Home › Politics › What did 6 March 2023 follow in Donbas and Helsinki?
What did 6 March 2023 follow in Donbas and Helsinki?
Summary
A look back at two developments reported in the days before 6 March 2023: a Russian ministerial visit to the Donbas and a Finnish vote on NATO.
What was the picture on 6 March 2023, as two reported developments from the preceding days shaped the regional agenda?
On 4 March 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was filmed inspecting troops in what was described as the eastern military district in the south Donetsk direction. The visit was reported as a rare high-level trip to the Donbas, and it came during the Battle of Bakhmut.
A few days earlier, on 1 March 2023, the Finnish Parliament voted 184–7 to formally approve the country's accession to NATO. It also adopted the alliance's founding documents. At that point Hungary and Turkey had yet to approve Finland's membership.
Taken together, the two reports showed Russian military leadership appearing near the front in eastern Ukraine, while Finland's parliamentary approval moved the country's NATO accession forward, with two member states still to act.
