UPDATE: 198 Ukrainians Have Died, 33 Children, 1,115 Wounded, As Ukraine Blew Up Bridges Leading Into Kyiv To Prevent Russian Troops

• Ukrainian forces have blew up bridges leading into Kyiv in an effort to prevent Russian troops from infiltrating the capital.

• A convoy with six battle tanks and other military vehicles reached the Tapa military base in an attempt to impede Russia from entering the city.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Ukraine’s Minister of Health Oleh Liashko gave an update via Facebook on the current death toll in the country.

He said, since the start of the Russian invasion, 198 Ukrainians have died, including three children, with 1,115 wounded, including 33 children.

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Mainwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation shifted some of its troops on Friday in order to be able to respond swiftly if needed as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued unrelentingly and Western countries and alliances imposed tougher sanctions on Moscow.

The organisation is deploying units of the rapid reaction NATO Response Force on land, at sea and in the air to respond quickly to any contingency, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said as Russia continued its fierce attack on Ukraine.

The NATO members said the measures were “preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory” in a statement.

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told the emergency summit that the Eastern members of the alliance needed more troops following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

As he spoke, the first British soldiers and trucks carrying additional equipment reached Estonia to reinforce the NATO battalion there.

A convoy with six battle tanks and other military vehicles reached the Tapa military base, the Estonian Army said.

London is set to send 850 soldiers and equipment to Estonia, roughly doubling the British contingent there.

Other NATO members also announced new deployments to strengthen the Western military alliance.

Italy said it was making around 3,400 additional soldiers available on the alliance’s Eastern flank, while Denmark announced it was ready to contribute 20 more F-16 fighter jets to help secure NATO airspace.

Also on Friday, Russia banned British aircraft from using its airspace, in a tit-for-tat response a day after London barred Russia’s Aeroflot airline from flying to Britain.

Poland and the Czech Republic followed up later by saying they would also close airspace to Russian planes.

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