Water scarcity is ‘number one problem’ in Mariupol, says mayoral adviser
Water shortages have become the “number one problem” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, an aide to the city’s mayor said.
“The Russians are trying to create the illusion that ‘everything is fine’ in the city. But the water supply and water scarcity remain the number one problem in the city,” Petro Andriushchenko said Sunday in a publication by Telegram which was translated by NBC News.
“The restoration of the centralized water supply, as expected, turned into a sham,” he said. “The drinking water supply is insufficient. There are huge queues at the bottling points, but even here there is not enough water for everyone.”
Andriushchenko further warned that “older and less mobile people” in the city face difficulties in accessing water.
Russia has probably lost a third of its ground forces from Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense says.
Russia has now likely lost a third of the ground combat forces it committed in February and is “increasingly constrained by degraded enabling capabilities, continued low morale and reduced combat effectiveness,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. an intelligence briefing on Sunday.
The report, posted on Twitter, added that Russia had failed to make any substantial territorial gains over the past month and continued to suffer from “constantly high levels of attrition.”
“Under current conditions, Russia is unlikely to drastically accelerate its rate of advance in the next 30 days,” he said.
Russia’s neighbor Finland says it wants to join NATO
Finland announced on Sunday that it intends to apply for NATO membership, paving the way for the 30-member Western military alliance to expand amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement at a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.
The Finnish parliament is expected to back the decision in the coming days and the result is seen as a formality. A formal application for membership is likely to be sent to NATO headquarters in Brussels next week.
Russia, which shares an 800-mile border with Finland, has said it would be a mistake for its neighbor to join the transatlantic alliance and would damage bilateral ties.
Sweden is also expected to follow suit, as public support for membership has grown.
More weapons on the way to Ukraine, foreign minister says after Blinken meeting
More weapons and other aid are on the way to Ukraine, the country’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted after a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Pro-Russian Hacker Attacks Foiled During Eurovision, Italian Police Say
Hacker attacks by pro-Russian groups were thwarted during the May 10 semi-final and Saturday final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italian police said on Sunday.
During the voting operations and the contestants’ performances, the police said they had mitigated several cyberattacks on the network infrastructure by the “Killnet” hacker group and its affiliate “Legion.”
On May 11, “Killnet” claimed an attack on the websites of several Italian institutions, including the Senate, the upper house of the Italian parliament, and the National Institute of Health (ISS), the ANSA news agency reported.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, many Western governments have raised alert levels in anticipation of potential cyberattacks on IT systems and infrastructure.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with its entry “Stefania,” riding a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory that was welcomed by the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Missiles hit military infrastructure in western Ukraine near Polish border, says regional governor
Four missile strikes hit military infrastructure in the Yavoriv area of western Ukraine, near the Polish border, early Sunday, Lviv regional governor Maxim Kozitsky said.
“The object is completely destroyed,” Kozitsky said in a post on his Telegram channel that was translated by NBC News.
His post came after Ukraine’s regional air command said several missiles had been fired at the Lviv region from the Black Sea in the early morning hours.
Ukraine is crowned winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022
Ukraine was crowned the winner on Saturday Eurovision song contest.
the contest tweeted the winner.
The Ukrainian band was the beneficiary of a last minute wave of 439 votes from the television audience that put it in front.
“Stefania” by the award-winning Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra was written as a tribute to the leader’s mother, but became an anthem for the war-torn country.
“In fact, some things here were written long before the war and were dedicated to my mother,” leader Oleh Psiuk told The Associated Press.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine: Russians withdraw from Kharkiv and advance east
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops are withdrawing from the outskirts of Ukraine’s second-largest city after weeks of shelling it, the Ukrainian military said Saturday, as forces from kyiv and Moscow participated in a devastating battle for the industrial heart of the east of the country.
Ukraine’s general staff said Russian forces were withdrawing from the northeastern city of Kharkiv and concentrating on protecting supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and airstrikes in the eastern province of Donetsk to “exhaust Ukrainian forces and destroy the fortifications.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine was “entering a new phase of the long-term war.”
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians were doing their “maximum” to expel the invaders and that the outcome of the war would depend on the support of Europe and other allies.
Reference-www.nbcnews.com