Russia hits out as Finland races to join NATO.
Finland applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday. Sweden will soon follow suit, bringing the Western military alliance to 32 states.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has long opposed NATO expansion, claiming it as one of the motivations for his invasion of Ukraine.
A day after the Ukrainian government suspended gas flows via its borders, Russia, further constrained by Finland’s NATO goals and facing a ferocious war on the battlefield in Ukraine, has used another weapon in its arsenal: essentially shutting off gas supplies to Europe.
Outside of Kharkiv, Ukrainian troops began a ferocious counter-offensive, retaking areas around Ukraine’s second-biggest city.
They’ve driven Russian troops back and shut off vital supply routes to Donbas.
Further south, in the eastern Donbas area, villages and towns have been subjected to Russian ground and air bombardment.
The everyday reality for those caught in the line of Russia’s war machine is that they never know when or where the next missile or airstrike will hit.
A powerful explosion surprised neighbors on a dirt road in Bakhmut, leaving a large hole in a quiet lane and obliterating their houses.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.