Russia claims its troops have seized control of four more Ukrainian villages as intense fighting continues in the Kharkiv region.

Ukraine‘s military chief said on Sunday its forces are doing all they can to hold the line in Kharkiv – with Moscow claiming another five villages on Saturday – but they are facing a “difficult situation”.

Russia’s surprise assault on the Kharkiv region began on Friday, threatening to open up a new front and stretch Ukraine’s already-outgunned and outmanned forces.

“Units of the defence forces are fighting fierce defensive battles, the attempts of the Russian invaders to break through our defences have been stopped,” Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

“The situation is difficult, but the defence forces of Ukraine are doing everything to hold defensive lines and positions, (and) inflict damage on the enemy.”

More than 4,000 civilians have fled the region, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov, while Kyiv sends reinforcements to try to plug a supply gap widened by delays in Western military aid.

Ukraine says several months of delays by the US Congress to vote through a huge aid package has cost its forces on the battlefield.

That help is now on its way, but UK foreign secretary Lord David Cameron told Sky News on Sunday it “would have been better if it came earlier”.

Describing the Kharkiv offensive as an “extremely dangerous” moment, he said “we must do everything we can to help the Ukrainians”.

Over the border, at least seven people have been killed in the Russian region of Belgorod after a block of flats was struck by a Soviet-era missile launched by Ukraine.

The building partly collapsed.

Read more:
Ukrainians flee town’s fiercest attack yet
Putin seizes chance to hit Kharkiv

The blast, one of the deadliest attacks on the region, also injured 17 people.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the attack as “barbaric”.

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Switzerland has won Eurovision, topping the leaderboard in a competition fraught with last-minute changes and backstage incidents.

The first non-binary performer to take the trophy, Nemo used their childhood opera experience to pull together an impressive performance mixing rap, rock, drum ‘n bass and classical opera, as well as balancing on a revolving disc spinning at speed as they sang.

The song – which took an early lead in the race – shares a message of self-acceptance and the freedom for each one of us to live our lives openly and without fear of judgment.

When accepting their prize, Nemo said: “I hope this contest can live up to its promise, and continue to stand up for peace.” They then performed their song to wrap up the show.

Eurovision as it happened

Nemo is the first Swiss act to win the contest since Celine Dion took the prize in 1988.

Croatian act Baby Lasagne (whose real name is Marko Purisic) took second place with the anarchic rock track Rim Tim Tagi Dim.

The UK’s act, Dizzy, sung by Olly Alexander came 18th out of 25, with 46 points. He performed 13th in the running order – a number considered unlucky for some, and received a crushing “nul points” in the public vote.

The Years And Years star gave an energetic performance surrounded by his four dancers dressed in boxing shorts, writhing around a brightly lit cube decked out like a boxing ring.

Analysis: Is Eurovision broken? And can it be fixed?

Bethany Minelle

Arts and entertainment reporter

@BethanyMinelle

Fifty years ago Abba brought Waterloo to Eurovision and emerged triumphant. Today, very different battles were being fought within the competition, as it attempted – with limited success – to remain apolitical in the face of geo-politics too loud to ignore.

Critics of the war in Gaza wanted Israel to be pulled from the show, with thousands of pro-Palestine protesters taking to the streets for organised marches throughout competition week. Fans called on acts to boycott the event, with some screenings of the show cancelled in recognition of the contentious nature of the ongoing debate.

Calls of “art washing” rang out loud and clear, but as far as the show’s bosses – the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – were concerned, it was a case of “the show must go on”.

A supplementary drama was thrown into the mix just eight hours before the show was due to start, when Dutch act Joost Klein was axed over allegations he made verbal threats to a female member of Eurovision staff. It was an unprecedented move.

Fans of his song – the painfully catchy happy hardcore number Europapa – were not impressed, venting their displeasure through boos directed at EBU boss Martin Osterdahl as he delivered the Netherlands’ scores during the show.

Following their history-making win, Switzerland’s Nemo admitted they’d broken the coveted Eurovision glass trophy within moments of being handed it. They also admitted to breaking EBU rules by bringing a non-binary flag into the venue, before calling out the “double standards” of the organisers who were reported to have forced some fans to throw away their non-binary flags before being allowed in.

Perhaps summing up the take home message of the night, the 26-year-old singer said: “I broke the code and I broke the trophy, maybe the trophy can be fixed – maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing now and then too.”

With organisers clearly struggling to cope with performers who refuse to be gagged, this was certainly a difficult year for the competition. Can it weather the storm? Or will the hurricane instigated by brutal world conflict raze it to the ground?

Either way, the contest’s motto – “united by music” – must surely now be retired, as the Eurovision community steps away from the stage more divided than ever.

Ireland’s act Bambie Thug came sixth, with their self-named “Ouija pop” track Doomsday Blue.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, opened the show, speaking in a short, pre-recorded video, and wishing all the contestants luck, before Sweden’s identical twins Marcus and Martinus performed the first song.

Performers made some tentative moves towards bringing politics to the stage, with Lithuania signing off their song with the command, “Spread love to the world”, while Portugal’s act said, “Peace will prevail”.

At the end of France’s performance by Slimane, he said: “United by music, for love and peace, thank you so much.”

During an earlier performance he had cut his act short, saying: “Every artist here wants to sing about love and sing about peace. We need to be united by music yes but with love for peace. United by music yes but with love for peace”.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s act Bambie Thug rounded off their performance by saying: “Love will always triumph hate.”

Boos and toy fruit

During a cutaway of their team, which was played after all the songs had been performed in a round-up of the acts sat in the ‘green room’ area onstage, there was a large soft-toy watermelon clearly in the background behind Bambie.

The fruit is widely used as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.

