May 12, 2022: Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

A new satellite image from Maxar Technology appears to show a missile strike Thursday near Snake Island, in southern Ukraine.

Two plumes of smoke are seen near to a Russian Serna-class landing ship in the Black Sea, identified by Maxar.

The ship appears to be making a sharp turn where the missile hits the water.

Near the island, a barge with a heavy-lift crane is seen next to another sunken vessel, which Maxar has also identified as a Serna-class landing ship. 

It’s unclear how the ship sank, but on Sunday, spokesman for Odesa region military administration Serhiy Bratchuk said that a landing boat was hit, in addition to two Raptor-class patrol boats.

Bratchuk also claimed the Ukrainian military had destroyed a Russian helicopter on the island. The Ukraine Armed Forces Southern Operational Command released video showing a helicopter being destroyed by a missile on Sunday.

In recent weeks, the Ukrainians have repeatedly — and successfully — destroyed Russian forces and vehicles on the island. 

Bratchuk claimed on Thursday that a Russian support ship, the ‘Vsevolod Bobrov’ was on fire and being towed to Sevastopol from the area of Snake Island. That support ship is not seen in this satellite image, and the claim remains unverified by CNN. 

So far Russia has not confirmed the loss of any of the ships mentioned.

The Russian military is continuing to use a Ukrainian air base outside the occupied city of Melitopol, satellite images from BlackSky show.

At least seven helicopters are seen at the air base in a satellite image taken on May 12 at 3:58 p.m. local time. Only one helicopter is seen in a satellite image from May 7 at 6:02 a.m.

Some context: The use of the air base by the Russians is important, given its strategic location between the occupied cities of Kherson, Mariupol and parts of the Russian-backed separatist-held Donbas region.

Although the air base is deep within Russian-occupied territory, it doesn’t mean the aircraft there are safe. In late March, Ukrainian forces successfully targeted the airport outside of Kherson, blowing up a number of Russian military helicopters. 

As a result of that successful Ukrainian military strike, the Russian military has had to largely abandon the airport as a base for its aircraft.

The Ukrainians are continuing to pushback a Russian advance across the Siverskyi Donets River near Bilohorivka, a satellite image from BlackSky shows.

The fighting is taking place along the same bend in the river where the Russians constructed two pontoon bridges, which the Ukrainians blew up.

The satellite image, taken Thursday afternoon, shows large plumes of smoke rising from a dense forest just west of the river. Fighting also appears to be occurring in the area where the Russian pontoon bridges were deployed.

Smoke is obscuring much of that area, but through it, an object — a possible third Russian pontoon bridge — is seen bridging the river. The object seen crosses the entire river; drone photos of the first two destroyed pontoon bridges show they no longer cross the body of water.

Serhiy Hayday, the Luhansk regional military administrator, said on Wednesday the Russians are continuing to try to construct bridges across the Siverskyi Donets River. He also said that the Ukrainians have repeatedly blown them up. 

Read more about the river here:

Ukrainians eliminate at least two pontoon bridges near Bilohorivka in last 24 hours, satellite and drone images show

Related article Analysis: A meandering river in eastern Ukraine is hindering both sides in the war

Russia’s Ambassador to the European Union said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is on track but not proceeding at the speed certain people in the country wanted.

Calling the invasion a “special military operation,” Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov told Sky News Russia could have “steamrolled” Ukraine by now if it had wanted.

“It is continuing at a certain speed, having in mind the various aspects of the situation in Ukraine, including the need to protect the troops — the Russian troops and the allies of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics — as well as the civilian population,” Chizhov said.
“Had the Russian army followed the pattern of the United States and other Western countries, we would have steamrolled Ukraine several times by now. But that was never the intention. Actually, I should repeat that it was not the intention of Russia to capture territory in Ukraine.”

When asked about the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine Chizhov said:

“You mean whether NATO will deploy nuclear weapons in Ukraine? I hope not.” He added, “As distinctly different from the United States, Russia does not deploy nuclear weapons anywhere beyond its own territory.”

