Russia has confirmed its intention not to call up any reservists, despite the apparent lack of success in many areas of the Ukraine conflict.

This was announced by a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense on Saturday.

In this way, Moscow is trying to counter the concerns of many people that general mobilization could take place.

The continuation of the invasion of Ukraine continues with active soldiers, security forces and mercenaries.

The fiercest fighting was again concentrated in Mariupol.

The Ukrainian general staff announced that the Russian army was shelling the southern Ukrainian port city from the air and with artillery.

Both civilian and military objects would be targeted.

In addition, Russian ground troops tried to penetrate into the center of the besieged metropolis.

There will be street fighting, said Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.

Warning shots and stun grenades

On the Russian side, the head of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published videos about the alleged deployment of his fighters in Mariupol.

The strategically important industrial and port city is the only stretch of the Sea of ​​Azov that Russia does not yet control.

The fighting since the beginning of March has severely damaged the city, which once had more than 400,000 inhabitants.

France, together with Turkey and Greece, is considering a rescue operation for the beleaguered civilian population.

There was initially no reaction from Russia.

Isolated combat activities were also reported from other parts of the country, without any fundamental changes appearing at the front.

According to the military administration of the Kyiv region, Russian units took control of the small town of Slavutych 160 kilometers north of the capital.

Workers from the Chernobyl nuclear ruins live there.

According to the report, soldiers occupied the city hospital and briefly detained the mayor.

Hours later, Mayor Yuri Fomichev was released.

In protest against the occupation, residents of Slavutych took to the streets and marched towards the hospital with a huge Ukrainian flag.

The Russian military fired warning shots and threw stun grenades at the demonstrators.

In Kyiv itself, Mayor Vitali Klitschko lifted the curfew initially planned for the weekend.

Instead of Saturday evening 8 p.m. until at least Monday morning 7 a.m., citizens should now only stay at home at night between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. as usual.

During this time it is forbidden to move around Kyiv without special permission.

The mayor of Chernihiv, in the north-east of the country, reported that Russian troops had blown up a bridge towards Kyiv.

This made it impossible to set up escape corridors for refugees, said Wladyslaw Atroschenko.

In the past few weeks, 200 civilians have been killed in the city, which once had a population of 285,000.

Half of the population has now left Chernihiv, the humanitarian situation is catastrophic.

The information could not initially be independently verified.

According to local media, a Holocaust memorial on the outskirts of the city was damaged when the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv was shelled.

The seven-armed candlestick was now missing two arms, the KharkivToday portal reported.

The Drobitskij Jar memorial commemorates 16,000 to 20,000 Jews and Soviet prisoners who were murdered there by the Nazi occupation in 1941/42.

The Russian army also continued its attacks in other parts of the country.

According to local authorities, five people were injured in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv as a result of Russian rocket attacks.

A quarter in the east of the city was affected.

It was initially unclear whether buildings or infrastructure were attacked.