North Korea's Kim Jong Un warns of 'preemptive' use of nuclear force

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeated his warning that Pyongyang could
"preemptively" use its nuclear weaponry to counter hostile forces... Kim told top military officers that to "maintain the absolute superiority" of North Korea's armed forces, the country should be able to "preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves... if necessary," the official KCNA news agency reported." France24

NATO Jets Intercept Russian Fighters Multiple Times In Baltic & Black Sea Regions

"NATO fighter jets were scrambled on multiple occasions in response to Russian aircraft
which came near alliance airspace in the Black and Baltic Sea regions at a moment the Western alliance continues deepening its involvement in Ukraine via weapons shipments and intelligence-sharing. 

An official NATO statement said its fighters were sent to intercept Russian aircraft multiple times over the past four days.  Quick reaction fighters from Poland, Denmark, France and Spain made the intercepts in the Baltic Sea region. Meanwhile, Romanian and British aircraft scrambled from Romania to track aircraft in the Black Sea region, NATO said." ZH

Turkey to boycott NATO wargames

"Turkey will not participate in NATO drills amid escalating tensions with neighboring Greece citing security sources. Ankara was scheduled to send its F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to the annual ‘Tiger Meet’ drill, which will be held at the Araxos Air Base in western Greece from May 9 to May 22." RT

France shuts down 50% of nuclear reactors amid energy crunch

"France, one of Europe’s leading electricity exporters, has taken 28 of its 56 atomic reactors
offline due to defects or maintenance. The step comes amid a months-long energy crunch, one of the worst in European history." RT

Zelenskyy turns Nazi rhetoric on Russia

"Zelenskyy said there were operational differences between Russian forces today and the
Nazis during World War II, but said Moscow’s persistent lies are what separates the two. "Russian troops manage to be even more cynical than the Nazis 80 years ago," he said. "At that time, the invaders did not say that it was the Mariupol residents and the defenders of the city who shelled and killed themselves." FOX

White House admits Iran ‘few weeks or less’ from nuclear breakout

"Press Secretary Jen Psaki was forced to admit Iran’s “breakout period” for a nuclear weapon
“is down from about a year…to just a few weeks or less.”

The Times of Israel notes that the breakout period refers to the amount of time “it will take Iran to amass enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, if its chooses to do so.”

The Times of Israel notes that a distinction must be made: “having enough nuclear material for a bomb is not he same as having the capabilities to build the core of the weapon and to attach it to the warhead of a missile, which would likely take more time.”

Psaki told reporters at Tuesday’s press conference that Iran’s nuclear development “definitely worries us.” MichaelSavage

'Really Have to Think About It': Captured UK Mercenary Tells Brits Not to Join Fighting in Ukraine

"Following the start of the Russian special military operation, Kiev's regime called on

foreigners to come to Ukraine to fight on its side against the Russian military. Moscow believes that at least 7,000 mercenaries from over 60 countries have answered the call and advised states to prevent their citizens from travelling to Ukraine.

A British mercenary who was injured and captured by the Russian military in Ukraine has advised his compatriots to think twice before answering Kiev's call to join the foreign legion as he responded to questions on footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry.

 "You really have to think about it […] It does not involve us", a mercenary named Andrew Hill said while responding to a question as to what he would tell his compatriots regarding the idea of joining the Ukrainian forces." Sputnik

Kyiv urges residents to use public transport in order to save fuel for military

"Kyiv's City Council urged locals Friday to conserve fuel for the country's military by taking
public transit.

"Kyiv is urged not to travel by private vehicles if possible in order to ensure the need for fuel for the military as a matter of priority," the council said in a Telegram post. 

It added that residents "are asked to remember the needs of the army and our defenders and, if possible, to use public transport." FOX

Heatwave Triggers Indian "Power Crisis" As State Firms Seek Russian Crude To Secure Supplies

"Another devastating heatwave has parched large swathes of India this week, resulting in
power blackouts. 

