Ukraine Confirms Major City Lost To Russian Bombing

The Russian government is attempting to seize control of major Ukrainian cities as the country puts up a defiant front. By involving the Air Force, India has stepped up the evacuation of its citizens from the war zone.

On its C-17 military transport aircraft, the Indian Air Force flew back 648 Indians, including students. C-17 heavy-lift transport planes took off from Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

PM Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday and was assured that Russia would assist with the safe evacuation of Indian students stranded in Kharkiv.

India abstained from voting against Russia at the United Nations General Assembly, in which a resolution demanding that Russia cease military operations in Ukraine was passed with 141 votes in favor. There were 35 abstentions and five votes against it.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said about 8,000 Indians remain stranded in Ukraine, mostly students. India has been evacuating its citizens using special flights from Ukraine's western neighbors such as Romania, Hungary, and Poland since the Ukrainian airspace has been closed since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.

Kherson, a Ukrainian city, has been taken over by Russian forces, local officials confirmed late Wednesday night. Kherson was the first major city to fall since Moscow invaded a week ago. According to news agency, the Russian forces have also surrounded Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who has promised to stay in Kyiv, has accused Russia of trying to erase Ukrainians, their country, and their history. According to the UN, more than 836,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

Ukraine's vice prime minister called out big tech companies by name on Twitter to get them to penalize Russia for its invasion. "We need your support -- in 2022 modern technology is perhaps the best answer to tanks, multiple rocket launchers and missiles," he wrote in a letter he tweeted out Friday to Apple chief Tim Cook.

According to the Ukrainian emergency service, more than 2,000 civilians have died in the Russian attack, which has destroyed hospitals, homes and kindergartens.

Since the assault began, 900,000 Ukrainians have fled the country, the largest displacement of people in Europe for decades. Since President Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, 498 Russian troops have been killed.

Currently, Moscow is exploring the possibility of holding ceasefire talks on Thursday with Kyiv, which says a delegation is en route to an undisclosed location on the Belarus-Poland border.