60 km long convoy of Russian Forces nearing Kyiv

RUSSIA,UN,UKRAINE: Satellite photos show a convoy of Russian forces north of Ukraine’s capital stretching for 40 miles.

The vast convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was 17 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv and stretched for about 40 miles (60 kilometres), according to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies.

The Maxar photos also showed deployments of ground forces and ground attack helicopter units in southern Belarus.

Meanwhile, the 193 member-strong United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) began an emergency special session on Monday to discuss a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine. During the rare meeting, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded that the fighting in Ukraine must stop and keep a path of dialogue open.

Here are the top quotes from the UNGA meeting:

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRESS: “The guns are talking now, but the path of dialogue must always remain open… We need peace now. Escalating violence is resulting in civilians’ death. Enough is Enough, soldiers need to move back to barracks, civilians must be protected.”

UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR SERGIY KYSLYTSYA: “If Ukraine does not survive … international peace will not survive. Have no illusions. If Ukraine does not survive, we cannot be surprised if democracy fails next.”

RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR VASSILY NEBENZIA: “Russian actions are being distorted and thwarted. I wish to state that the Russian Federation did not begin these hostilities. The hostilities were unleashed by Ukraine against its own residents, the residents of Donbass and all of those who are dissenters. Russia is seeking to end this war.”

CHINESE AMBASSADOR ZHANG JUN: “Nothing can be gained from stirring up a new Cold War, but everyone will stand to lose.”

Meanwhile, Russia on Monday banned airlines from 36 nations from its airspace in retaliation to Ukraine-related sanctions against the country following its military offensive in Ukraine. The 36 countries include 27 members of the European Union.

Russia being the largest country in the world, the airspace ban will hit planes flying to Asia from Europe, thus forcing them to look for alternative routes.

Meanwhile, an embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its bond with the West on Monday by signing an application to join the European Union, while the first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no immediate agreements.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted photos of himself signing the EU application, a largely symbolic move that could take years to become reality and is unlikely to sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of trying to pull Ukraine into its orbit.

Meanwhile, Russian invasion forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, but ran into stiff resistance elsewhere as Moscow’s diplomatic and economic isolation deepened. Russia’s Defence Ministry, however, said its forces had taken over the towns of Berdyansk and Enerhodar in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya region as well as the area around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Interfax reported. -THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, INDIAN EXPRESS,THE TELEGRAPH INDIA