The government has forced power cuts for factories in various provinces to mitigate the grid's collapse. Since most electricity generated in India is from fossil fuels and extreme heat increases power demand. Reuters revealed that Indian refiners are negotiating a six-month oil deal with Russia to import millions of barrels per month." ZH

European Commission VP Tells People to ‘Support Ukraine’ by Taking Fewer Showers & Not Washing Their Clothes

"The vice-president of the European Commission suggested citizens should ‘support Ukraine’
and the embargoes on Russia by taking fewer showers, not driving cars, and airing their clothes instead of washing them.

Yes, really.

Frans Timmermans, the Dutch vice-president of the bloc’s executive body, made the remarks during a meeting of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee.

According to Timmermans, Europeans must “Heat less, ride a bike and ventilate your clothes instead of washing,” in order to support punitive measures against Russia that have exacerbated a cost of living crisis for hundreds of millions of people in the west.

The technocrat, who personally doesn’t really need to worry too much about soaring energy costs given his $250,000 a year salary, urged “fellow citizens that they too could do something to move less money into Putin’s pocket.” IW

22-year-old American killed while fighting in Ukraine

"An American citizen and former Marine, Willy Joseph Cancel, has died in Ukraine while
fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, according to the man's family. It is the first known death of a U.S. citizen fighting in Ukraine. 

Cabrera said her son's body has not been found.

“They haven’t found his body,” she said. “They are trying, the men that were with him, but it was either grab his body or get killed, but we would love for him to come back to us.”

News9

Hitting a New Low: Ukrainian Man Posts Video Boasting of ‘Eating Russian Soldier’s Meat’

"The identity of the person behind the video is unknown, as the disturbing footage was his
only clip on YouTube – still, this fact does not make the video any less chilling.

An unidentified Ukrainian man shared a video in which he claims to have discovered a human bone with meat in a burnt tank in the Gostomel area – a bone which allegedly belonged to a deceased Russian soldier.

In the chilling footage, the “blogger” proceeds to “cook” what he claims is the human meat of the Russian soldier, only to taste it afterward.

He then notes it was always his dream to try the meat of a Russian.

Aside from YouTube, where the video was quickly deleted by the platform for breaching community guidelines, the man shared the footage on his Instagram page, attaching a threatening caption.

“Yes, this is not a clickbate,” he wrote. “All large Telegram channels were shocked. What did you expect? Do you still think we’re happy to see Russian soldiers? The best that awaits them is quick death. The worst – see in the video.” IW

Norway Expands Military Drills In North, Increases Emergency Preparedness, Citing Ukraine War

"The commander of the Norwegian armed forces has announced his country will step up
military exercises in the far north in response to Russia's ongoing attack of Ukraine. Major General Lars Lervik told national broadcaster NRK that "Based on what has happened in Ukraine, we have reported a need to increase activity here at home. In addition, we have reported a need to strengthen preparedness and make that work a little faster than originally planned." ZH

Recession? Economy Contracts 1.4%

"In the latest bit of proof that our “experts” are clueless, it’s being widely reported that the
economic decline we all saw coming is “unexpected” by the media.Amidst levels of inflation not seen since the Carter presidency, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released data this morning showing that real (inflation adjusted) U.S. gross domestic product declined 1.4% in the first quarter of the year. That’s despite record government spending that by definition inflates GDP, and as aggressive interest rate hikes that will further slow down growth loom." PopulistPress

Shootings Erupt on Russia-Ukraine Border

"Shootings erupted at two checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border, regional
authorities said as Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine continues to spill into its own territory. “Mortars were fired at a checkpoint in the village of Krupets at about 8:00 a.m. Retaliatory fire from our border guards and military crushed the firing point,” he added." MT

 

Russia Confirms Air Strike on Kyiv During UN Chief’s Visit

"Russia confirmed that it had carried out a “high-precision” missile strike on a rocket
plant in Kyiv as the UN chief visited the Ukrainian capital.

