Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Powerful explosions shook Kyiv

Powerful explosions were heard this morning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Reuters reported. Eyewitnesses also reported smoke over the city.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in Telegram that there have been several explosions in the capital's Darnytskyi and Dniprovsky districts, Ukrainian services are working on the spot and more detailed information will be available later.

Both areas are large and densely populated.

Earlier, air raid sirens were turned on in much of Ukraine, including the Kyiv region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom said a Russian cruise missile had flown "critically low" over a major nuclear power plant.

Counteroffensive in Sievierodonetsk

Intense fighting continues in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk. Ukraine has said its forces have regained part of the city.

However, Russia claims that Ukrainian units are withdrawing. Kyiv says a new Russian strike has hit a famous monastery in eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces are blowing up bridges across the Seversky Donets River to prevent the arrival of Ukrainian army reinforcements and the delivery of aid to civilians in the city of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast leader Sergei Gaidai said.

According to him, Ukrainian forces have recaptured about a fifth of the territory they had lost in the city. Russia's Defense Ministry said in Telegram that Ukrainian forces were withdrawing to the city of Lysychansk after suffering "critical losses" of up to 90% in some military units during fighting in nearby Sievierodonetsk.

Part of Orthodox monastery destroyed

A wooden church of a famous Orthodox monastery in eastern Ukraine was destroyed by Russian bombing. Russia has blamed the retreating Ukrainian forces for the blaze.

In another video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Russia's membership in the UN to be suspended due to its actions in Ukraine.

Zelensky pointed out that since the beginning of the war, 113 Ukrainian churches have been destroyed or damaged, some of which have survived even during World War II:

"Russia is consistently and systematically destroying Ukraine's cultural and historical heritage, as well as social infrastructure, housing and everything necessary for a normal life. A country that does this cannot be a member of UNESCO and cannot remain in the UN, as if nothing is happening. The UN Charter does not give terrorists any rights, and UNESCO is not a place for barbarians. "

Ukraine wants Russia to lift the blockade

Kyiv has demanded the lifting of Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports. Ukraine and Western countries are looking for ways to export 20 million tons of grain from the country and empty warehouses so that the new harvest can be stored there.

Amid fears of a global food crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there is no problem with grain exports from Ukraine.

In an interview with Russia 1, he called on the Kyiv authorities to clear the ports they control and assured that Russia would not take advantage of the situation to attack Ukraine by sea:

"The unfavorable situation on the world food market began to arise not yesterday and not after the start of Russia's special military operation in Donbas and Ukraine. It began to emerge in February 2020 in the process of combating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic."

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