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WORLD NEWS Friday 13 May 2022
Finland moves toward joining NATO amid Russian threats

Associated Press villages there.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Fin- Britain’s Defense Ministry
land’s leaders Thursday said Russia’s focus on the
came out in favor of apply- Donbas has left its remain-
ing to join NATO, and Swe- ing troops around the
den could do the same northeastern city of Kharkiv
within days, in a historic re- vulnerable to counterat-
alignment on the continent tack from Ukrainian forces,
2 1/2 months after Russian which recaptured several
President Vladimir Putin’s towns and villages around
invasion of Ukraine sent a the city.
shiver of fear through Mos- Still, Russian rocket strikes
cow’s neighbors. Thursday killed one per-
The Kremlin reacted by son and wounded three
warning it will be forced to in a suburb of Kharkiv, the
take retaliatory “military- regional governor said.
technical” steps. Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second-
On the ground, meanwhile, largest city.
Russian forces pounded Fighting across the east has
areas in central and east- driven thousands of Ukraini-
ern Ukraine, including the ans from their homes. Evac-
last pocket of resistance in uees wiped away tears as
Mariupol, as part its offen- Men stand next to an apartment building damaged by Russian shelling in Bakhmut, Donetsk they carried their children
sive to take the vital indus- region, Ukraine, Thursday, May 12, 2022. and belongings onto buses
trial Donbas region, while Associated Press and vans to flee.
Ukraine recaptured some “It is terrible there now. We
towns and villages in the major change in Europe’s is instead seeing the exact conflict between NATO were leaving under mis-
country’s northeast. security landscape: Swe- opposite happen. and Russia. siles,” said Tatiana Kravs-
Finland’s president and den has avoided military NATO Secretary-General “There is always a risk of tova, who left the town
prime minister announced alliances for more than 200 Jens Stoltenberg has said such conflict turning into of Siversk with her 8-year-
that the Nordic country years, while Finland adopt- the alliance would wel- a full-scale nuclear war, a old son Artiom on a bus
should apply right away ed neutrality after its de- come Finland and Sweden scenario that will be cata- headed for the central city
for membership in NATO, feat by the Soviets in World with open arms. strophic for all,” said Dmitry of Dnipro. “I don’t know
the military defense pact War II. Russia’s Foreign Ministry Medvedev, deputy head where they were aiming at,
founded in part to counter Public opinion in both na- warned that Moscow “will of Russia’s Security Council. but they were pointing at
the Soviet Union. tions shifted dramatically in be forced to take retalia- While Russia’s advance in civilians.”
“You (Russia) caused this. favor of NATO membership tory steps of military-tech- the Donbas has been slow, Ukraine also said Russian
Look in the mirror,” Finnish after the invasion, which nical and other charac- Ukraine’s military noted forces had fired artillery
President Sauli Niinisto said stirred fears in countries teristics in order to counter that Moscow has achieved and grenade launchers
this week. along Russia’s flank that the emerging threats to its “partial success.” West- at Ukrainian troops in the
While the country’s Parlia- they could be next. national security.” ern officials said Russia has direction of Zaporizhzhia,
ment still has to weigh in, Such an expansion of the NATO’s funneling of weap- gained ground and taken which has been a refuge
the announcement means alliance would leave Rus- ons and other military sup- some villages. for civilians fleeing Mari-
Finland is all but certain to sia surrounded by NATO port to Ukraine already has Explosions were heard upol, and attacked in the
apply and gain admission countries in the Baltic Sea been critical to Kyiv’s sur- Thursday near the town Chernihiv and Sumy re-

though the process could and the Arctic and would prising success in stymieing of Bakhmut, an area of gions to the north.
take months to complete. amount to a stinging set- the invasion, and the Krem- the Donbas that has seen Overnight airstrikes in
Sweden, likewise, is consid- back for Putin, who had lin warned anew in omi- heavy fighting. The Ukrai- Chernihiv killed three peo-
ering applying. hoped to divide and roll nous terms Thursday that nian military said Russian ple, according to local me-
That would represent a back NATO in Europe but the aid could lead to direct forces were storming two dia. q

North Macedonia: U.S. leads exercise in NATO’s newest member

By FLORENT BAJRAMI and Russia’s war in Ukraine con- display in North Macedo-
KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES tinues for a 12th week. The nia.
Associated Press exercises are being held Over the past 10 days,
KRIVOLAK, North Macedo- in five separate locations, about 4,600 soldiers from
nia (AP) — U.S. troops joined spanning from Norway to Albania, France, Greece,
forces from Britain, France, North Macedonia, military Italy, North Macedonia,
Italy and allied countries officials said. Montenegro, the U.K., and
in the region Thursday in “I think it’s a fantastic dem- the U.S. have taken part in
a military exercise held in onstration of what we can the exercises, which have
NATO’s newest member, do as an alliance and our included parachute jumps
North Macedonia, aimed ability to project combat at several locations around
at displaying deployment power if asked to do so the country.
readiness along the alli- and how quickly we can North Macedonia formally
ance’s eastern borders. do it,” Maj. Gen. Peter B. joined NATO in March 2020.
Nearly 10,000 soldiers from Andrysiak, U.S. Army Dep- The small Balkan country of A U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft flies over during the Swift
19 nations are taking part uty Commanding General 1.8 million people has an Response 22 military exercise at the Krivolak army training
in NATO’s planned “Swift for Europe and Africa, told active military of about polygon in the central part of North Macedonia, on Thursday,
May 12, 2022.
Response” exercises as reporters after an hourlong 8,000 personnel.q Associated Press