Russia charged a US journalist with spying while NATO moved closer to adding Finland as a member, deepening Moscow’s tensions with the West as the war in Ukraine reached its 400th day yesterday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a daily address on Thursday spoke of the “tremendous path” his country had taken in 400 days of resistance since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 last year.
“Ukraine will win at the front ... we will not leave a single trace of Russia on our land, and we will not leave any enemy unpunished either,” he said, adding that the Ukrainian military has been planning a counteroffensive.
Photo: Reuters
Earlier on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal denied espionage allegations against reporter Evan Gershkovich and demanded his immediate release.
The Kremlin said he had been “caught red-handed,” but presented no evidence.
The White House condemned Russia’s actions and urged US citizens living or travelling in Russia to leave immediately.
“These espionage charges are ridiculous. The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a news conference.
The Russian security service said it arrested Gershkovich, a 31-year-old who has reported from Russia for six years, in the Urals industrial city of Yekaterinburg, “suspected of spying in the interests of the American government.”
He was brought to Moscow, where a court at a closed hearing ordered him held in pre-trial detention until May 29.
Espionage in Russia can be punishable by up to 20 years in jail.
Western political analysts said Moscow could seek to barter Gershkovich in a prisoner swap with Washington or use him as diplomatic leverage in some other way.
Separately, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to allow Finland to join NATO. The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the Western defence alliance to ratify Finland’s membership after Hungary’s legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week.
Sweden has also sought NATO membership.
NATO countries individually, notably the US, the UK and European nations, and the alliance collectively have provided major military and financial support to Kyiv.
“Soon both Finland and Sweden will be [NATO] members, meaning that President Putin is getting the exact opposite of what he wanted,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Fox News. “He wanted less NATO. He is getting more NATO.”
Ukraine said on Thursday that Russian forces continued their assault on the eastern battlefield city of Bakhmut and nearby towns, as well as on the contested city of Avdiivka and surrounding areas.
The small mining city of Bakhmut has been the site of the bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War II, with Russian forces seeking their first victory since the middle of last year.
Ukrainian military analyst Evhen Dikyi on Thursday said that Russian forces control more than half the city.
“I can tell you that Bakhmut is holding firm, but there is heavy fighting in the city and it is getting closer to the city center,” he said.
“If Russian forces are reported to have made some progress, it is probably because they have crossed the Bakhmutka River, Dikyi said.
“We are talking about a few hundred meters.”
A month ago, the Ukrainian military seemed likely to abandon Bakhmut, but has decided to stay and fight, hoping to break the attacking force.
Zelenskiy was determined to defend Bakhmut because its loss would give Russia leverage to force Ukrainian concessions, defense analyst Serhiy Zgurets said.
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