'Russian Armed Forces establish full control over Ukraine's Melitopol'

The Russian armed forces have established full control over the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in the south of the country, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"Units of the Russian Armed Forces have established full control over the city of Melitopol," Konashenkov told reporters.

He also stressed that Russian soldiers are taking all measures to ensure the safety of civilians and exclude provocations by Ukrainian special services and nationalists.

On Thursday, Russia launched a special operation to "demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine", responding to calls from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics for "help in countering the aggression of the Ukrainian troops." The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow says it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.