Ukraine\u2019s government says a Russian missile strike on a humanitarian convoy has left 23 people dead and more than 30 others wounded. Today\u2019s deadly attack in the city of Zaporizhzhia came as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to deliver a major address in Moscow, where he\u2019s expected to announce that four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine will join the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n
President Biden criticized voter referendums used by Russia to justify its annexation of the territories as \u201can absolute sham,\u201d while U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres called annexation a \u201cdangerous escalation\u201d that would jeopardize prospects for peace.<\/p>\n
Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres: \u201cThe U.N. Charter is clear: Any annexation of a state\u2019s territory by another state resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the number of Russians fleeing the country to evade Putin’s draft is likely bigger than the original invasion force.\u00a0\u00a0A quarter of a million Russian men have fled Russia to avoid fighting in Ukraine, with scores of army recruitment centers suffering arson attacks, western officials have disclosed. The scale of young men fleeing President Vladimir Putin\u2019s demand last week for the mobilization of 300,000 personnel has also destabilised the economy, with key …<\/p>\n
Finland closed its borders at midnight and said on Friday said it would “significantly restrict” the number of Russian “tourists” it will permit to cross its borders as an exodus of Russian men attempt to flee and avoid conscription.<\/p>\n
The Finnish government said its decision was made over concerns that issuing swaths of visas to Russian men would cause “serious damage to Finland’s international position.”<\/p>\n
Few details were released on the restrictions that Helsinki will now enforce, though its decision comes after other neighboring nations took steps earlier in the week to block Russian tourists from crossing their borders.<\/p>\n
Will Putin’s war lead to his eventual downfall? Greed and ego destroy a person eventually.<\/p>\n