Iran Press/ Europe: Russia has launched "a special military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday. Russia's President Vladimir Putin says he had no other choice than to launch the military operation to stop the Ukrainian military's interference in two eastern republics that have broken away from Ukraine. Russia perceives NATO's eastward expansion as a threat.
In the latest development, reports of gunfire in central Kyiv emerged Friday morning with Russian military forces entering the capital city, inching closer towards the government's seat of power.
The Ukrainian military also announced that Russian spies and saboteurs had been spotted within the city, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city center, The Associated Press reported.
Earlier on Friday, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video message, said: "I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. Let's sit down at the negotiation table.
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