Chizhov said he is “deeply disappointed and saddened” by Finland and Sweden making moves to join NATO.

“Why the current Finish government has chosen to turn the country into a backwater periphery of NATO, I cannot understand,” he said.

If Finland joins, Russia will take “certain military technical measures,” he said.

“Like improving or raising the degree of defense preparations along the Finish border…not necessarily troops and tanks but certain preparations like radars, perhaps, but I’m not a military expert.”

David Beasley, head of the United Nations World Food Programme, is pleading with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports before global calamity strikes.

Asked what he would say directly to Putin, the UN official said: “If you have any heart at all for the rest of the world, regardless of how you feel about Ukraine, you need to open up those ports.”

Vital shipments of agriculture from Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of the world, are stuck in the war-torn nation because the port of Odesa and neighboring ports have been blocked by Russian officials.

Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, warned that the ports must be operational within the next 60 days or Ukraine’s agriculture-centric economy will implode.

“If you don’t get this port issue resolved and open, Ukraine’s economy completely collapses,” Beasley said at the SABEW conference in New York. “It becomes landlocked like Moldova. The ports are critical.”

Read the full story:

A serviceman walks in the border base in front of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Mariupol on February 11, 2022. Russia has sent six additional warships into the region for a week of naval drills involving dozens of big navy ships starting this weekend.

Related article 'If you have any heart at all.' UN official warns Putin millions will die if Ukraine's ports remain blocked

The Finnish government is planning to issue a second white paper on Sunday proposing that the country joins NATO, Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters in a media briefing in Helsinki on Thursday.

The proposal would then be put into a parliamentary vote with a plenary scheduled for Monday morning.

Haavisto noted that it is “important to go through a proper parliamentary debate”

The Finnish foreign minister said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had “changed very much the security landscape in Europe,” adding that it also changed the public opinion on NATO membership.

Finland’s support for joining NATO is the result of a “very drastic change in our security environment” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Klaus Korhonen, Finnish Ambassador to NATO told CNN on Thursday.

Here are the latest updates from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

Ukraine welcomes positive changes in Germany’s position: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Germany’s response to the war with Russia, saying Germany has now moved in ”the right direction” following tensions between Kyiv and Berlin.

”We see an evolving position of Germany on the most important issues – this position is moving into the right direction,” Kuleba told reporters in Berlin Thursday.

This could be the supply of weapons to Ukraine or the sanctions that need to be imposed against Russia, he said. “We see the positive dynamic.”

In recent months, the German government and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have come under pressure from Ukraine and politicians at home for not doing enough to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion. But at the end of April, Germany agreed to deliver Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, and last week it said it will supply Ukraine with seven self-propelled howitzers.

Russia “waging war against our children,” says Ukrainian first lady: At least three people have died and 12 were injured after a school and a boarding school were shelled at night by Russian forces in the northern Ukrainian city of Novhorod-Siversky, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska said, as she accused Russian of “waging war against our children.”

“Tonight, the Russian army fired rockets from a plane at a school and boarding school in the city of Novhorod-Siversky, Chernihiv region. Rescuers are currently working there, but we already know of 3 dead and 12 injured. The bombing was aimed. The Russians, who claim to be attacking only military installations, are waging war against our children. In fact, they are waging war against our future,” Zelenska said in a Telegram post Thursday.

She added that, according to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 1,635 educational institutions in the country have been affected by bombing and shelling, with 126 being completely destroyed.

“Whether Russia’s actions in Ukraine are genocide is currently being debated around the world. Instead of answering, look at the map. Every day a new school or kindergarten appears there, which was deliberately destroyed with unprecedented cynicism by the Russians,” she said.

