INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine's forces were fighting off a fierce Russian onslaught on the east of the country Sunday after a Eurovision victory gave the country
a much-needed boost of morale.President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that the war in his country risked triggering global food
shortages, adding that the situation in Ukraine's Donbas is "very difficult."Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, has increasingly
turned its attention to the country's east since the end of March, after failing to take the capital Kyiv.Western analysts believe President
Vladimir Putin has his sights on annexing southern and eastern Ukraine in the months ahead but his troops have appeared to be encountering
stiff resistance.Russia's war in Ukraine is increasingly shifting the balance of power in Europe, with Finland and Sweden poised to jettison
decades of military non-alignment to join NATO as a defense against feared further aggression from Moscow.Helsinki is set to formally
announce its bid for membership on Sunday.But as a conflict that has displaced millions dragged towards its third month, Ukrainians were
offered a much-needed boost of optimism as a rap lullaby combining folk and modern hip-hop rhythms won the Eurovision song
and Mariupol! Help Az?vstal right now," Psiuk said in English from the stage, referring to the port city's underground steelworks where
Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded by Russian forces.There was also optimism from Kyiv's head of military intelligence, who told the U.K.'s
encircle the city of Severodonetsk."There's heavy fighting on the border with Donetsk region," Gaidai said, reporting major Russian losses
of equipment and personnel."From interceptions [of phone calls], we understand that a whole [Russian] battalion has refused to attack
because they see what's happening."Aerial images showed dozens of destroyed armored vehicles on the river bank and wrecked pontoon
bridges.UK military intelligence also said Russian forces had sustained heavy losses as they attempted the river crossing.The highly risky
maneuver reflected "the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine," it added.But
Moscow's forces had "failed to make any significant advances despite concentrating forces in this area," it said.In Washington, a senior US
defense official said most of the activity was now in the Donbas area.Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synegubov meanwhile said in a video on
Telegram that Ukrainian forces were counter-attacking in the direction of the northeastern city of Izium.And the Ukrainian General Staff
said troops had managed to push Russian troops out of Kharkiv, a priority target for Moscow."The enemy's main efforts are focused on
recapture all occupied territory, and those under siege, including in the devastated southern port city of Mariupol.There, the last
defenders of the city are holed up in a warren of underground tunnels and bunkers at the vast Azovstal steelworks under heavy
bombardment.The United Nations and Red Cross helped to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the plant whey there were sheltering
earlier this month.Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of the city, said on Telegram that a "huge convoy" of 500 to a thousand
cars had arrived in the city of Zaporizhia."Finally, we are waiting for our relatives from Mariupol at home," he said.Balance of
said power supplied by Sweden had made up for the losses.Ahead of talks with NATO members in Berlin, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto
said he was "confident that in the end we will find a solution and Finland [and] Sweden will become members of NATO."Earlier, in a phone
call initiated by Helsinki, President Sauli Niinisto had a "direct and straightforward" conversation with Putin."Avoiding tensions was
considered important," Niinisto's office said.Putin, however, told him that Finland joining NATO would be a "mistake," insisting that Russia
posed "no threat to Finland's security," the Kremlin said.Ukraine's Zelensky also met with a delegation of senior U.S
lawmakers Saturday, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell reaffirming Washington's support for the country."The Ukrainians are
fighting bravely against a deranged invader and have already succeeded beyond skeptics' wildest dreams," McConnell said in a statement."They
famine," Zelensky said in his address."The sooner we liberate our land and guarantee Ukraine's security, the sooner the normal state of the
food market can be restored," he said.Before the invasion, Ukraine exported 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its
others cut off from the world by Russian warships, the supply can only travel on congested land routes that are much less efficient.India
had previously said it was ready to help fill some of the supply shortages caused by the war.But on Saturday the country banned wheat
exports without government approval, drawing sharp criticism from the G7's agriculture ministers meeting in Germany, who said that such
measures "would worsen the crisis."G7 ministers urged countries not to take restrictive action that could pile further stress on the produce
markets.They "spoke out against export stops and call as well for markets to be kept open," said German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir,
whose nation holds the rotating presidency of the group.
