Triage fact, disinformation after the Russian attack on Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine

Associated Press journalists in Ukraine and beyond document military activity during the Russian invasion. With widespread misinformation and social media amplifying military claims and counterclaims, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s going on. Here’s a look at what could be confirmed on Friday.

Activity with direct witnesses:

– Explosions heard from central Kiev, about 800 meters (half a mile) from the president’s seat.

– Multi-storey apartment building in Kyiv hit by shelling, with extensive damage, on the east bank of the Dneiper River that runs through the capital, 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the government district.

— Gunshot near a main thoroughfare leading to central Kiev from the south.

— Ukrainian soldiers evacuate an unmarked military vehicle damaged by gunfire in Kiev, in the Obolon district about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the government district.

— The Ukrainian army establishes defensive positions on bridges around Kiev. Armored personnel carriers moving on the streets of Kiev. Ukrainian authorities have placed snow plows in some places along Kyiv’s roads to force traffic to slow down.

— Russian missile launcher seen on the edge of the city of Kharkiv, to the northeast, shelling heard in the distance.

— A destroyed bridge in Ivankiv, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Kiev.

Announced by Ukrainian and Russian authorities, and others:

— A second Russian military transport plane was shot down on Saturday near Bila Tserkva, 85 kilometers south of Kiev, according to two US officials with first-hand knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine.

– Russian airborne forces on the outskirts of Kiev attacked Ukrainian units on three sides early Saturday, but Ukrainian troops were able to repel some of the assaults, according to two US officials with first-hand knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military said on Friday it shot down a Russian military transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a town 40 kilometers south of Kiev, an account confirmed by a senior US intelligence official. It was not known how many were on board. Transport planes can carry up to 125 paratroopers. Russia has not commented on the incident.

– A senior US intelligence official with first-hand knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine said the capital, Kyiv, came under missile bombardment late Friday night. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had no immediate information about the targets that may have been hit.

– The Russian army announced that it had taken control of Melitopol, a town in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) off the coast of the Sea of ‘Azov. The claim could not be independently verified.

– Ukraine’s nuclear energy regulator said higher than usual levels of gamma radiation had been detected in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, after it was seized by the Russian army. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the reported levels posed no danger to the public. The Russian Defense Ministry said radiation levels in the area remained normal.

– Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said gunfire and explosions in several parts of the city occurred as Ukrainian troops battled groups of Russian saboteurs. He also said five explosions hit an area near a major power station on the eastern outskirts of the city. No power cuts were immediately reported.

– Britain’s defense intelligence chief Sir Jim Hockenhull said Russia launched a series of strikes on targets in Kiev overnight and that several rocket launchers were used in Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 137 “heroes”, including 10 military officers, had been killed. The Ukrainian army said it killed more than 1,000 Russian soldiers repelling the invasion of Moscow. The Russian military reported no casualties in the attack. Neither claim could be independently verified.

– The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said its staff had so far verified at least 127 civilian casualties, 25 people killed and 102 injured, mostly as a result of shelling and airstrikes.

— The Russian military said it took control of an airport outside the Ukrainian capital. Hostomel Airport, a town located 7 kilometers from Kiev, has a runway long enough to accommodate all types of aircraft, including the largest cargo planes. Its seizure allows Russia to directly airlift troops to the outskirts of Kiev.

— The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had cordoned off the towns of Sumy and Konotop in northeastern Ukraine. He said they had destroyed 211 military infrastructure installations. The claims could not be independently confirmed.

– The mayor says a school building was hit by a Ukrainian shell in the rebel town of Horlivka, eastern Ukraine, killing its headmaster and a teacher; Rebels holding Donetsk said the city’s main hospital was damaged by shelling but there were no casualties.

– Moldova’s national naval agency says a ship flying the Moldovan flag was hit by a missile in “neutral waters” of the Black Sea, seriously injuring two crew members.

– A US defense official said a Russian amphibious assault was underway and thousands of Russian naval infantry were landing from the Sea of ​​Azov, west of Mariupol. The official said Ukraine’s air defenses have been degraded but are still functioning, and about a third of the combat power that Russia has massed around Ukraine is now in the country.

– British intelligence chief Sir Jim Hockenhull said Russia launched a series of strikes on targets in Kiev overnight and that several rocket launchers were used in Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

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