Russia is using energy as “a weapon,” German vice chancellor says: German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck accused Russia on Thursday of using energy “as a weapon,” following an announcement by the Russian government on Wednesday to impose sanctions on 31 foreign energy companies in retaliation for Western penalties over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“It has to be said that the situation is coming to a head, in such a way that the use of energy as a weapon is now being realized in several areas,” Habeck told reporters at a news conference in Berlin. This is not the first time Habeck has said Russia is using energy as ”a weapon.”

Germany has been under pressure from Ukraine and other nations in Europe to make progress in weaning itself off Russian energy supplies since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. On Thursday, Habeck said that Germany was focusing on building up gas reserves to prepare for winter. “The gas storage facilities must be full by winter or else we will be in a situation where we can easily be blackmailed,” Habeck said. 

Families of Azovstal fighters appeal to Turkish president to initiate an extraction procedure: Families of Azov regiment fighters holed up in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol sent an emotional appeal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging him to “be a hero” and initiate an extraction procedure for all remaining fighters at the plant. At a news briefing in Kyiv, a father of an 18-year-old fighter urged the Turkish leader to seize “a historical opportunity to go down in history as a peacemaker, as a hero.”

“As a man to man, a father to a father, I implore you to save my son and his comrades,” Evheniy Suharnikov pleaded, referencing Turkey’s experience with military extraction operations in the Middle East. Using examples of extractions in Syria and Dunkirk during World War II, Suharnikov asked for a civilian vessel to be sent for the fighter’s collection from Azovstal. The fighter’s father also suggested they are taken to a neutral country, away from the hostilities. 

“We need a hero, a person with enough political authority to carry out this procedure. From a political and geographical perspective, we think Turkey can be that country and Erdogan can be that person,” he added.

EU proposes streamlined export plan for Ukrainian produce: The European Union is proposing to establish “solidarity lanes” exclusively for exporting agricultural goods from Ukraine to help ease the blockade of produce, which is “threatening global food security,” the commission said in a news release Thursday. The plan aims to integrate Ukrainian and EU infrastructure to mobilize 20 million metric tons of grain that must leave Ukraine within three months, EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said in the release. 

“Thousands” of trucks and wagons are stuck on the Ukrainian side of many EU borders, with an average waiting time of 16 days to pass through — rising to 30 days at some borders — the commission said.  

US: “Several thousand Ukrainians” sent to so-called filtration centers and tens of thousands taken to Russia: The United States assesses that Russian forces have sent “at least several thousand Ukrainians” to be processed at Russia’s so-called filtration centers “and evacuated at least tens of thousands more to Russia or Russia-controlled territory,” US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said Thursday.The forced displacement — and reported violence that are faced by those at the so-called filtration centers — amount to war crimes, Carpenter said according to the transcript of his remarks to the OSCE Permanent Council.

“Numerous eyewitness accounts indicate that ‘filtering out’ entails beating and torturing individuals to determine whether they owe even the slightest allegiance to the Ukrainian state,” Carpenter said.

Finland’s support for joining NATO is the result of a “very drastic change in our security environment” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Klaus Korhonen, Finnish Ambassador to NATO told CNN on Thursday.

Currently, there are no “direct military threats against Finland,” by Russia, Korhonen said, adding that they don’t see any “irregular activity.”

But the nation does expect potential “cyber harassment” or “disinformation campaigns,” by Russia which would be “nothing new” to them, he added.

Remember: Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia and its accession to the alliance would mean that Russia would share a border with a country that is formally aligned with the United States.

When asked what the Nordic-nation has to offer NATO if it were to join, Korhonen said that they have a “strong national defense” and that by being a member of the alliance the protection “would be even more effective.”

“We have a strong defense, we have a very capable border guard, and I think right now we are awake, so I think the border is very secure,” he said. 

Korhonen continued by saying that while nuclear rhetoric is “always part of Russian security policy narratives at this time,” we are currently “very far away from any nuclear situation.”

“The use of nuclear weapons or threat of use of nuclear weapons, that would open up an entirely new chapter in the Euro Atlantic landscape,” he said.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for international allies to commit more sanctions against Russia until it completely withdrawals from Ukraine and agrees to peace, according to a UK statement following a meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers in Germany on Thursday.

