The Kremlin said on Saturday that Kyiv had refused to hold talks with Moscow and Russian forces would resume operations in Ukraine, which have entered a third day.

"The Ukrainian side has refused to negotiate. This afternoon Russian forces have resumed their advance in accordance with the plan of the operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered a halt to military operations in light of the expected negotiations that were previously planned with Ukraine, local media reported citing Peskov.

Also on Saturday, Oleksiy Arestovich, advisor to the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Kyiv refused to negotiate with Russia because the conditions Russia proposed are "unacceptable" for the country, calling those conditions as "an attempt to force us to surrender."

Putin on Thursday authorized "a special military operation" in Donbas, and Ukraine confirmed that military targets across the country were under attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the Russian Armed Forces had destroyed 821 military infrastructure objects in Ukraine since the operation began.

In a briefing on Saturday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the forces had established full control over the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol.

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Ukraine won't lay down weapons: Zelenskyy 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday refuted reports that the country's army will disarm and evacuate.

"We will not lay down any weapons, we believe in our army and our country. We will protect it. Glory to Ukraine!" Zelenskyy said, noting that he did not leave Kyiv, which was under heavy shelling overnight.

The siege of Kyiv is the primary purpose of Russia's offensive against Ukraine, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Saturday on Facebook. Russia plans to encircle and block Kyiv to "demilitarize" Ukraine and force the Ukrainian leadership to change its political course on Russian terms, the statement said.

According to Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko, 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed in Russia's operation against Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities earlier said their forces had killed 3,000 Russian soldiers in the first two days of fighting.

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Kyiv under curfew

A curfew was issued from 5:00 p.m. local time on Saturday until 8:00 a.m. on Monday in Kyiv.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Saturday that "all civilians who are on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance groups."

For the past three days, residents of the Ukrainian capital have been going on a nerve-wracking trip between bomb shelters, grocery stores and their apartment homes as fears of imminent danger are compounded by anxiety over food shortages and risks of COVID-19 infection.

The city of some 3 million people, once a hub of bustling activities, has been plunged into chaos, with streets littered with debris and damage seen to residential buildings.

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes and several thousand more have left the country since the conflict erupted.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Friday local time that the top priority now was for all parties to exercise the necessary restraint to prevent the current situation in Ukraine from getting worse or even getting out of control.

"The safety of ordinary people's lives and properties should be effectively safeguarded, and in particular, large-scale humanitarian crises have to be prevented," he said.

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(With input from agencies)

(Cover: A Ukrainian soldier is seen behind tires in Zhuliany neighborhood of Kyiv in Ukraine, February 26, 2022. /CFP)