Russia's Defense Ministry said, "Not a single strike was made on targets within the city of Kiev."

Russian special services have thwarted a “terrorist attack” by Ukraine on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, a senior Russian official says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared martial law in the former Ukrainian regions that recently joined the Russian Federation amid reports that Ukraine is gearing up for a large-scale offensive in the Kherson region.

Russia’s Constitutional Court has approved the accession treaties signed by President Vladimir Putin allowing four former Ukrainian regions to become part of the Russian Federation after referendums.

Ukraine has formally applied for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure.

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the formal accession of four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia into Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday recognized the eastern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as independent sovereign states, in what the Kremlin calls "accession treaties".

Kremlin says it will formalize integration of four Ukrainian regions into Russia on Friday.

Russian forces managed to shoot down all of the drones outside the territory of the plant, the defense ministry said.

The top US military official has called for increased vigilance among American troops stationed in Europe, saying it remains unclear how Russia might react to its "latest battlefield setbacks" in Ukraine.