She urged sanctions on Russia not be lifted until those demands are met.

The foreign secretary also asserted that NATO allies should plan to assist Ukraine’s transition to NATO-standard equipment by the end of the summer. That would include supplying NATO-standard artillery shells, as well as training and expertise. 

In addition to NATO provided support, Truss also urged the G7 to plan for helping Ukraine rebuild from the war by providing financial and technical assistance, “building on the principle of a Marshal Plan.”

The United States assesses that Russian forces have sent “at least several thousand Ukrainians” to be processed at Russia’s so-called filtration centers “and evacuated at least tens of thousands more to Russia or Russia-controlled territory,” US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said Thursday.

The forced displacement – and reported violence that are faced by those at the so-called filtration centers – amount to war crimes, Carpenter said according to the transcript of his remarks to the OSCE Permanent Council.

“Numerous eyewitness accounts indicate that ‘filtering out’ entails beating and torturing individuals to determine whether they owe even the slightest allegiance to the Ukrainian state,” Carpenter said.

Some background: A CNN investigation in April revealed that Russian forces and allied separatist soldiers were taking Mariupol residents to a so-called “filtration center” set up in Bezimenne, where they were registered before being sent on to Russia, many against their will. Ukrainian government and local Mariupol officials say that tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens have been forcibly deported to the Donetsk People’s Republic and Russia since the war began.

“Survivors of this process describe a coercive, multi-destination journey through various ‘filtration’ waypoints in the Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine, and eventually across the border into Russia itself,” Carpenter noted. “Survivors describe these centers as either makeshift encampments composed of military tents or civilian infrastructure such as schools or sports centers. Commercial satellite images show these encampments in various locations across Ukraine’s southeast.”

The US Mission to the OSCE declined to discuss the sources of the information, but said it is confident in the assessment and the scale of the numbers stated.

According to Carpenter, victims described an “invasive and humiliating” inspection process at these centers.

“Russia’s soldiers photograph victims from various angles, fingerprint and physically examine them for tattoos, inspect their cell phones and download their contacts and data onto devices, and record their biographic information in a variety of databases … In some cases, Russia’s soldiers confiscated passports, identification documents, and cell phones altogether,” Carpenter said.

“Once in Russia, survivors report that some Ukrainian citizens are permitted to stay with friends and family living in Russia but that people without money or documents are put onto trains destined for cities hundreds of miles away, to be given jobs by Russian authorities,” he added.

The Finnish government is planning to issue a second white paper on Sunday proposing that the country joins NATO, Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters in a media briefing in Helsinki on Thursday.

The proposal would then be put into a parliamentary vote with a plenary scheduled for Monday morning.

Haavisto noted that it is “important to go through a proper parliamentary debate”

The Finnish foreign minister said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had “changed very much the security landscape in Europe,” adding that it also changed the public opinion on NATO membership.

Haavisto told reporters that the country is in close contact with the Swedish Foreign Ministry as Sweden also considers joining NATO. He added that he is in talks with European partners and the UK as applicant countries are not covered by security guarantees.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged for German companies to pull out of Russia and relocate to Ukraine.

Kuleba tweeted, “As Russia keeps committing heinous atrocities in Ukraine, revenues of foreign companies still doing business in Russia are stained with Ukrainian blood. I urge German businesses to pull out of Russia and relocate to Ukraine. This will be a sincere contribution to peace in Europe.”

Earlier Thursday, Kuleba told reporters in Berlin that Ukraine has seen the positive dynamic and praised Germany’s response to the war with Russia. ”We see an evolving position of Germany on the most important issues — this position is moving in the right direction,” Kuleba said.

View Kuleba’s tweet here:

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö on Thursday that France “fully supports” Finland’s bid to join NATO. 

“The President of the [French] Republic has told the President of Finland that France fully supports Finland’s sovereign choice to quickly join NATO,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement. 

