ussia continued its deadly assault in Ukraine's east Saturday as the war stretched past the 100-day mark and experts warned of a grinding conflict with no end in sight.
Russia has targeted areas in the Donbas region using both guided and unguided munitions, according to an assessment released Saturday by the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry.
With its focus on the Donbas region, Russia has combined "airstrikes and massed artillery fires to bring its overwhelming firepower to bear” and support its “creeping advance” in that region.
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Meanwhile, the war's impact on global food insecurity moved center stage, as the chairman of the African Union, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss the effective blockade of Ukraine's sea ports from exporting the country's grain.
Major developments:
►The European Union on Friday formally approved an embargo on Russian oil and other sanctions targeting major banks and broadcasters. EU leaders say the move means that around 90% of Russia’s oil exports to Europe will be blocked by year’s end.
►Marriott Hotels will suspend operations in Russia after 25 years of operating in the country, the company announced Friday.
►Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that Russia now controls almost 20% of the country's territory. Before the war, Russia controlled 7%, including the Crimea Peninsula and parts of the Donbas
In the Kherson region, the ruble is an official currency, and Russian passports are being offered to residents there and in the Zaporizhzhia region. But Russian forces continue to face challenges "establishing societal control over occupied territories," according to a June 3 analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
NATO addition of Sweden, Finland will be challenge for Russia, top US general says
Russia would be put in a tough spot militarily if Sweden and Finland join NATO, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley said Saturday ahead of a military exercise in Stockholm, Reuters reported.
Should the two Nordic nations join, that would mean the coastline of the Baltic Sea would almost be fully encircled by members of the global military alliance – an alliance in which Russia isn’t a member.
"From a Russian perspective that will be very problematic for them, militarily speaking, and it would be very advantageous to NATO," Milley said, according to Reuters.
Finland and Sweden are NATO’s closest partners. They contribute to the alliance’s operations and air policing.After the invasion, they formally boosted information exchanges with NATO and sit in on every meeting on war issues.
Putin has demanded that NATO stop expanding and has promised a “military, technical” response if they join.