Ukraine: Air India flights; Putin nuclear drills; US-Poland tank deal | Top updates

With worry plaguing Indians in Ukraine and their families back home, Air India announced that it would operate 3 flights on February 22, 24, and 26. The airline, which was recently acquired by the Tata group, said that booking can be done through Air India booking offices, websites, call centres, and authorised travel agents. Tension is persisting in Ukraine over fears of Russian invasion, despite Moscow's claims of withdrawing troops - a contention disputed by America.

ALSO WATCH | Ukraine crisis looms: shelling hits kindergarten, 2 teachers wounded

A day earlier, the Indian government had said that there are no plans to evacuate Indian citizens from Ukraine yet, but they are advised to leave the country if they are not engaged in essential activities. The Indian government also removed restrictions on number of flights which can ply between India and Ukraine.

During a trip to Poland, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said that what Russian President Vladimir Putin did not want in the Russian neighbourhood, was exactly what was going to happen in the form of stronger NATO presence. He made the comments on the sidelines of his meeting with his Polish counterpart. The two announced Poland's acquisition of M1A2 Abrams tanks as a boost to NATO's deterrence efforts.

Meanwhile, the Russian government reportedly announced that President Putin would personally oversee large-scale military drills aimed at "verifying reliability of nuclear and conventional forces". The drills will reportedly include practice launches of inter-continental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Earlier, tensions spiked after both Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists accused each other of intense shelling. The Ukrainian military command said shells hit a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska, wounding teachers, and cutting power to half the town. Meanwhile, separatist authorities in the rebel-controlled Luhansk region reported an increase in Ukrainian shelling along the tense line of contact in the east. Eastern Ukraine has been the site of fighting since 2014.