Earlier this week, the 31-year-old, who is non-binary, said the EBU prevented them from displaying a pro-Palestinian message during their performance during the first semi-final.

There was some audible booing when Israel’s Eden Golan performed, and more audible booing when Israel handed out their scores.

But the loudest booing of the night was reserved for the man in charge of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Osterdahl, who was almost drowned out by jeering from the crowd when he first spoke, and then again when he handed out the points for Netherlands.

This year’s Eurovision contest has been embroiled in controversy over the last few months, with demonstrations and calls for Israel to be banned due to their actions in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

On Thursday, between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian march through Malmo, the host city.

An unprecedented axing

But on Friday, drama unfolded closer to home when Dutch act Joost – who had been among the favourites to win – was axed over allegations he made verbal threats to a female Eurovision production worker after coming off stage following the second semi-final on Thursday.

It is the first time in Eurovision history that an act has been disqualified after reaching the grand final.

Then on Saturday, Irish contender Bambie Thug did not take part in the final rehearsal for the show, due to “a situation” they said needed “urgent attention” from organisers.

Several presenters scheduled to award the points of their country during the programme, withdrew from the show just hours before it was due to begin, including Finnish singer Kaarij (whose song Cha Cha Cha came second in last year’s show) and Norwegian singer Alessandra Mele.

Away from the political overtones the EBU was trying so hard to avoid, Swedish supergroup Abba – the most famous band ever to come out of the contest – were shown in hologram form and performed on stage in London.

The four “Abbatars” as they’ve been dubbed sang Waterloo, accompanied from the Malmo stage by fellow former winners Conchita Wurst, Charlotte Perrelli and Carola Haggkvist.

‘Maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing’

Speaking to reporters after their win, Nemo admitted they had accidentally broken the glass microphone shortly after being presented with it on stage.

Nemo hit out at the EBU’s “double standards” when asked about fans reportedly not being allowed to bring non-binary flags into the auditorium, admitting: “I had to smuggle my flag in because Eurovision said no and I did it anyway. I hope some other people did that too… This is clearly like a double standard… I broke the code and I broke the trophy, maybe the trophy can be fixed – maybe Eurovision needs a little bit of fixing too”.

They said the experience of performing in Eurovision had been “intense, and not just pleasant all the way,” adding that the fact had not been “all about love and unity made them “really sad”.

When pressed on how they felt about Dutch act Joost not being in the final, Nemo refused to be drawn, saying, “I don’t really know any specifics” so would “refrain from “saying that if I don’t have anything smart to say”.

However, on their fellow Eurovision finalists, Nemo said they had made “friends for life,” adding that they hope to collaborate with some of their fellow acts, and would “love to do a song with Bambie [Thug]”.

Next year’s contest will be held in Switzerland.

Russia has reopened a major front in its war with Ukraine in a move that will stretch Kyiv’s already undermanned and outgunned forces as they wait for Western weapons.

The Russian military unleashed a ferocious barrage of artillery and airstrikes in the early hours of Friday morning as ground troops attempted the most significant incursion into northeastern Ukraine – territory that shares a long border with Russia – in two years.

Fierce fighting raged into the weekend in different locations along a 45-mile strip of the frontier in the Kharkiv region.

Moscow claimed to have seized five villages, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said battles were taking place around seven villages.

In a sign of the seriousness of the challenge, Ukraine is deploying reserve forces to help repel the Russian assault and a senior commander has been appointed to lead the effort.

The timing of the attack could not be worse for Kyiv – which presumably is why Russia decided to act.

Russian troops are already slowly gaining ground in the eastern Donbas region – a prime focus of the war – closing in on the hilltop town of Chasiv Yar.

Should that Ukrainian stronghold fall, it would give the invading troops a vantage point to strike more easily into the rest of the Donbas, putting key cities like Kramatorsk at risk.

By stepping up attacks in the Kharkiv direction, Russia could force Ukrainian commanders to divert resources from the East to the northeast, weakening their defensive line in the Donbas, which is already under huge strain.

Making the situation even more critical, delays in the delivery of additional weapons and ammunition from Western allies to the frontline have left Ukrainian forces exposed.

The United States – by far Kyiv’s most important military donor – took six months to approve a $61bn (£49bn) package of assistance.

It was finally passed by Congress in April and supplies are starting to arrive.

But over the period of limbo, Ukraine’s British and other European partners were unable to make up for the US shortfall because their respective militaries lack sufficiently deep stockpiles, while efforts to step up the production of new munitions are taking too long.

This is despite the urgency of a crisis that threatens security for the whole of Europe, not just Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, only announced he was putting the UK defence industry on a war footing last month – more than two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

In addition, Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, told Sky News more than a week ago that Britain would be appointing an envoy to oversee the acceleration and expansion of weapons production – but that appointment has yet to be made either.

By contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin put his entire economy on a war footing from day one. Russian production lines are delivering new supplies in defiance of western sanctions, while states such as Iran and North Korea have sold huge quantities of munitions to Moscow.

The Russian military has also benefitted from Soviet-era stockpiles of weapons that might not be particularly reliable or accurate but are better to fight with than nothing at all.

The material imbalance, coupled with Russia’s ability to throw far more men into the fight than Ukraine, yet again gives the invading forces an advantage that they are exploiting.

While Mr Putin has not declared his intent, Kharkiv remains a clear target.

The regional capital was a key target of the president’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

His forces seized swathes of Kharkiv region, but never managed to conquer the city.

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A Ukrainian counteroffensive in the late summer of 2022 pushed the Russians out, but – thanks to their shared border – they never disappeared.

Instead, Russia started launching intermittent artillery and drone strikes against nearby Ukrainian villages and towns as well as longer-range missile strikes against the regional capital.

The aggression had escalated in recent weeks before erupting into Friday’s ground assault.