Russia to halt Finland's natural gas supply, day after its NATO membership application

Amid the ongoing war with Ukraine, Russia has told Findland that it will halt its supplies of natural gases from Saturday morning (EST), reported news agency AFP. The intense move comes as the Nordic country has refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles, a condition put forth by Russia to control the cash flow following various economic global sanctions. "It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted. However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation" and "there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network. The supply contract will end on Saturday at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), AFP quoted Gasum CEO Mika Wiljanen as saying.

On being questioned about the move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday asked reporters to seek Gazprom for "details" but said that "it is obvious that nobody is going to deliver anything for free,” an AFP report said.

According to AFP, Russia on Sunday suspended electricity supplies to Finland overnight after its energy firm RAO Nordic claimed payment arrears, although the shortfall was quickly replaced.

About the Russia-Ukraine war, Moscow on Friday pressed for control of Ukraine`s Donbas region, claiming victory in the months-long battle for Mariupol`s Azovstal steel plant and launching a major offensive on the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the province of Luhansk, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said there were no indications Russia had used laser weaponry in Ukraine, following claims by Moscow that it was fielding a new generation of powerful lasers there to strike enemy drones.