its military operations against Kyiv for the ninth day, after capturing Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine.

Demonstrators stand in front of screens broadcasting live speech of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Prague. (REUTERS)

Here are the latest developments:

1. BBC, among several other local and international news channels, has decided to suspend the work of all its journalists and support staff in Russia after the introduction of a new law that could jail anybody who intentionally spreads, what the authorities called, "fake" news.
2. Russian forces were reportedly driven out of the port city of Mykolayiv, the regional governor Vitaliy Kim informed. However, fighting continued on the city outskirts.
3. Ukraine has announced that it is planning to hold a third round of peace talks with Russia this weekend. The development, announced by President Zelensky's advisor, came after a second round of talks, in which the two countries agreed to create a humanitarian corridor for civilians to be evacuated from the war-hit region.
4. Meanwhile, NATO has ruled out policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, warning that such a move could provoke widespread war in the entirety of Europe with nuclear power Russia, reported news agency AP, quoting the organization’s top civilian official.
5. On Thursday, Russian troops reportedly shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest located in eastern Ukraine, sparking a fire in the training building and leading to radiation fears. The UN nuclear watchdog, however, clarified that there was no sign of any radiation leaks and that the reactors were still intact. At least three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the attack.