Earlier on Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also welcomed Finland’s bid to join the alliance and offered Berlin’s “full support,” after Finland’s president and prime minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation — which shares an 800-mile border with Russia — one step closer to membership of the US-led military alliance.  

On Wednesday, Niinistö said that Russian President Vladimir Putin should “look in the mirror” if Finland decides to join NATO to increase its own security.  

While speaking alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Helsinki, the Finnish leader said that if Finland joined NATO, it would be the result of Putin’s own actions. 

A Russian support ship, the “Vsevolod Bobrov,” was being towed to Sevastopol from the area of Snake Island after it caught fire, according to Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for Odesa Regional Military Administration.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations will discuss how to end a blockade of Ukrainian grain so it can be exported to the world, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday, as the meeting kicks off at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus, northeast of the German city of Hamburg.    

”There are 25 millions of grain currently blocked in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, which means food for millions of people in the world that is urgently needed, above all in African countries and the Middle East,” Baerbock told reporters.  

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain-producing countries. 

The UN has called to reopen the Odesa port in southern Ukraine to help ease a global food crisis. CNN has also reported that Russian forces are stealing thousands of tons of grain from Ukrainian farmers, as well as targeting food storage sites with artillery, according to multiple sources. 

The German foreign minister on Thursday welcomed top diplomats of the G7 nations for a three-day meeting, which will focus on the war in Ukraine, energy and food security, relationship with China and climate change.  

Baerbock also welcomed her Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts, Dmytro Kuleba and Nicu Popescu, who are attending the meeting as guests.  

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, whose country chairs the Group of 20 major economies (G20) this year, is also participating in the meeting but remotely.  

UNICEF has verified that almost 100 children were killed in Ukraine in April alone, but actual figures could be significantly higher with the conflict creating a child protection crisis, a top UNICEF official told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

“In just this past month, the UN verified that nearly 100 children were killed, and we believe the actual figures to be considerably higher,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi said. 

During his remarks at the UN Security Council Meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine, Abdi said, “More children have been injured and faced grave violations of their rights, millions more have been displaced,” and added, “The war in Ukraine, like all wars, is a child protection and child rights crisis.”

Abdi also said that “education is also under attack” and “schools continue to be used for military purposes.”

“As of last week, at least 15 of 89 — one in six — UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine had been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war.” he said and added, “Hundreds of schools across the country are reported to have been hit by heavy artillery, airstrikes, and other explosive weapons in populated areas.” 

“Schools are a lifeline for children, especially in conflict. Schools are a safe spaces, with routines providing protection from harm and a semblance of normalcy. Schools are also critical conduits for information about the risks of deadly explosive ordnance. And they are a connector to essential health and psychosocial services,” he continued.

The United Nations on Thursday urged all parties in the Ukraine conflict to remove any barriers blocking the free movement of humanitarian staff to allow for the delivery of life-saving assistance across Ukraine. 

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting Thursday on Ukraine’s maintenance of peace and security, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said that under international humanitarian law, the parties must respect all civilians as well as civilian homes.

Msuya also said that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross were able to evacuate 174 civilians on Monday from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and other parts of the city. Msuya added that this was the third operation in the past week out of Mariupol, “bringing the total number of civilians evacuated from the steel plant Mariupol and neighboring towns to over 600.” 

Msuya said that almost 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes. Of that number, 8 million have been internally displaced. Nongovernmental organizations have provided assistance to more than 5.4 million people, she said, the majority of whom are in eastern Ukraine.

Msuya also emphasized the importance of the UN in exploring all options to save lives in Ukraine, saying, “We remain firmly committed to leaving no stone unturned.” 

“The world expects this of us; the people of Ukraine deserve this,” Msuya added. 

During a news briefing in Kyiv with relatives of soldiers who died or are still trapped in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, CNN spoke with Nastya Bilousova, 21, whose boyfriend Dmytro Chornyi was killed by a sniper.

