Spartak Moscow are THROWN OUT of the Europa League, after being given the boot by UEFA

Russian side Spartak Moscow have been kicked out of the Europa League due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Their opponents RB Leipzig will get an automatic bye to the quarter-finals, claim German media outlet Bild.  

European football’s governing body UEFA had already banned Moscow from playing their home leg due to the current circumstances, but have since decided to take further measures and kick them out of the competition.

And the official announcement from FIFA and UEFA came on Monday night. 

Spartak meanwhile released a statement following their exclusion, reading: ‘The decision to exclude our team from Europa League is upsetting.

‘We believe that sport, even in the most difficult times, should aim to build bridges, and not burn them.

‘We will focus on domestic competitions and hope for a speedy achievement of peace that everybody needs.’

Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff had previously said before the ban: ‘We continue to be in close contact with the associations and have complete confidence in UEFA and their decision. We assume that the games will be cancelled.’

RB Leipzig are expected to get a bye into the quarter-finals as they were due to face Spartak

The first leg was scheduled for March 10, with the return tie originally meant to be played seven days later on March 17. 

Spartak Moscow were a seeded club in the last-16 draw after winning their group, meaning the second-leg against Leipzig was scheduled to be in the Russian capital.  

In a statement the club said: ‘The decision to exclude our team from Europa League is upsetting.

‘We believe that sport, even in the most difficult times, should aim to build bridges, and not burn them.

‘We will focus on domestic competitions and hope for a speedy achievement of peace that everybody needs.’

An armed Ukrainian guard is seen on the streets of Kyiv on Monday morning as security is stepped up amid fears of more-frequent and bloodier Russian attacks

Leipzig had previously announced: ‘RB is currently in intensive talks with UEFA about how to proceed in the round of 16 games in the Europa League against Spartak Moscow and assumes that the association will make a decision in the near future.’

Kyiv has survived another night under Russian attack with Putin’s ‘demoralised and exhausted’ troops suffering ‘heavy losses’ trying and failing to break through defences in the city’s outskirts, Ukraine’s commander has said.

Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, who is in charge of defending the city, said on Monday morning that ‘all attempts’ to breach the city failed and that the situation is currently ‘under control’. 

‘We showed that we can protect our home from uninvited guests,’ he added.  

Smoke rises over Kyiv on Monday morning as the city awoke from a night of heavy Russian bombardment to relative calm, though there are fears that Moscow’s troops could quickly step up their attacks

Ukraine’s defence ministry put the total number of Russian casualties at 5,300, though that number could not be independently verified. 

Russia’s defence ministry has for the first time acknowledged suffering losses in the conflict, but has not said how many have died.

Attacks on Kyiv failed despite the city suffering heavy bombardment, with witnesses reporting the sound of ‘carpet-bombing’. 

At 6am Monday, a curfew that had been in place since 3pm Saturday was lifted – allowing people out to buy food and breathe fresh air – but air raid sirens sounded shortly afterwards.

A Ukrainian military vehicle is seen after the curfew was lifted in Kyiv amid Russia’s invasion

In the early hours, Russia invited all Ukrainian citizens to leave the city via a ‘safe’ highway – sparking fears that the bombardment could be about to dramatically step up. 

Moscow employed the same strategy in Syria while fighting alongside Assad’s forces, usually before shelling and bombing cities with heavy casualties.

Though Russian advanced forces have been fighting in Kyiv’s outskirts for several days, the bulk of Putin’s assault force is still located around 20 miles away having been slowed up by determined resistance fighters – with satellite images revealing a huge column of vehicles headed for the city.

The cities of Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv were also bombed overnight, with air raid sirens sounding in other areas. 

Fighting continued in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city located in the east near the border with Russia, which has been the site of the heaviest clashes so far.