Good evening. In a harsh critique of Russia’s military might, Ben Wallace said Russia was “currently shattered by cheap drones, poor leadership and equipment that doesn’t really work.”
The defense minister added that Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, “should go to military school” because of Moscow’s tactical mistakes.
This comes when a Russian military helicopter violated Finnish airspace on Wednesday morning, as experts warned that the country could face acts of intervention from Moscow as it considers applying for NATO membership.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, divided the EU on plans to ban Russian oil imports across the bloc, with Kyiv accusing any country opposing the move of being “complicit” in Russia’s crimes.
Below are the main events of this afternoon – and you can follow the latest in our live blog here.
1. Ben Wallace targets the Russian military
Ben Wallace said Russia was “currently shattered by cheap drones, bad leadership and equipment that doesn’t really work”, in heavy criticism of the country’s military capabilities.
He made the comments during a joint press conference with Anti Kaikonen, Finland’s defense minister.
The defense minister said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “should go to military school” because of Moscow’s military mistakes.
“What we have learned is that the so-called Russian military hardware is not worth the money they pay for it,” Mr Wallace said.
He added that the British NLAW (anti-tank missiles) had helped destroy Russian tanks.
2. A Russian helicopter violates Finnish airspace
A Russian military helicopter has violated Finnish airspace, the country’s defense ministry said on Wednesday.
This comes as the country considers an increasingly likely bid for NATO membership.
“The type of aircraft is a Mi-17 helicopter and the depth of the alleged violation is about four to five kilometers,” a ministry spokesman said.
Experts have warned that Finland and Sweden are likely to be subjected to Russian acts of intervention as they consider joining the military alliance as a deterrent to aggression from their eastern neighbor.
3. Britain sanctions Russian military correspondents
Liz Truss, the foreign minister, said Britain would sanction three Russian military correspondents in an attempt to crack down on disinformation and propaganda in support of the Kremlin’s military efforts.
Evgeny Poddubny, a correspondent for the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, was sanctioned along with Alexander Kotz and Dmitry Steshin, both of whom work for the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
Both Mr Stoc and Mr Steshin have reportedly been banned from entering Ukraine since 2014 “for violating the law on the status of foreigners and stateless persons” during a report on Euromaidan protests.
However, both reported in detail on the ground during the current conflict.
RT and Sputnik Online have also been affected by sanctions, along with All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting, InfoRos, SouthFront and the Strategic Culture Foundation.
Read the whole story here.
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