We don't seek conflict with Russia but we are ready for it, US says

Highlights:

• The number of civilian casualties is still unclear but the UN refugee agency says more than a million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began on 24 February with millions more on the move
• The first Ukrainian city to fall was Kherson, located where the Dnieper river meets the Black Sea
• Russian missiles have also been targeting the capital Kyiv and the second-largest city Kharkiv. A massive armoured convoy approaching Kyiv by road is currently stalled
• The southern port of Mariupol is still under siege and Russian troops are also headed towards another port, Odessa - capturing both would cut off Ukraine's maritime access
• Russian troops have also seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, after shelling it for hours on Friday. The move alarmed world leaders who said the attack could have unleashed a catastrophe.
• The now-retired Chernobyl plant, the site of the 1986 nuclear accident, is also under Russian control
• Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has condemned the West for its continued refusal to enforce a no-fly zone over his country, saying; "All the people who die will die because of you".​
• The US and EU have imposed sweeping sanctions freezing Russian assets, targeting the country's central bank, Vladimir Putin and his inncer circle. The rouble has plunged amid the restrictions, which also hit trade, investments and travel.
• Independent media firms, including the BBC, have suspended work in Russia after it approved a draconian law censoring reporting of the war in Ukraine
• A slew of compainies - from Samsung to Airbnb and Cartier - have suspended exports to or operations in Russia citing the war.

NATO will defend all its allies and territory against a Russian attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, as he arrived for a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels.

"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," he told reporters, while condemning what he called Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

"And overnight, we've also seen reports about the attack against a nuclear power plant. This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging in good faith in diplomatic efforts."