March 4, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

During a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador called for an urgent discussion on banning flights through air space in Ukraine and said there was damage to the nuclear plant attacked by Russian forces.

Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia “committed an act of nuclear terrorism while shelling and seizing” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

He also said his Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, had lied in his remarks. Nebenzia told the council that the nuclear plant is fully operational and there is no threat of a release of radioactive material.

Several employees responsible for maintaining nuclear security at the site have reportedly been killed by Russian soldiers, Kyslytsya said, and there has been no rotation of personnel since yesterday morning. 

CNN cannot independently confirmed any number of deaths.

He said state nuclear safety inspectors are not allowed access to the site, and changes in the radiation situation have not been registered. Data from the automated radiation monitoring system of the power plant “does not work.”

In a statement Friday morning local time, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRI) confirmed the power plant was occupied by Russian military forces, but said officials remained in contact with plant management.

The plant's six reactors remained intact, though the compartment auxiliary buildings for reactor unit 1 had been damaged, the SNRI said in its statement. Four of the remaining units were being cooled down while one unit is providing power, the statement said.

He demanded clear and decisive action from the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

A top International Atomic Energy Agency official earlier told the council that “no security or safety systems have been compromised near the reactors themselves" at the plant.

Kyslytsya also said "urgent discussion" of a no-fly zone "should be a top priority for the security council.”

“Today, I have sent a letter to the UNSC president reminding of the council's decisions on no-fly zone during previous conflicts in order to prevent further civilian casualties,” he said.

“In this regard we request to consider the issue of protection of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” he added.

President Biden thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda for welcoming nearly 700,000 Ukrainians who have fled during the Russian invasion, the White House said of the call today between both leaders.

The White House noted that on the call, Biden highlighted how Poland is hosting 9,000 US forces, including 4,700 service members sent in recent weeks to bolster NATO allies. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for solidarity while speaking to several European cities on Friday.

During Zelensky's live message via Zoom, he encouraged Europe to stand with Ukraine and paused for a moment of silence to honor those who have fallen in this war, saying, "This first minute I would like to dedicate to the moment of silence to those who have fallen in the fight for their country, to our soldiers, to those who serve ... those who are working as pilots, those who are making heroic deeds in different areas protecting their country and have given their lives away for this."

"Let us commemorate the soldiers. Rest in Peace," he said in the call with several European cities, including Bratislava, Frankfurt, Prague, Lyon, Tbilisi, Vienna and Vilnius.

Zelensky also shared some thoughts on the forces from across Europe, as well as "ordinary people" in Ukraine.

"But from recently the soldier greeting, this army greeting, is something that ordinary people are starting to use in their day-to-day language when greeting each other because we are protecting our country from Russian invasion, from the Russian attack. We are protecting our homes and our land full-fledged and out of [Russian] war and Russian aggression," Zelensky said. "Today our servicemen, some of our military servicemen, serving our country in the army, others are serving as doctors with scalpels in their hands doing the surgical operations. [Others] are working to protect the children and their families. And this is our heart, this is the heart of Ukraine, standing together against the evil."

Zelensky used the final portion of his address to speak to people across the entire European continent, promising victory for Ukraine and the whole of democracy.

"I would like to dedicate to you, to the people of Europe. I would like to call upon you not to be silent. I would like you to come out on the streets and support Ukraine, support our efforts and support our fight because if Ukraine will not stand, Europe will not stand. If we will fall, you will fall so please don't be silent, do not turn the blind on eye on this," said Zelensky.

"Come out and support Ukraine as much as you can ... And if we win, and I'm sure we'll win, this will be the victory for the whole democratic world. This will be the victory of our freedom. This will be the victory of light over darkness, of freedom over slavery. And if we win, we will become as blossoming as Europe, and Europe will be flourishing more than ever after this magnificent victory. Glory to Ukraine." 

Zelensky then held his fist up in the air in a salute.

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm tweeted Friday that “Russian forces are in control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant” and called on Russia “to allow the Ukrainian operators to continue to operate safely – including allowing shift changes at both Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl.”

In a series of tweets, Granholm also praised Ukrainian operators for being “extremely responsible in how they responded to yesterday’s appalling attack by safely taking 2 of the reactors offline.” Granholm noted one reactor is currently “operating at partial capacity to keep the power grid stable.”

Granholm also pointed out how the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “is designed to withstand significant shelling or bombardment.”

“We have seen no elevated radiation readings overnight. Safety systems are intact, and reactors continue to receive cooling,” Granholm tweeted.

"This is a game of Russia, a production. They brought their actors from the Crimea to make a movie about their claim that we want to be part of the Russian Federation," Yulia, a resident of Kherson, Ukraine, said in a video she posted to social media as she described the arrival of Russian aid trucks.

“The Russian military occupied Kherson and the Kherson region, cut off our telephone connection, we cannot contact relatives and families either in the city or outside,” she continued.

