New Delhi, February 28: Russian state media news agency TASS was hacked on Monday, and its English version is no longer accessible as of this writing. Opening TASS.com displays an error message, and reports from social media users suggest that the Russian language version is anti-war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking European Union leaders to use a special procedure to allow the country immediate entry into the bloc. He said: "Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal.

Ukraine is continuing to fight against the Russian invasion as the military operation announced by President Vladimir Putin entered day five. On Sunday, Moscow said it is ready for talks with Ukraine in Belarus. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his government is ready for talks but not  in Belarus. 

“Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku. We proposed all of them,” Zelensky added. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine agreed on Sunday to have Ukrainian officials take part in talks with Russia “without preconditions,” even as President Vladimir Putin further escalated tensions by placing his nuclear forces on alert.

Meanwhile, a referendum in Belarus approved the country to ditch its non-nuclear status, news agency AFP reported. The amendment to the Constitution is significant as last week, Belarus had allowed Russian troops to use its territory to invade Ukraine. 

According to news agency AFP, two more cities in the south and southeast of Ukraine have been besieged by Russia. Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Customers Barred From Using Apple, Google Pay Services After US Imposed Heavy Financial Sanctions

This comes after massive explosions rocked south of Kyiv and Russian forces stormed into Kharkiv after blowing up a gas pipeline in the city earlier in the day. 

Nearly 200 civilians in Ukraine have died so far and more than 150,000 have fled to neighbouring countries including Poland, Moldova.

A defiant President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that “We will fight for as long as needed to liberate our country.” Zelensky has refused to leave Ukraine and has asked citizens to stand against the Russian siege. Do Not Pay Money to Anyone While Crossing Romanian Border to Bucharest, Indian Embassy in Romania Warns Students Against Frauds.

Google has temporarily disabled the Google Maps live traffic data in Ukraine for safety of local communities in the war-ravaged country. 

India abstained on a procedural resolution to call for a rare special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Kyiv filed an application with the International Court of Justice accusing Russia of "planning acts of genocide in Ukraine", the Hague-based court said Sunday.

In the application, Kyiv also accused Russia of "intentionally killing and inflicting serious injury on members of the Ukrainian nationality", the ICJ said in a statement.

The European Union has formally agreed to ban Russian Central Bank transactions and to support the delivery of 450 million euros' worth of weapons to Ukraine, reports news agency AFP quoting an official.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2022 10:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).