Bilousova said she was told that he died via an Instagram message, and she didn’t believe it at first. But three days later, she received official confirmation.

Bilousova said she and Chornyi, also 21, were together for four years and dreamed of going to the country of Georgia.

Even though she received the last text messages from him on March 1, she still texts him every day, telling him about her life and how she cannot accept his death.

Nicole, 21, who only provided CNN with her first name, attended the briefing with her 5-year-old nephew, Kirill, on her lap.

She, her nephew and her sister spent five days escaping from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. She said they walked for two days and spent a night in a church to hide from shelling. They arrived in Zaporizhzhia on April 6.

Yesterday, she was told that her close friend Olexandr, who was fighting at Azovstal, had died. But she refuses to believe it.

“We were very good friends. He was a wonderful, kind man. He loved the guys he fought with. He often told me not to worry, that everything would be OK. Now I feel nothing,” she said.

She had been getting fewer and fewer messages from him. The last time they messaged was on May 8.

“I believe and hope this is a mistake, that he is alive,” she said.

On Thursday, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that “very difficult negotiations” are ongoing on the evacuation of seriously wounded fighters from the Azovstal steel plant in exchange for Russian prisoners of war.

Ayuna Mozorova recently returned to the site of a blast that left her buried under rubble for several hours and recalled the harrowing moments to CNN.

She remembered where she was standing that day at the Kharkiv regional administration building in Ukraine. Seventy-two days earlier, she had been standing next to a cupboard, distributing coffee and cookies to Ukrainian soldiers, when the building was bombed.

“I feel a physical manifestation of fear. I don’t like cookies any more. A box fell on me and I remember the smell,” she told CNN.

Her husband Andrei had scoured the place, looking for her for three hours.

“When I heard her voice, I was crawling across the rubble, and the emergency services were trying to kick me out. I pulled a man out and then heard her. I did not plan to leave her here,” he said.

The multiple-rocket attack was an early sign of the brutality Russia would unleash on civilian targets.

The soldiers waiting in the corridor outside from her died. The young women in the basement below her died — their bodies were not found for three weeks.

Yet where Mozorova stood, somehow the concrete fell in a way that it shielded her.

“I knew I was alive, in pain but nothing broken. But I was worried I would be left and never be heard. The first time they heard me, they started to get me out and then the second missile came, and I was properly trapped,” she said.

When her husband found her, he cried.

The trauma lives on. Mozorova said she now sleeps with lights on, and when she hears a loud car or a jet plane, she braces.

Mozorova was born in Russia, but can no longer talk to her relatives there. She said they believe Russian state media’s absurd claims that this is a limited operation against Nazis.

“They say it was my stupidity, and I don’t need to be here,” Mozorova said. “I hope when time passes, our children can talk, but I can’t talk to them now. Russia has lost its mind and cannot control its president. They are all each responsible, every citizen.”

More than 6 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in late February, according to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

In addition, more than 8 million people – nearly one in five of Ukraine’s pre-war population – are internally displaced in the country after having been forced to flee their homes, according to the latest report by the International Organization for Migration.

A projected 8.3 million refugees are expected to flee Ukraine, the UNHCR said in late April.

Finland – which shares an 800-mile border with Russia – is one step closer to joining NATO after the nation’s president and prime minister announced their support for being a part of the US-led military alliance. The Kremlin said the move would be a threat to Russia.

Here’s what you need to know about NATO and how it works:

NATO is a European and North American defense alliance that was created as the Cold War escalated and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The aim of the alliance was to protect Western European countries from the threat posed by the Soviet Union and to counter the spread of Communism after World War II.

Remember: An armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance can be used to protect any single member nation. This is crucial for many of the smaller countries who would be defenseless without its allies. Iceland, for example, has no standing army. Since the US is the largest and most powerful NATO member, any state in the alliance is effectively under US protection.

The alliance started with 12 founding countries, but over the decades since, the alliance has grown to include a total of 30 members.

