Russian foreign minister has said that Russia will stick to conventional weapons in the ongoing war with Ukraine and will not deploy its nuclear arsenal. This comes a week after CIA director Willian J. Burns said that Russian President Putin is likely to use nuclear weapons if he senses a major defeat. Mr. Lavrov, the top Russian diplomat, said in an interview to India Today yesterday on Tuesday. This is the most direct Russian response on the question even if Lavrov himself does not control military decisions.
The chief of the European Council, Charles Michel, arrived in Kyiv today and posted the following to Twitter:
In Kyiv today.
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) April 20, 2022
In the heart of a free and democratic Europe. @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/7DxTeoxtMc
Fighting in the south-eastern port city of Mariupol continues with pro-Russian sources regularly claiming that the city is under its control like the other cities along the coast of the Se of Azov, located strategically near the Crimean peninsula which Russia considers “annexed” while Ukraine considers “temporarily occupied”.
Media reports that an evacuation plan has been agreed with Moscow and Kyiv hopes to extract about 6,000 people from the conflict. Ukrainian forces trapped in the city amid Russian fire continue to send out appeals for extraction and Russian sources claim they are facing heavy losses, defeats, and are surrendering.
Ukraine has also posted this tally of losses faced by Russian troops in the conflict so far, which has entered its 56th day:
Втрати ворога в інфографіці ????@armyinformcomua pic.twitter.com/00qqoBbWRh
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 20, 2022
Donbas Offensive Intensifies
Russia and Ukraine have redoubled their efforts along the Donbas contact line separating the insurgent vs. government-controlled areas of the two provinces Luhansk and Donetsk, collectively known as Donbass, in Ukraine’s east.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 20 April 2022
— Ministry of Defence ???????? (@DefenceHQ) April 20, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/IzoGBjigxE
???????? #StandWithUkraine ???????? pic.twitter.com/Gbf74aubUt
Ukraine continues to appeal for further supplies of Western arms as Moscow claims that its strikes are aimed at destroying its new acquisitions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it is the “moral duty” of the est to provide arms to his country. Norway announced today that it is donating its Mistral air defence system and 10 missiles to Ukraine.
NATO Expansion: Sweden, Finland Increasing Momentum To Join
A little over a week after Moscow’s warning that Sweden and Finland joining the NATO alliance would have “unprecedented consequnces” for security in the region, media reports that a majority of Swedes favour joining the NATO. In Finland, over 10 of the 20-member Parliament are also willing to vote in favour of joining NATO.
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