KYIV - As NATO neared admitting Finland as a member, Russia accused an American journalist of spying, escalating tensions between Moscow and the West as the war in Ukraine entered its 400th day on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, described the "tremendous path" his nation had taken in 400 days of resistance following Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, in his Thursday evening video address.
"Ukraine will triumph at the front; we will not let Russia leave even a single mark on our territory, and we will not let any foe escape punishment either." News regarding this is being prepared," he said. The Ukrainian military has been preparing a counteroffensive, though he did not provide any specifics.
The Wall Street Journal demanded Evan Gershkovich's immediate release earlier on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reporter was accused of espionage. He was "caught red-handed," according to the Kremlin, but there was no supporting documentation or video.
The White House criticized Russia's actions and urged Americans who were present in Russia for business or pleasure to leave right away.
"These espionage accusations are absurd. It is unacceptable that the Russian government has targeted Americans, "During a news briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The 31-year-old journalist, Gershkovich, has been employed as a journalist in Russia for six years. According to the Russian FSB security service, he was detained in Yekaterinburg, an industrial city in the Urals, "suspected of spying in the interests of the American government."
He was taken to Moscow, where a court ordered that he be held in pre-trial detention until May 29 during a closed hearing. According to Russian law, espionage carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Political analysts in the West predicted that Moscow might try to use Gershkovich as leverage in negotiations with the United States over a prisoner swap.
A separate bill allowing Finland to join NATO was approved by the Turkish parliament on Thursday. After Hungary's legislature passed a similar bill earlier this week, Turkey's parliament became the last of the Western Defense Alliance's 30 members to approve Finland's membership. Sweden has also applied to join NATO.
Individual NATO members, including the US, UK, and other European nations, as well as the alliance as a whole, have given the Kyiv government significant military and financial support.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Fox News: "Soon both Finland and Sweden will be (NATO) members, meaning that President Putin is getting the exact opposite of what he wanted," "He wanted NATO reduced." "NATO is increasing for him."
The West and NATO have been charged with directly contributing to the conflict in Ukraine by arming Kiev, and Russia has repeatedly threatened that NATO weapons are "legitimate targets" for its armed forces.
Ukraine reported on Thursday that Russian forces continued their assault on the contested city of Avdiivka and its surroundings, as well as on the eastern battlefield city of Bakhmut and nearby towns.
The bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War Two has taken place in the small mining city of Bakhmut, with Russian forces vying for their first victory since mid-2022.
In a report posted on Facebook on Thursday night, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that "our defenses are holding the city and repelling numerous enemy attacks," The battlefield reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.
An earlier report from the Ukrainian military claimed that Russian fighters were making some progress in Bakhmut. Russian forces reportedly control more than half of the city, according to Even Dikyi, a Ukrainian military analyst who was interviewed on Ukrainian NV Radio on Thursday.
"I can assure you that Bakhmut is steadfast. However, there is a lot of fighting going on in the city, and it is getting closer to the center," he said.
"Russian forces have most likely crossed the Bakhmutka River if they are said to have made "some progress." Wave after wave has been coming from them, and we are only talking a few hundred meters, "Dikyi tacked on.
The Ukrainian military was about to leave Bakhmut a month ago, but they have since decided to stay and defend it in the hopes of stopping the invading force.
In a column posted on the website of Ukrainian Espreso TV on Thursday, Serhiy Zgurets, editor of the Ukrainian defense publication Defense Express, stated that Zelenskiy was adamant about defending Bakhmut because its loss would give Russia leverage to compel Ukrainian concessions.
Millions of refugees have fled from Ukraine as a result of Russia's invasion. On both sides, tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are thought to have perished.
Moscow, which claims to have sent in troops as a result of a security threat from its neighbor, has vowed to continue fighting at least until it has control over all five of the eastern provinces.