Two towns in Ukraine’s southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, Berdyansk and Enerhodar, and the area around a nuclear power plant were have come under Russia’s control, its defence ministry claimed, as the two countries began talks on Monday, reported Reuters.

However, Ukraine has denied that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant is under Russian control.

While the Russian assault continued for the fifth day, Ukranian authorities said major urban centres had not been captured.

According to the report, the Russian assault did not make as much headway as had been expected. Blasts were heard in the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv, a major city in the east, according to the report.

In Kyiv, authorities said more fortifications and defensive measures have been put in place, in anticipation of more fighting.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian forces were focusing on Chernihiv city, which is located northeast of Kyiv, and parts of the eastern Donetsk region that are held by separatists.

Fighting was reported through the night around the eastern coastal city of Mariupol, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk regional administration head, said the report.