Earlier this week, Yulia said she saw and heard explosions, firefighting, soldiers, and trucks as Russians battled to take over her city from Ukrainian forces.

Yulia herself gave birth two months ago. Now she’s struggling to find diapers and baby products.

“There are catastrophically few in the city. We also have a grandmother with dementia who needs diapers and medicines on an ongoing basis, which are also not available in the city,” she shared.

Yulia said her close family is with her and they have food and electricity, although they are not going out.

 “We are in hiding. There is a curfew in the city, if people go out after eight in the evening, they shoot to kill. You can move in the company of no more than two people,” she said.

The woman declined to give more details about her extended family who live in different parts of the city.

"We have bunkers around the city, not all houses have basements. There is an alarm around the city when we need to go to cover,” Yulia explained.

“The Ukrainian flag is still over Kherson, the city did not surrender to the invaders. the military said not to provoke them and everyone would be alive," she added.

Editor's Note: CNN is only using the person's first name to protect their safety.

Following a missile attack on a large apartment block in Borodyanka on March 2, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service has told CNN that people may still be trapped in the wreckage of the building.

Viktoriya Ruban, spokesperson of the SES in the Kyiv region, told CNN on Friday that "about 100 people may be trapped under the rubble" in Borodyanka but "it is impossible to give a more precise figure at the moment."

"Rescuers do not have access to these people due to the constant shelling. We are ready to evacuate people as soon as there is an agreement on a 'green corridor,'" she said.

The town, which is just northwest of Kyiv, has seen persistent shelling over the past few days, as have small towns around it. 

The area has seen the heaviest fighting in the Kyiv region since the Russian invasion began just over a week ago.

The European Union is ready to adopt more sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin does not stop the war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

“We know that this conflict is far from over, and to be very clear, we are ready to take further severe measures if Putin does not stop and reverse the war he has unleashed,” she said alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.

Von der Leyen said over 40 countries were now “partially or completely” aligned with the sanctions, saying it was “testimony to the determination of the global community to reject this invasion.”

Speaking after von der Leyen, Blinken commended the European Union for its response to Russia, saying, “this union is strong, it’s united and it’s acting.”

“If we allow those principles to be violated with impunity, then we're opening a Pandora's Box, in every corner of the world for this to happen again and again and again,” Blinken said.

He also warned that the war in Ukraine “may not be over soon” and that the US and European allies must sustain tough pressure on Russia until it ends.

"Unfortunately, tragically, horrifically this may not be over soon," he said.

"We have to sustain this until it stops, until the war is over," he added.

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said Friday that it was removing articles on the war in Ukraine, saying that new Russian censorship efforts necessitated removing those materials.

"Dear friends!!" a statement on the Novaya Gazeta Twitter account said. "Military censorship in Russia has shifted to [using] the threat of criminal prosecution against both journalists and citizens who disseminate information about hostilities that differs from Defense Ministry press releases. Therefore, we are removing materials on this topic."

Russian lawmakers have advanced legislation criminalizing the spreading of false information discrediting the Russian military. Russia's communications regulator issued warnings to the country's few remaining independent news outlets telling them to stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an "attack, invasion or declaration of war.”

Independent Russian television station TV Rain and Echo of Moscow, a storied radio station, have both shut down broadcasting amid the crackdown on Russian media.

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to travel to Poland early next week, a White House official told CNN, as the Biden administration continues to show support for Ukraine and its eastern NATO allies while Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters a dangerous new phase.

The Poland visit will take place on the heels of Harris' latest international travel to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Harris also spoke over the phone with several Eastern European leaders on Tuesday, including Poland's and Romania's prime ministers.

A source familiar with the discussions said the White House is also considering sending Harris to Romania, but no final decision has been made.

When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked on Friday whether she could confirm any details about the vice president's trip, she said, "Not yet, but certainly the vice president has been deeply engaged."

"She's obviously already made a trip to Europe. I expect there'll be more soon but I don't have anything to report out to you at this particular moment," Psaki added.

US and other Western officials warned this week that Russia's strategy is shifting toward a "slow annihilation" of the Ukrainian military, warning that Russia could focus on violent bombardment of cities and civilian targets as the conflict becomes a grinding war of attrition.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the US and allies have ramped up their responses to the conflict, establishing a variety of economic sanctions and providing Ukraine aid.

Since the invasion began, Russia's military has launched more than 500 missiles, a senior US defense official said Friday.

A White House statement following Tuesday's calls said that in each of her conversations, "the Vice President underscored the strength and unity of our Alliance and welcomed each of her counterparts' leadership and coordination on robust response measures, including sanctions and other economic measures through the European Union. They also discussed the robust NATO response."

Harris also reiterated the US' support for Ukraine and "reaffirmed US support for the international rules and norms that have brought peace and security in Europe since World War II and that have served as the foundation of the NATO Alliance."