Kyiv, March 12: The Ukrainian government on Saturday said that the Russian troops have increased their force in the outskirts of Kyiv. Reportedly, Russian forces appeared to expand the offensive by striking new areas in the west as the invasion of Ukraine entered its third week.

The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia has brought 11 engineers to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, the Head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company Energoatom, said that Russian occupiers told the staff at the power plant that they must follow orders of Russian state atomiс energy corporation Rosatom, the media house added. Russia-Ukraine War: Around 12,000 Russian Forces Killed Since Military Operation Started, Says Ukraine.

In the latest update, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz and France President Emmanuel Macron held new talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. Earlier on Thursday, the three leaders had already had spoken by telephone when both Macron and Scholz had "demanded an immediate ceasefire by Russia."

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A mosque in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where 80 civilians were taking shelter, has been shelled by Russian forces, Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Saturday. The Russian forces destroyed Vasylkiv's military airfield in Vasylkiv city of Kyiv Oblast in Ukraine by dropping eight missiles, said mayor Nataliia Balasynovych on Saturday. Meanwhile, several hospitals in the port city of Mykolaiv came under fire overnight, reported AFP.

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Humanitarian corridors in Ukraine could open on Saturday, Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said on state TV on Saturday morning. Mariupol's death toll has passed 1,500 in 12 days of the attack, the mayor's office said. Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: Indian Students From Sumy Return Home; Russian Airstrikes in Dnipro City Kill One.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Russian troops have destroyed 3,491 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine so far, reported Russian news agencies.

Adviser to Ukraine president said that agreeing to Russia's demands is impossible for military and political reasons. 79 evacuation buses and 2 trucks with humanitarian cargo left for Sumy on Saturday, he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2022 05:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).