Ukrainian Reserves Brace for Battle as Russia Advances on Kyiv
Territorial Defence Forces — Ukraine’s military reserves — have been deployed around the capital, Kyiv, to stem the Russian onslaught. The stakes are rising as Russian troops tighten their grip, especially in the northeast regions of Sumy and Konotop.
NATO Ramps Up Troop Deployments in Eastern Europe
In a bold move, NATO’s 30 leaders announced fresh troop deployments to eastern Europe. Their joint statement slammed Moscow’s “barrage of lies” and exposed Russian deceit over its invasion plans. This came after a tense virtual summit led by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
“No one should be fooled by the Russian government’s barrage of lies.”
“We are now making significant additional defensive deployments of forces to the eastern part of the alliance.”
Russian Claims and Eurovision Fallout
- Russia’s defence ministry boasts it has destroyed 211 Ukrainian military targets, reports IFAX.
- Russian forces say they have cut off Ukraine’s Sumy and Konotop regions.
- In a striking response to the invasion, organisers of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest banned Russia from competing.
The contest will take place in May in Turin, Italy, following last year’s win by Italian rock band Måneskin. This ban is a reversal from earlier plans that labelled Eurovision as a “non-political cultural event” and initially intended to allow entries from both Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s state broadcaster, UA:PBC, pushed hard for Russia’s suspension, accusing Russian media of acting as a Kremlin “mouthpiece.” Russia has stayed silent on the controversy, but tensions between the nations have long cast a shadow over the song contest.
