Russia-Ukraine war Highlights: Govt says nearly 4,000 Indians brought back from Ukraine in last 24 hours

A rescue van is seen at the site after the shelling attack by the Russian army, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Chernihiv on Thursday. (File photo- REUTERS) 

Ukraine's Black sea port city Kherson continued to witness bombardment as Russia continued its invasion. Russian troops had entered the southern city of Enerhodar, a major energy hub on the Dnieper River that accounts for about one-quarter of the country’s power generation. It is the site of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the biggest in Europe.

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A Ukrainian negotiator said on Thursday that a second round of ceasefire talks with Russia had not yielded the results Kyiv hoped for, but the sides had reached an understanding on creating humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.

Twenty-two people died on Thursday when Russian forces hit residential areas, including schools and a high-rise apartment block in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the emergency service said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that he was determined to press on with his attack “until the end”, according to an official in the French president’s office. In a statement issued after the French and Russian presidents spoke by phone, the Kremlin made clear its goals included the demilitarisation and neutrality of Ukraine.