Thursday’s missile attack during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit ended nearly two weeks of relative calm in Ukraine’s capital." RT

Biden seeks $33 billion more for Ukraine

"US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $33 billion in funding to prop
up Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia. A vast part of the massive package is destined for additional military and security aid, while the rest will be used for economic and humanitarian assistance." RT

Poland announces massive military drills

"Poland has announced a massive upcoming military exercise, warning the residents of
increased traffic and “columns of military vehicles” moving all across the country. The drills will kick off on May 1 and continue until the end of the month, the Polish military said in a statement on Thursday." RT

China Reports 1st Ever Human Case Of H3N8 Bird Flu

"A boy in China has contracted the H3N8 strain of bird flu, which appears to be the first
known human case in the world, said the Chinese regime’s health authorities." ZeroHedge

German Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly To Send 'Heavy & Complex Weapons' To Ukraine

"On Thursday lawmakers in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, voted
overwhelmingly to approve sending "heavy weapons and complex machinery" to Ukraine. According to national media it passed with 586 votes in favor, 100 against, and seven abstentions." ZH

Oil Spikes After EU Says Russian Embargo 'Imminent' As Germany Drops Opposition

"After throughout the whole month consistently rejecting a proposed European Union ban on
Russian oil, but while also walking a delicate tightrope of opposing Putin's demand of payments in rubles for Russian energy, Germany is now ready to pull the trigger on an embargo." ZH

Sanctions Force Closure of Russian Tank and Truck Factories

"Russia has lost at least 700 tanks and 1200 armored vehicles destroyed or captured over the
last two months. Some equipment can be drawn from storage depots, but many of the depots are rumored to have no regular maintenance, components like optics have been stripped and sold on the black market, and most of the available vehicles are obsolete. It is reported that the two largest tank factories in Russia have run out of foreign made components." RedState

Russian-Occupied Kherson Names New Leadership Amid Pro-Ukraine Protests, Rocket Attacks

"Occupying Russian forces have appointed a new “military-civilian administration” in
Ukraine’s southern Kherson region amid pro-Kyiv protests and rocket attacks.

Russian soldiers occupied the city of Kherson on the banks of the Dnieper River in early March. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it gained control of the entire Kherson region this week. Russian troops have dismissed Kherson’s Ukrainian leadership, instead appointing former KGB agent Alexander Kobets as mayor and ex-mayor Volodymyr Saldo as regional head." MoscowTimes

 

Russia Bombed Train Stations in Ukraine Just After Top US Officials Visited Kyiv

"Russian airstrikes rained down on Ukrainian rail targets just after top U.S. officials left the
country by train, following a secret meeting with President Volodomyr Zelensky....shortly after the two top Biden administration officials appeared back in neighboring Poland, the head of Ukraine’s state railway system, Oleksandr Kamyshin, reported that a number of airstrikes occurred across the country’s center and west." Vice

Russia Coordinating Cyberattacks With Military Strikes in Ukraine – Microsoft

"A handful of hacker groups aligned with the Russian government have carried out hundreds
of cyberattacks against Ukraine since Moscow invaded, U.S. tech giant Microsoft said in a report Wednesday.

It added that in "hybrid" warfare tactics, Russia often matches cyberattacks with military assaults on the battlefield." MT

Russia Says It Destroyed "Large Batch" Of Western Weapons With Ship-Launched Missiles

"Russia's Defense Ministry (MoD) announced Wednesday that its forces have taken out a large
batch of weapons and ammunition that had been shipped to Kiev by outside Western countries. 

Specifically, Russian warships launched Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, targeting and destroying a military warehouse said to contain "a large batch of foreign weapons and ammunition, supplied by the US and European countries to the Ukrainian army," according to the MoD statement. While not acknowledged by the Ukrainians or US, it comes after the Kremlin vowed to target Western arms transfers into the country." ZH

 

Shots and drones from Ukraine reported near huge arms depot in Transnistria

"Several shots were fired from across Ukraine’s border with Transnistria into the territory of
the self-proclaimed republic and in the direction of a huge arms depot, its interior ministry said on Wednesday. Two drones were also sighted in the area.

“At 8:45 in the morning on April 27, shots were fired from Ukrainian territory in the direction of Kolbasna village,” the ministry’s statement reads. Transnistrian officials said that no casualties had been reported as a result.

In a separate incident preceding the alleged shooting on Wednesday, “several drones were spotted over the village of Kolbasna” overnight, according to the ministry. The Transnistrian authorities also claim that the drones “had been launched into Transnistrian territory from Ukraine.”

