Sorting fact, disinformation amid Russian war on Ukraine

Associated Press journalists are documenting military activity across Ukraine, where disinformation is spiking during a Russian ground and air offensive

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Associated Press journalists around Ukraine and beyond are documenting military activity during Russia’s invasion. With disinformation rife and social media amplifying military claims and counterclaims, determining exactly what is happening can be difficult. Here’s a look at what could be confirmed Thursday as Russia’s military assault on Ukraine was in its eighth day.

DIRECTLY WITNESSED

— Associated Press reporters witnessed destruction in the village of Gorenka, which lies on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital and has found itself in the crossfire. Residents there say a Russian plane bombed the village early Wednesday morning, destroying several homes.

— AP reporters in the capital, Kyiv, heard at least one overnight explosion before videos started circulating online of apparent strikes on the city, though targets were not immediately clear.

— People, mostly women, children and the elderly, were seen fleeing Ukraine for neighboring European nations by foot and packed into trains. Some of those leaving amid the cold gripping Eastern Europe also have serious mental and physical disabilities.

— Civilians were seen seeking refuge into deep underground train stations in the capital, Kyiv.

ANNOUNCED BY UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video statement early Thursday, calling on Ukrainians to keep up their resistance. He also urged Russian soldiers to “go home.”

— Zelenskyy claimed in his address that 9,000 Russians have been killed since the invasion. It was impossible to verify the claim.

— The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian forces “did not achieve the main goal of capturing Mariupol,” a crucial city on the Azov Sea. Britain’s Defense Ministry said Mariupol was encircled by Russian forces. Mariupol's mayor says the attacks there have been relentless.

ANNOUNCED BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES

— Russia says nearly 500 of its troops have been killed since the Feb. 24 invasion began.

— An aide to Russia's president has told reporters a delegation of Ukrainians is expected to arrive in Belarus for talks with Russians on Thursday. He said they agreed to meet in the Brest region of Belarus, which borders Poland.

— Russian authorities have claimed the city of Kherson is under their “complete control.” Ukrainian authorities say that’s not the case. The U.S. assessment of Kherson is that the city is still contested. Zelenskyy’s office has told the AP that it could not comment on the situation in Kherson while the fighting was still going on.

— The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency says Russia claims its military has taken control of the area around Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. Already, Russia has seized control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

ANNOUNCED BY OFFICIALS ELSEWHERE

— The U.N. human rights office says at least 227 civilians have been killed and 525 wounded in Ukraine since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. The U.N. refugee agency earlier reported 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict.

— U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said “we think it is possible -- it’s not verified yet — that Russia is in control” in Kherson, a key port city of 280,000 on the Black Sea.

— A senior U.S. defense official said an immense column of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles appeared to be stalled and had made no real progress in the last couple of days. Britain’s Ministry of Defense also said the Russian military column has made “little discernible progress” over the past three days and remains over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the center of Kyiv.

— German news agency dpa reported that the country’s economy ministry has approved sending 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. The weapons are Soviet-made, shoulder-fired Strela surface-to-air missiles left over from East German army supplies. Berlin has already authorized sending 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.

— U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit six European countries, starting with Belgium on Thursday for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before heading to the Polish border with Ukraine to meet refugees. He will then travel to Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine