Finland on Sunday confirmed its bid for Nato membership as a bulwark against Russia, redrawing the balance of power in Europe after decades of military non-alignment.
In Helsinki, President Sauli Niinisto called the move “historic”. “A new era is opening,” he said, before the decision is put before parliament for approval.
Finland’s move, expected to be followed by neighbouring Sweden, has angered the Kremlin, which insists the Nordic nations have nothing to fear and promised reprisals.
Russia has already pulled the plug on electricity supplies to Finland, with whom it shares a 1,300-kilometre border, prompting grid bosses to ask Sweden for back-up.
The announcement came as Western intelligence claimed that Russia has suffered huge military losses in Ukraine and that it will get bogged down in the strategic east as it faces stiff resistance.
And away from the conflict, Ukraine was basking in the morale-boosting glory of the landside win of its entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, the world’s biggest live music event.
On the battlefield, Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had carried out “high-precision” missile strikes on four artillery munition depots in the Donetsk area in the east of Ukraine.
Airstrikes had also destroyed two missile-launching systems and radar, while 15 Ukrainian drones were taken out around Donetsk and Lugansk, it added.
The claims came as UK defence chiefs said Russia’s offensive in the Donbas region had “lost momentum”. Demoralised Russian troops had failed to make substantial gains and Moscow’s battle plan was “significantly behind schedule”, UK Defence Intelligence said in an update.
“Russia has now likely suffered losses of one third of the ground combat force it committed in February.“Under the current conditions, Russia is unlikely to dramatically accelerate its rate of advance over the next 30 days.—AFP
