2:37 am: Powerful explosions heard in kyiv
Powerful explosions were heard in kyiv in the early hours of Friday, while warning sirens sounded across Ukraine as Ukrainian forces and residents braced for further attacks from Russia.
These appear to be the largest blasts in and around the Ukrainian capital since the Russian military withdrew from the area earlier this month for redeployment in the south and east of the country .
2:30 am: CIA warns of nuclear risk posed by Putin facing setbacks
"Given that President Putin and the Russian leadership may sink into despair, given the setbacks they have suffered so far from a military point of view, none of us can take the threat posed by the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or low-power nuclear weapons," CIA chief William Burns said Thursday during a speech in Atlanta.
The Kremlin mentioned putting its nuclear forces on alert "but we haven't really seen any concrete signs such as deployments or military measures that could aggravate our concerns", added the head of the main American intelligence agency.
“Obviously we are very concerned. I know that President (Joe) Biden is deeply concerned about the risk of World War III and is doing everything to avoid getting to the point where a nuclear conflict becomes possible”, a- he added.
With AFP and Reuters
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