Russia claims it has taken Ukrainian port city

A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson a claim that the Ukrainian military denies.The city is under Russian soldiers complete control, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday.

A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson — a claim that the Ukrainian military denies.

The city is under Russian soldiers' "complete control," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday. He said that the city's civilian infrastructure, essential facilities and transport are operating as usual and that there are no shortages of food or essential goods. Konashenkov said talks between the Russian commanders, city administrations and regional authorities on how to maintain order in the city were underway Wednesday. The claims could not be immediately verified. A senior US defense official said Wednesday that they have seen claims that the Russians have taken Kherson, but that the Ukrainian military is rejecting that claim. "Our view is that Kherson is very much a contested city at this point," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to make military assessments.

___ Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron says Russian President Vladimir Putin "chose war," but that he would continue his contacts with the Russian leader to try to stop the conflict and avoid its spread beyond Ukraine's borders.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Macron hammered home that the consequences of the conflict will reverberate to France and other European countries, thrusting the continent into a new era.

Macron's 14-minute address was meant to apprise the French of what has happened and what he predicts the fallout will be. It was his second such address and comes days before Macron must by law declare his candidacy in French presidential elections in April.

After enumerating the unsuccessful efforts by Western powers to prevent the invasion, Macron said, "It is, therefore, alone and in a deliberate way that by denying engagements taken before the international community, President Putin chose war." The war in Ukraine "marks a rupture," jolting Europeans into a new era that will force new, costly decisions in all spheres, from defense to energy, Macron warned.

The French president stressed that he won't abandon contacts with Russia. Macron has travelled to the Kremlin and had multiple telephone conversations with Putin, the latest on Monday, trying to facilitate an end to the Ukraine conflict.

"I chose to stay in contact and will remain in contact as much as I can and as long as it is necessary with President Putin, to convince him to renounce arms, to aid as much as France can ... and prevent contagion and enlargement of the conflict as best we can," Macron said.

___ Gotland: Sweden says four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.

The four aircraft — two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters — flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces.

"In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident," Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. "This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side." Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photos of the Russian jets, the statement said.

"This shows that our readiness is good. We were in place to secure the territorial integrity and Swedish borders," Edstrom said. "We have total control of the situation." ___ Washington: The Pentagon announced that it is postponing a nuclear missile test launch scheduled for this week to avoid any possible misunderstanding in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent decision to put his nuclear forces on higher alert. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the decision to delay the test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He said the US would like to see Moscow reciprocate by "taking the temperature down" in the crisis over Ukraine. Kirby said the US did not put its nuclear forces on higher alert in response to Putin's move, which the spokesman described as dangerous and unnecessary. Austin is "comfortable that the strategic deterrence posture that we have in place is up to the task of defending the homeland and our allies." The United States usually performs about four test launches of Minuteman III missiles per year.

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