Turkish forces have besieged the northern Syrian city of Afrin as part of "Operation Olive Branch." Turkey's president says the forces are ready to enter the city "at any moment". Meanwhile, the Turkish foreign minister is holding talks with Russian officials in Moscow. CGTN's Michal Bardavid has more.

MICHAL BARDAVID ISTANBUL "Over the past few days, we've been seeing local reports of civilians trying to flee the city of Afrin as Turkey's Olive Branch military operation progressed towards the city. On Tuesday, drone footage released by the Turkish army seemed to show that civilians who were trying to leave were stopped by men believed to be YPG militants who were blocking the road. Turkey says it has now besieged the town of Afrin and is ready to enter the city at any moment. Turkey's deputy Prime Minister said Turkey now controls more than half of the area. Turkey has been accusing the YPG of using civilians as human shields. Turkey's military says over 3,300 terrorists have been neutralized since the operation began, meaning those who have been killed, injured or captured while 42 Turkish soldiers have been killed since the operation began in January. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is in Moscow, holding talks with Russian officials. He's expected to hold a press conference with his counterpart Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday. Cavusoglu was quoted as saying that Turkey and the U.S. will oversee the withdraw of YPG militants from Syria's Manbij city. A major issue of conflict for Turkey and the U.S. which is expected to be discussed between the two countries in this month. Michal Bardavid, CGTN, Istanbul."