Russia halts gas flow to Finland

A model of the natural gas pipeline is seen in front of displayed Finnish and Russian flag colours in this illustration taken April 26, 2022. [Reuters]

Russia stopped delivering gas to Finland in an escalation of a dispute over energy payments with Western nations and claimed victory in a weeks-long battle for Mariupol's devastated Azovstal steel plant as it presses for control of the Donbas.

Russia also launched what appeared to be a major assault to seize the last remaining Ukrainian-held territory in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the southeastern Donbas region: where Russian-backed separatists already controlled swathes of territory before the Feb. 24 invasion.