Day 638 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Finland has Closed All But One of its Border Crossings with Russia

@novinite.com

Day 638 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Zelensky: Heavy defense of the fronts in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka. Offensive actions in the south
• Finland has closed all but one of its border crossings with Russia
• North Korea received help from Russia to launch the intelligence satellite, South Korean lawmakers say
• Moscow complains to Helsinki over burned-out Russian tank put by pro-Ukraine activists outside the Finnish parliament
• Russia accused Ukraine of an attack on Russian journalists in the Zaporizhzhia region

Zelensky: Heavy defense of the fronts in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka. Offensive actions in the south

Ukrainian troops are facing "heavy" defensive operations in some parts of the eastern front amid the onset of bitter winter cold, but forces in the southern part of the country are still carrying out offensive actions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, BTA reported.

"Tough weather, heavy defense of the fronts in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka. Offensive actions in the south," Zelensky wrote on "Telegram".

This autumn, Russian troops launched offensive actions in various parts of the front line in eastern Ukraine, in an attempt to advance towards the devastated city of Avdiivka and in the northeastern part of the country between the cities of Lyman and Kupiansk.

Snow and sub-zero temperatures, which reached -5 degrees Celsius yesterday, could further complicate operations on the battlefield, where fighting is moving into a new stage of positional warfare involving static and grueling battles, Reuters noted.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a group of Russian journalists were attacked by Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. The southern Zaporizhzhia region is one of four that Russia has declared annexed since its invasion with tens of thousands of troops began in February last year.

Finland has closed all but one of its border crossings with Russia

Finland's prime minister said on Wednesday that the country would close all but the northernmost border crossings with Russia after a wave of migrants that Finland says Russia is deliberately pushing towards the border, AFP reports.

Since the beginning of August, around 700 asylum seekers have entered Finland without a visa through its eastern border.

"Today the government decided to close more border crossings. Only Raja-Jooseppi border crossing will remain open," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said at a press conference.

Finland closed half of its eight crossing points to Russia last week.

"Unfortunately, these measures have not been able to stop this phenomenon," Orpo said. The government said "it is clear that foreign authorities and other actors have played a role in facilitating the entry of border crossers into Finland."

"The situation also involves international crime," the government said in a statement.

Earlier in October, Finnish border guards raised the alarm about a change in Russia's policy as it began allowing migrants without proper documents to cross the border. "This is a systematic and organized action by the Russian authorities," Orpo said on Monday. Orpo called the "instrumentalization of migration" an attempt to "influence the internal situation and border security in Finland and the EU". Finland's interior ministry said on Wednesday that the influx of migrants from Russia "poses a serious threat to national security and public order". "We do not accept this kind of action," Orpo said. The border crossings will be closed from Friday and will initially remain closed until December 23. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected accusations that Russia was deliberately pushing migrants to the Finnish border.

"Finnish authorities are starting to come up with clumsy excuses, fueling Russophobic sentiments," she said in a statement.

Finland's relations with its eastern neighbor have soured since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Finland to join NATO in April.

North Korea received help from Russia to launch the intelligence satellite, South Korean lawmakers say

North Korea received help from Russia to successfully launch a reconnaissance satellite earlier this week, South Korean lawmakers said, citing the country's intelligence agency. Tuesday's launch was Pyongyang's third launch attempt after two failed, and the first since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia in September, during which President Vladimir Putin pledged to help Pyongyang build satellites, Reuters reported.

Since the talks between the two leaders, North Korea has sent data on launch vehicles used in two previous satellite launches, and Russia has offered its analysis of the data, according to Sang-Bum Yoo, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee.

"As for the success of the third launch, the National Intelligence Service believes there was help from Russia," Yoo told reporters, referring to Putin's publicly stated commitment to help with the launch vehicle of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as well as the exchange of data between Pyongyang and Moscow.

North Korea's state media said yesterday that the country's leader viewed pictures of US military sites taken over the island of Guam, but Yoo said it was difficult to verify whether the satellite was able to capture such images.

South Korea's military said parts of the rocket found after the failed second launch in May showed it could not have been a fully functioning reconnaissance satellite.