Since the predominantly Russian-speaking region became de facto independent from Moldova following a war in 1992, Russian peacekeepers have been stationed there." RT

Russian foreign minister warns ‘do not underestimate threat of nuclear war’

"There is a “real danger” that a World War 3 could break out over Ukraine, warned Russia ’s
foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claiming that deliveries of western weaponry to Ukraine meant NATO was “in essence engaged in war with Russia”.

He added that the threat of a nuclear conflict was “serious… real,” adding that “we must not underestimate it." MS

Russia's Gazprom to halt to gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria

 "Russia's Gazprom told Poland and Bulgaria it would halt gas supplies from Wednesday.
Polish officials had said Russia is suspending natural gas deliveries to Poland beginning Wednesday morning after that country refused a demand to pay for its supplies in Russian rubles." France24

Oil Depots in Russia ‘Blown Up’ As Blinken, Austin Visit Zelensky in Kiev to Tout U.S. Weapons Shipments

"Two oil storage facilities around 150km into Russia from Ukraine’s border went up in flames
early Monday morning, just hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to tout some $713 million in new US weapons shipments and military aid. A fire broke out on Monday morning at an oil depot in Bryansk, a large Russian city around 150km from Ukraine, and 370km south-west of Moscow. Another fire was recorded in the Fokinsky district of the city, the causes of which have not yet been established, Moscow daily Kommersant has reported. Bryansk is home to over 400,000 people, and is an important regional hub.

Was this a deliberate provocation by the US or did the Ukrainian military stage it to try and draw the US even further into the war?" IW

im Jong-un Tells North Korea to Be ‘Fully Prepared’ for Nuclear War at Massive Military Parade

"North Korea celebrated the anniversary of the founding of its first military on Monday with a
massive military parade featuring “cutting-edge military hardware” and a speech by communist dictator Kim Jong-un in which he warned his soldiers to be “fully prepared” for nuclear war.

Kim’s call for using the country’s illegal nuclear weapons program to “decisively accomplish” any “unexpected second mission” against the enemies of communism follows weeks of rhetorical escalations out of Pyongyang, including sister Kim Yo-jong threatening South Korea with a nuclear strike and the debut of what North Korea called the “Hwasongpho-17,” allegedly a new model of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)." Breitbart

Azov Battalion Claims Video Shows Civilians Underground Who Have Not Seen ‘Sky Nor Sun’ In Weeks

"The controversial Azov Battalion has released a video which it says shows its fighters in

Mariupol, which Russia claims to have “liberated”, underground with sheltering civilians.

Uploaded to the Azov Battalion’s YouTube channel and shared by the National Guard of Ukraine — which incorporates the battalion — on its verified Twitter account, the video purportedly shows Azov fighters distributing supplies to civilians holed up underneath the Azovstal steelworks complex, which remains under Ukrainian control. A girl in the video claimed she and her family had seen “neither the sky, nor the sun” since late February, with Mariupol having come under siege only a short time after the Russian invasion commenced. The city has been a point of interest throughout the conflict, in part because of its status as a stronghold of the Azov Battalion — formerly an unofficial paramilitary force with neo-Nazi links which the mainstream media do not deny, despite general dismissal of the Russian characterisation of their “special military operation” against a Ukraine led by a Jewish president and Jewish prime minister as a “de-Nazification” mission." Breitbart

 

Guterres Makes Controversial Visit To Moscow

"Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in the UN
chief's first visit to Moscow since the Russian invasion began, where he's also due to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The trip has been met with controversy given Guterres didn't go to Kiev first." ZH

Russia says it will halt hostilities to let civilians leave Azovstal

"Russia’s defense ministry said its troops would halt hostilities to allow civilians to leave the
besieged steel plant Azovstal in Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol from 1400 Moscow time (1100 GMT) on Monday.

The ministry said any civilians trapped at the facility could leave in whichever direction they chose." MS

Ukraine angry at Austrian comments

"Kiev is “disappointed” by the “short-sighted” statements of Austrian Foreign Minister
Alexander Schallenberg who suggested that full EU membership might not be the best option for Ukraine.

