According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia is trying to stop the continued advance of the Ukrainian armed forces by shelling dams. For example, Russian soldiers recently fired short-range missiles or similar weapons at a dam on the Siwerskyi Donets River in northeastern Ukraine, causing flooding, according to the ministry’s daily situation report on Saturday. While the Russians in Ukraine are trying to conquer land for themselves, Finland is once again tightening its access rules.
A similar attack on another dam had already taken place a few days earlier. Russian commanders, increasingly alarmed by their recent operational setbacks, are said to attempt to destroy the locks to flood Ukrainian military checkpoints. However, the attacks on the dams are unlikely to have significantly disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
Finland reacts again to the actions of the Russian armed forces: Russian citizens will no longer be able to enter the country “for tourist reasons”, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Friday. Russian citizens would only be able to enter the country if there was “another reason” to enter.
Finland had already tightened the entry requirements for Russians on 1 September. However, people with a visa for the entire Schengen area were allowed to enter the country further. Stricter rules will soon apply to them too. The Schengen area includes 22 EU countries, as well as Switzerland and three other countries. With the tightening of access rules, Finland is positioning itself alongside the other four EU countries directly bordering Russia and its ally Belarus: similar strict rules already apply in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in Poland.
Number of arrivals of Russian citizens doubled
After the government’s decision, the rule could come into effect “very soon,” Haavisto said. However, he did not give an exact date. After the partial mobilization of the armed forces announced on Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the number of Russian citizens entering Finland doubled. More than 6,000 people showed up on Thursday alone, compared to about 3,000 the week before.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