“They could only determine the satellite's capabilities if North Korea released a video showing that it took these pictures of Guam," Yoo said, referring to the intelligence agency.

Another committee member, Sang-Bum Yoo, said the latest launch was a success as the satellite entered orbit. He also said that North Korea may launch other satellites and also conduct a nuclear test next year.

The latest launch drew condemnation from the United States and other Western countries, and Seoul suspended part of a 2018 military pact with Pyongyang, Reuters noted.

Russia and North Korea deny having arms deals but have vowed to step up military cooperation.

Yesterday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied that Moscow was making illegal military deals with North Korea, saying Russia was implementing UN Security Council resolutions. "The accusations that were made against us /.../ are baseless and there is no evidence for them," she said.

The UN resolutions, passed with Moscow's support, ban the development of technologies applicable to North Korea's ballistic missile programs and cooperation in areas such as nuclear science, technology, aerospace and aeronautical engineering.

Moscow complains to Helsinki over burned-out Russian tank put by pro-Ukraine activists outside Finnish parliament

Russia has announced that it has filed an official complaint over the deployment of a burned-out Russian tank in the square in front of the Finnish parliament building, Reuters and TASS reported.

The burned T-72B3 tank was put on display on Saturday as part of an initiative by two pro-Ukraine organizations in Finland to remind people of the military conflict in Ukraine, Reuters noted, recalling that tensions between Moscow and Helsinki have risen since the accession of Finland to NATO earlier this year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Relations between the two neighbors were further strained last week when Finland closed four checkpoints on its border with Russia.

The Russian Embassy in Finland has sent a note of protest regarding the tank to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling the action sacrilegious and drawing attention to the leniency shown by the authorities in Helsinki, TASS reported.

"It seems to me that no one can give an explanation why Finland participates in such actions. It is possible that they - I mean at the level of ‘state leadership’ - are not able to understand how inappropriate such actions are in the square located several minutes on foot from the Finland Palace, where the foundations of European security and cooperation were laid in 1975," said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova, quoted by TASS. The Russian agency adds that the tank was brought from Estonia. Zakharova accused Finland of "Russophobia", according to Reuters.

Zakharova also blamed Helsinki for the problems with refugees. Finland has closed border crossings in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants it says are being deliberately funneled to the border by Russia.

"We are open to dialogue, especially with regard to border issues," said the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, adding that Russia would "of course" take countermeasures if Finland closed the other border crossings along the common border with Russia. Zakharova did not specify what the measures in question will be.

"Once again, I very responsibly state - there were no prior consultations with Russia regarding the closing of border crossings. We were faced with a fait accompli," Zakharova said, recalling that Moscow had filed an official complaint on the issue with the Finnish embassy in Russia.

TASS points out that on Monday the Finnish Iltalehti reported that the country's authorities plan to close all checkpoints along the border with Russia.

Zakharova also said that currently the relationship between Russia and the United States is based on an extremely thin thread that can break at any moment, Reuters reported, adding that, according to the spokeswoman, Washington's actions could have "unpredictable consequences."

Russia accused Ukraine of an attack on Russian journalists in the Zaporizhzhia region

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that a group of Russian journalists were attacked by Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaporizhzhia region, Reuters reported. The southern Zaporizhzhia region is one of four that Russia has declared annexed since its invasion with tens of thousands of troops began in February last year.

According to information from TASS, a television correspondent was injured by shrapnel from ammunition in the attack carried out by a Ukrainian drone. The reporter was taken to a medical facility, and his life is not in danger, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

"On November 22, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck with fragmentation munitions from an unmanned aerial vehicle on a group of Russian journalists preparing materials about the shelling of Ukrainian armed forces on populated areas in Zaporizhzhia region. As a result of the attack of the Ukrainian drones, lacerations was received by the correspondent of the Russia 24 TV channel, Boris Maksudov," said the ministry's announcement, quoted by TASS.

The agency specifies that the group of journalists in question included its photojournalist Alexey Konovalov, who was not injured.

---

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook

Write to us at editors@novinite.com

Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!