On Saturday, Schallenberg, while admitting that deepening ties with Ukraine is necessary as the EU is exporting the “Western way of life,” said that models other than full EU membership should be considered for Ukraine. He mentioned joining the European Economic Area or an association agreement as among the options." RT

Sanctions Backfire as Russian Ships Clog Up French Ports, Cost Local Authorities Thousands to Move

 "Russian-owned commercial vessels trapped in French ports containing vehicles, chemicals

and other cargoes have become a major nuisance for local authorities, cluttering up dockyards and costing thousands of euros to move, France 2 TV has reported.

The TV channel cites the example of the Vladimir Latyshev, a Russian-flagged general cargo ship trapped in Saint-Malo, north-western France. The 141-metre-long ship is so large it barely fits into the Brittany region port’s pier, forcing workers to constantly move it around to make room for other ships. Nearly 50,000 euros have reportedly been spent moving around Russian ships to date, with Brittany forced to pick up the tab and requesting aid from Paris." Sputnik

Two Russian Oligarchs Die in Mysterious Circumstances 24 Hours Apart

"Russian oligarchs, both linked to gas giants, apparently murdered their wives and daughters before killing themselves—within two days of each other.

In both cases, the alarm was raised by the slain families’ surviving child.

Former Kremlin official and Gazprombank vice-president Vladislav Avayev, 51, was found dead in his luxury Moscow apartment alongside the bodies of his wife and 13-year-old daughter on Monday. It appeared he had shot them before turning the gun on himself. The bodies were found by distraught 26-year-old daughter Anastasia after she was unable to get hold of her family.

The following day former Novatek deputy chairman Sergey Protosenya, 55, his wife Natalya, 53, and 18-year-old daughter, Maria, were found dead at their Spanish mansion. The scene suggested the women had been stabbed, before Protosenya hanged himself in the garden. The alarm was raised by the couple’s teenage son, who was staying in France, after he was unable to reach his parents at their home in the coastal town of Lloret de Mar.

Spanish investigators are now reportedly trying to work out whether the Protosenya deaths were the result of a domestic murder-suicide or an organized hit.

According to Spanish website El Punt Avui, Protosenya’s estimated fortune was $440 million. Alongside Western pressure on oligarchs, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to target the billionaires too, during a rant about Westernized Russians last month.

He warned: "I do not judge those with villas in Miami or the French Riviera. Or [those] who can't get by without oysters or foie gras or so-called 'gender freedoms'…The problem is they mentally exist there, and not here, with our people, with Russia."

He went on to call for a "self-purification" of the nation and there were reports of an "exodus" of private jets, apparently fleeing Russia in the wake of his comments."

Newsweek

Switzerland Bans Berlin From Re-Exporting Ammunition for Combat Vehicles to Ukraine

"Switzerland has vetoed requests by German authorities to re-export to Ukraine ammunition
used in German Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), a representative of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) told Swiss media." Sputnik

Pope Says Meeting With Russian Orthodox Patriarch Scrapped

"Pope Francis has announced that a meeting set for June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch
Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has been canceled so as not to sow "confusion." MT

FBI Warns of Targeted Cyber Attacks On Food Plants After Mysterious Rash Of Fires

"The FBI's warning comes as "nearly two dozen food processing facilities across Canada and the US" have experienced a "string of fires, plane crashes and explosions,"....The FBI's Cyber Division published a notice this past week warning about increased cyber-attack threats on agricultural cooperatives, which comes at a time when a curious string of fires and explosions damage major food processing plants across the country. 

"Ransomware actors may be more likely to attack agricultural cooperatives during critical planting and harvest seasons, disrupting operations, causing financial loss, and negatively impacting the food supply chain," the notice read, adding 2021 and early 2022 ransomware attacks on farming co-ops could affect the current planting season "by disrupting the supply of seeds and fertilizer."

The agency warned, "A significant disruption of grain production could impact the entire food chain, since grain is not only consumed by humans but also used for animal feed ... In addition, a significant disruption of grain and corn production could impact commodities trading and stocks. " ZeroHedge

 

Germany's Scholz Resists Sending "Quickly Available" Tanks To Ukraine: 'Could Lead To Nuclear War'

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under continued pressure to "do more" for the Ukrainians, particularly in the area of sending heavier weaponry to Kiev, with Bloomberg reporting at the close of this week that a "German arms manufacturer has asked the government to approve the export of 100 Marder tanks to Ukraine, Welt am Sonntag reports, without saying where it got the information."

