Live maps of the military dispositions have begun coming out for what they're worth, this one from militaryland dot net. I think an earlier version displaying just the starting deployments supports the impression that Ukraine planned to largely abandon the NE, with something like 3 brigades for the whole area compared to 9 or 10 around Donbas.
I've been using a different one but seems to be tracking similiarly:
https://liveuamap.com/

As for the NE, when you look at it with the river to the East and then the heavy Russian force at Karkiv it turns into a pocket that could get cut off. A shorter line of defense instead of a no step back approach makes sense against a superior force, especially considering that's what Manstein had to do in almost the same area after Stalingrad was lost.

The Russian loss of that VDV helicopter Battalion (this is just an estimate) at Gostomel airport is certainly a tremendous set back. Like market garden it may not change the course of the war but certainly let the enemy know you're still a potent fighting force.

Supposedly a heck of an air battle/air defense over Kiev tonight, can only wonder what's happening. The 'Ghost of Kiev' rumor about some lone Ukrainian pilot becoming an overnight Ace are unproven just yet but who knows. The rumors of it though are the type of thing that oddly enough help the nerves of the guys on the ground.

Audio supposedly from the island battle Crandar mentions. All 13 defenders were killed. I'm assuming it was a volunteer assignment.

"We are a Russian ship, lay down your arms."
"Russian ship, go yourself."

The senselessness of war.
Followed that too, truly horrible for those that died there. A sensless death but heroic none the less, especially in our 'european culture' which has always admired doomed last stands from Thermopylae to the Alamo and beyond.

So, Putin has spoken and governed as a nationalist his entire career, exalted the Russian Empire and Russian Soviet power, derided Ukrainian autonomy, spent a lot of political and economic resources on trying to suppress it, and finally declared - in his capacity as autocrat - a very likely ruinous (to all sides) European ground war, Europe's and Russia's biggest offensive since the advance against Berlin in 1945, on the stated premise that Russia cannot allow the existence of a divergent Ukraine as a matter of national pride, propriety, and security. Your reaction to this is that you have no idea why he's invading, but that his stated reasons have nothing to do with the truth? C'mon man.
Following the squashed protests today around Russia though I'm glad to see not all there have bought into his nationalist view. Though they won't change the outcome perhaps the economic pressures, internal domestic pressures, the oligarch pressures, and if this war goes on long and poorly the military pressures can do something to oust him for someone saner.
The next few days will continue to be interesting, Russia's full might hasn't come to bear yet though the initial assaults have not proven easy.

The question is ultimately whether world leaders believe the comparison is suitable. I'm confident many do, because observers have no reason to link or restrict the lessons of that war to the quality of some legal justification. That sounds naive. Azerbaijan didn't accomplish what it did by the exercise of law.
I think the only thing different in the Azeri example is that it was a limited war over territorial claims, a peace deal with the Armenians was an option. The wars of regime change like in Iraq or now in Ukraine leave no one to make peace with, this one being tied with territorial claims though makes it even more difficult.
The Azeri war certainly showed force can change borders with conventional arms. Iraq tried it with Iran and then with Kuwait both with failed results but had they succeeded it would have changed the status quo for sure, no such sanctions happened to the Azeris, no such outcry but then they are more western aligned and the territory in question was de jure theirs though ethnically and defacto Armenian. Another population change (ethnic cleansing/evictions) there will make the change permanent.