Kyiv residents urged to shelter amid fighting

Kyiv officials are warning residents that street fighting is underway against Russian forces, and they are urging people to seek shelter.

The warning issued Saturday advised residents to remain in shelters, to avoid going near windows or on balconies, and to take precautions against being hit by debris or bullets.

The Ukrainian military said a battle was underway near a military unit to the west of the city centre.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said new explosions shook the area near a major power plant that the Russians were trying to attack.

___ Tokyo: A Panamanian-registered cargo ship owned by a Japanese company was hit by a shell off Ukraine's southern coast and one of its 20 crew members suffered a non-life-threatening injury, according to its owner and media reports.

The ship's owner, Nikko Kisen KK, based in Imabari in western Japan, confirmed media reports Saturday that its bulk carrier Namura Queen suffered damage and that one of its 20 Filipino crew members was injured.

The company gave no further details.

The 47,167-ton ship, which was just off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea at the time of the incident, remains operable and has headed to Turkey to assess the extent of its damage, Kyodo News agency said.

___ Seoul: South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday to discuss the two allies' cooperation over the Russia-Ukraine crisis, including Seoul's participation in a US-led economic pressure campaign against Moscow.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Chung and Blinken reaffirmed the allies' “strong condemnation” of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and they urged Russia to immediately cease its takeover attempt.

Blinken thanked South Korea for its support of Ukraine and its willingness to participate in international sanctions against Russia, the ministry said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)