Russia-Ukraine war latest: 6 major developments from Friday

Here's what you need to know on 4 March.

This article was updated at 5.30pm

Nuclear power plant attacked Russia’s shelling of a nuclear power station in Ukraine was unlikely to trigger a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster, experts have said. A fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – the largest in Europe – after it was shelled in the early hours of Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later said a Russian projectile hit a training building that was not part of a reactor, causing a localised blaze that was later extinguished. The Russian military has taken control of the Zaporizhzhia plant but the safety systems of the site’s six reactors have not been affected and there has been no release of radioactive material, the IAEA said.. Read more (HuffPost)

Nato 'ready for conflict' Nato has said it is ready for "conflict", as secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned “the days to come are likely to be worse". Nato has so far insisted it has no plans to take direct action against Russia, with US secretary of state Anthony Blinken telling reporters on Friday: "Ours is a defensive alliance. We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us we are ready for it and we will defend every inch of Nato territory."

Stoltenberg warned the attacks on Ukrainian cities - which have so far reportedly killed over 2,000 civilians - will intensify. He said: "The days to come are likely to be worse — with more death, more suffering and more destruction as the Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country. Read more (Guardian)

Russian soldiers accused of rape Ukrainian women are being raped by Russian soldiers, the country's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, claimed. "We have numerous cases of, unfortunately, when Russian soldiers rape women in Ukrainian cities – it’s difficult of course to speak about the efficiency of the international law," he said, while welcoming a call to create a special tribunal to punish Putin. Read more (Yahoo News UK)

Premier League blackout China is set to block coverage of Premier League matches this weekend over the competition’s show of support for Ukraine. The Premier League has “wholeheartedly rejected” the invasion and expressed its intention to show solidarity with Ukraine in various ways across this weekend’s 10-match programme. Chinese rights holder iQIYI Sports has reportedly reacted by refusing to show the matches. The move has been interpreted as a sign of Russia's strong relationship with China, which abstained in a UN general assembly vote condemning Putin's actions.

Read more on China's abstention (AFP)

Read more on China suspending Premier League coverage (Independent)

Watch: Ukrainians protest against Russian soldiers occupying Melitopol city

Johnson rejects assassination calls Boris Johnson has rejected calls from a prominent US politician that Vladimir Putin should be assassinated. The comments come after Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican senator for South Carolina, called for somebody in Russia to "take out" Putin to bring the invasion of Ukraine to an end." Read more (Yahoo News UK)

Meanwhile, Ukrainian leaders claim President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived three assassination attempts in the past week. According to The Times, plots to "eliminate" Zelenskyy, 44, have come from two sets of mercenaries, but plans have reportedly been thwarted after anti-war Russians gave intelligence to Ukrainian authorities. Read more (Evening Standard)

Sainsbury's shows support Sainsbury’s has announced it is renaming Chicken Kievs to match the Ukrainian spelling, and pulling Russian vodka and sunflower seeds off shelves. A statement from the supermarket chain said: “We stand united with the people of Ukraine. We have reviewed our product range and have decided to remove from sale all products that are 100% sourced from Russia." Read more (Independent)