Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: IAEA establishes mission at Ukraine's nuclear plant

MOSCOW/KIEV, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) established the support and assistance mission at the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant (NPP) in southern Ukraine, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Monday.

"We are here to stay to help ensure nuclear safety and security during ongoing conflict," Grossi tweeted after the flag-raising ceremony at the plant.

Soon, the IAEA will be permanently present at all Ukrainian NPPs, Grossi said.

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The Russian Armed Forces do not strike residential buildings or civilian infrastructure but military targets in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing on Monday.

He denied that the Russian forces caused the deadly collapse of a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro last week, saying that it was destroyed by Kiev's interceptor missile.

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Supplies of Western heavy armored vehicles, including Britain's Challenger 2 tanks, to Ukraine are not likely to change the situation on the battlefield, Peskov told a daily briefing on Monday.

The arms supplies will only prolong the crisis and the Western countries simply use Ukraine as a tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals, he stressed.

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Visiting chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Bujar Osmani on Monday called for the immediate return of the organization's field mission to Ukraine.

"The mission would make a big difference on the ground promoting stability, security and human rights for all citizens," Osmani tweeted after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.