March 4, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

People in the Ukrainian city of Kherson have been subjected to violence by Russian troops, a local resident told CNN on Friday.

The individual warned that the situation inside the city is deteriorating.

The resident shared with CNN a video of a convoy of civilian cars, accompanied by some Russian military vehicles, arriving in Kherson Wednesday night. 

“Yesterday 50 buses from Crimea drove past us, and settled in the local administration,” the resident said, although CNN has not been able to verify that the cars came from Crimea.

In a statement on Thursday, Hennadii Lahuta -- the head of the Kherson Regional State Administration -- said Russian forces had “completely occupied” the regional state administration building, but stressed that local officials had not given up their responsibilities. 

Kherson’s mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military was no longer in the city and that its inhabitants must now carry out the instructions of “armed people who came to the city’s administration” -- indicating that Kherson had fallen under Russian control. 

Intelligence from the British military that was released early Thursday noted that “some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson,” but cautioned that the military situation on the ground “remains unclear.”

France strongly condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the country's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Brussels on Friday.

“We strongly condemn this damage to the integrity of a nuclear structure,” Le Drian said.

“We fully support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s initiative to demand Russia to stop all assaults of this kind.”

Le Drian also tweeted on Friday his full support for IAEA’s initiatives to monitor the situation of Ukrainian civilian nuclear facilities.

“The bombings last night that hit the Zaporizhzhia power plant are dangerous and unacceptable,” he said in a Twitter post.

Le Drian is in Brussels for a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers which he said will be an occasion to show the allies’ unity to continue isolating Russia in the international community.

He joins a chorus of global leaders who have criticized the strikes on the Zaporizhzhia plant, where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Ukraine's nuclear regulator.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia's efforts to take over the massive nuclear power plant was "terror at an unprecedented level."

"The Russian tanks knew that they were firing with a direct fire at the station," Zelensky alleged.

Zelensky drew parallels with the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the world's worst-ever nuclear accident, but there is no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzia have been affected by the shelling.

CNN’s Tim Lister, Sharon Braithwaite and Manveena Suri contributed reporting to this post.

Management at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar is now working at gunpoint, the company that runs the station said.

Petro Kotin, the head of the state-owned nuclear power generator Energoatom, said on Telegram that Russian forces "entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant."

Kotin said staff were "were admitted in the morning to perform their duties." He said the company does not have "a direct connection to the station" and is getting information from sources there.

Status of the reactors: Kotin said the six reactors at the plant have fuel in each of them, while pre-reactor pools are storing spent nuclear fuel, the irradiated byproduct of the reactors.

Kotin said that if the nuclear facilities were hit by shelling, it "will lead to nuclear disaster."

A school in Zhytomyr, northern Ukraine, was hit by a Russian rocket on Friday morning, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Images geolocated by CNN of the school after the attack show significant damage and partial collapse of the building.

In a video statement, Zhytomyr Mayor Sergei Sukhomlin also confirmed the strike saying the Russian attackers "do not stop at anything. This is a school. Rather these ruins are a former school in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr." 

The news comes after at least three schools in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, were hit by Russian military strikes on Tuesday, according to videos and photos posted to social media. CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos and photos.

Other buildings that have been reported as destroyed during Russian's invasion of Ukraine include cultural sites such as churches, cathedrals and museums, namely in the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, according to statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

CNN's Radina Gigova, Paul P. Murphy, Celine Alkhaldi and Katie Polglase contributed reporting to this post.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Kremlin's efforts to take over a massive nuclear power plant was "terror at an unprecedented level," and again called for NATO to implement a no-fly zone over his country.

Russian forces have now "occupied" the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Earlier, a fire broke out at the facility, according to Ukrainian nuclear authorities. The blaze had sparked fears of an accident.

"The Russian tanks knew that they were firing with a direct fire at the station," Zelensky alleged."

Zelensky drew parallels with the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the world's worst-ever nuclear accident, but there is no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzia have been affected by the shelling.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier called for a stop to fighting around the facility but said Ukrainian authorities had reported background radiation levels were normal and the fire had not affected "essential" equipment.

Zelensky also reiterated his appeal for a NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying "an immediate closure of the skies over Ukraine is needed."

The United States has previously ruled out using troops to create a no-fly zone. Such a move could put American forces in direct combat with Russia.

Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Oleksandr Tkachenko, called Friday "for closing the skies over Ukraine, because Russian aggressors are destroying Ukrainian cultural sites."

"Most of Putin's war crimes in Ukraine have been committed from the air," the ministry said in a statement. 

"Russia's missiles and planes are deliberately destroying historic centers of big cities. Putin wants to destroy Europe's heritage and culture, wipe it from the face of the earth."

"A mad dictator threatens to destroy St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO church built in the 11th century," the ministry warned.

"Hundreds of innocent victims, the total destruction of churches, cathedrals and museums - is the price of the still opened sky over Ukraine." 

The ministry said in the city of Kharkiv, Russian forces shelled the Assumption Cathedral; parts of the Kharkiv National University of Arts; and dormitories of the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture. People had used the cathedral to seek refuge from the violence, the ministry said.

In Ivankov, near Kyiv, the museum of "world-famous artist Maria Pryimachenko, whose works were admired by Pablo Picasso" was also shelled. The Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Arts and Design has also been damaged by the "occupiers."

While "ordinary Ukrainians stop Russian tanks with their bare hands," the ministry said, "Russian missiles and planes vilely and dishonestly continue to bomb our beautiful peaceful cities."

"The world must stop this," the ministry added. 

A Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was “reckless” and likely deliberate, UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Friday. 

"It's very difficult to believe that it wasn't done deliberately. But in any event, it is unlawful to attack a site like this and not to do your due diligence on it and to keep bombarding it," Raab told BBC Breakfast.

Ukrainian authorities said a fire that broke out at a nuclear power plant early Friday amid heavy shelling by Russian forces has now been extinguished. The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country's 15 nuclear energy reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also called the attack “reckless” and “hugely concerning.” 

"We are seeking an urgent session of the UN Security Council and will use all the legal and political means at our disposal to address the issue," she said in a post published from her verified Twitter account.

The news comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the “abhorrent attacks” on Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

Zelensky thanked Johnson for the UK’s support and defensive aid, saying “it had been vital in holding back Russian forces," according to a statement from Johnson's office.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed his support for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following an attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian forces, warning that such attacks could have “catastrophic” consequences.

“Russian attacks in the direct vicinity of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants can have catastrophic consequences. They must stop immediately,” Borrell tweeted Friday.

“Shelling and resulting fire at (Zaporizhzhia) power plant can endanger the whole of Europe,” he added. 

On Friday, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said Russian forces had “occupied” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

According to a statement shared by Energoatom -- Ukraine’s nuclear power operator -- via Telegram on Friday, the plant's staff continues to work on power units, “ensuring the stable operation of nuclear facilities.”

Russia's second-largest oil firm has called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Lukoil is majority owned by Vagit Alekperov, and his deputy, Leonid Fedun, according to Reuters.