The arms maker is saying the tanks are "quickly available" and that the first wave delivery could be transferred to Ukraine "within a few weeks" - pending approval of the Scholz government. However, unlike the British and US governments, who haven't been shy about sending and pledging unprecedented military aid to the Ukrainians, Scholz has loathe to do anything seen as escalatory by Moscow. He's expected to reject the appeal by the arms maker.

"NATO must avoid a direct military confrontation with Russia that could lead to a third world war," Chancellor Scholz was cited as saying in a new interview Der Spiegel when asked why Germany hasn't sent heavy weapons." ZH

France and Germany ‘sold £230,000,000 of weapons to Russia before invasion’

"France and German arms manufacturers reportedly sent weapons to Russia in the build-up to

the invasion of Ukraine.

The European Commission has been forced to close a loophole to prevent European firms doing business with Moscow, according to The Telelgraph. 

It said it had been passed analysis by an MEP which showed companies from ‘at least 10 members of states’ had got around an embargo imposed after the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Almost four fifths of the £230 million worth of lethal equipment was sent by France and Germany." METRO

Human Rights Activists Call For Indictment of Russian Patriarch Kirill

"Willy Fautré and Patricia Duval are European human rights advocates .... they are accusing
Patriarch Kirill, the spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, of inciting aggression and crimes against humanity by his outspoken support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urging his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC)." MT

US bans all Russian ships

"Biden announces Russian flagged, owned or operated vessels not welcome in US ports." RT

Austria halts Russian oil imports

"Austria’s energy giant OMV says it has suspended all imports of Russian oil ahead of the possible EU embargo on them.

“The purchase of oil from Russia was always very low ... we replaced it with other oil from the market,” an OMV spokesman said, as quoted by newspaper Kronen Zeitung." RT

'We might have to leave quickly': Finns living near border keep a watchful eye on Russia

"In the Finnish town of Imatra, on the country's eastern border with Russia, residents are
keeping a watchful eye on their neighbors to the east as tensions mount over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine." France24

US Treasury Secretary Led Walkout Of G20 Meeting As Russian Official Started Talking

"Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell walked out of
a Group of 20 meeting on Wednesday when the Russian representative began talking. A source told the Insider that multiple finance ministers and central bank governors walked out of the meeting with Yellen and Powell." ZH

5 Dead in Fire at Russian Aerospace Defense Research Institute

"At least five people have died and dozens more were injured in a fire at a Russian Defense
Ministry research institute near Moscow on Thursday. The 1,500-square-meter fire started on the second floor and ripped through the building’s upper three floors, forcing people inside to escape by jumping from windows." NYP

War in Ukraine threatens geopolitical balance in the Arctic

"Russia’s senior diplomat at the Arctic Council intergovernmental forum, Nikolai Korchunov,
spoke out on April 17 about NATO’s increased presence in the Arctic since the war in Ukraine began. He said long-planned military drills between NATO, Finland and Sweden in the region in March were “a cause for concern” for Russia.

All the members of the Arctic Council aside from Russia announced in March they would boycott talks in Russia, currently chairing the Atlantic Council until 2023, due to its “flagrant violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty. As such, the group’s work has been put on hold.“It’s very unusual,” Garson says. The Arctic Council has survived periods of tension, but what we're seeing in the Ukraine is a huge turning point in history.

Russia has been increasing its military presence in the far north. The most obvious example of this is its Arctic navy, the Northern Fleet, established in 2014 and based on the Kola Peninsula near the border with Finland and Norway.Its arsenal includes submarines armed with nuclear-powered missiles, anti-submarine aircraft, aircraft carriers and ships armed with missiles, among others.

 The current war in Ukraine has raised the stakes once again. If Sweden and Finland join NATO ­– as both are seriously considering doing ­– all the Arctic states except Russia will be part of the military alliance." France24

Putin Says Mariupol ‘Liberated,’ Calls Off Azovstal Plant Assault

"Putin on Thursday hailed the “liberation” of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and called off a planned assault on Ukrainian forces' last holdout." MT