In alphabetical order, they are: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the US.

Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but has long hoped to join the alliance. This is a sore point for Russia, which sees NATO as a threat and vehemently opposes the move.

Amid ongoing tensions with the West, Russia has asked for iron-clad guarantees that the alliance won’t expand further east — particularly into Ukraine.

But the US and NATO have resisted those demands. The alliance has always had an “open door policy,” which states that any European country ready and willing to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership is welcome to apply for membership. Any decisions on enlargement of the alliance must be agreed unanimously.

Following the end of the Cold War, NATO made it clear it would welcome expansion to the east and in 1997, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were invited to begin accession talks.

Since then, more than a dozen countries from the former Eastern bloc, including three former Soviet republics, joined the alliance.

Read the full explainer on NATO here and see a map of its current members below:

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that “very difficult negotiations” are ongoing on the evacuation of seriously wounded fighters from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in exchange for Russian prisoners of war.

“To be clear: we are currently negotiating only about 38 severely wounded (bedridden) fighters. We work step by step. We will exchange 38, then we will move on. There are currently no talks on the exchange of 500 or 600 people, which is being reported by some media outlets,” she said.

She asked others to stop speculating about the process.

“I beg you. It’s about people’s lives. Refrain from public comments about what you do not know,” she said.

Beth Van Schaack, the US ambassador at large for global criminal justice, said one of the biggest challenges to ensuring accountability for those who are responsible for war crimes in Ukraine will be getting them into custody. But, she added, that “those of us in this business are playing a long game” to try to apprehend them.

“Eventually people, perpetrators will want to travel — they will have family members abroad, they will want to visit the capitals of Europe, and international prosecutors around the world will be ready with indictments in hand,” Van Schaack said at a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday.

She told lawmakers that the world has “never seen this type of international coordination around the imperative of accountability, frankly, since World War II and then in the 1990s when the two ad-hoc criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda were created.”

“There is a huge international effort to document crimes that’s being done on multilaterally through partnerships and also individually at the civil society level and a huge effort with prosecutors from different systems, working together,” she said.

The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova has alleged that the Russian army had committed more than 9,800 war crimes as of May 5.

Democratic US Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Thursday that his committee is “already working to ensure swift consideration” of Finland’s and Sweden’s memberships in NATO should they choose to apply.

At least two-thirds of the US Senate must vote to approve new member states in the defensive alliance.

In a tweet, Republican ranking member of the committee Sen. Jim Risch said that Finland’s “announcement today marks a tremendous step forward in the future of transatlantic security.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday welcomed Finland’s bid to join NATO and offered Berlin’s “full support” after Finland’s president and prime minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation – which shares an 800-mile border with Russia – one step closer to membership of the US-led military alliance.

“In a phone call with President Sauli Niinistö, I assured Finland of the German government’s full support,” Scholz added.   

The Finnish president on Twitter said that he discussed Finland’s NATO membership bid with the German chancellor.   

”Finland is grateful for German support for our NATO membership,” he wrote, adding that they also discussed “the need to achieve peace in Ukraine.”  

The European Union is proposing to establish “solidarity lanes” exclusively for exporting agricultural goods from Ukraine to help ease the blockade of produce, which is “threatening global food security,” the commission said in a news release Thursday.  

The plan aims to integrate Ukrainian and EU infrastructure to mobilize 20 million metric tons of grain that must leave Ukraine within three months, EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said in the release. 

“Thousands” of trucks and wagons are stuck on the Ukrainian side of many EU borders, with an average waiting time of 16 days to pass through — rising to 30 days at some borders — the commission said.  

The commission is urging freight and infrastructure managers to take steps to streamline Ukrainian exports, such as making more vehicles available and prioritizing time slots.

National authorities are also being asked to apply “maximum flexibility” to “accelerate procedures at border crossing points” and work to secure more capacity for storing Ukrainian exports temporarily. 

The export blockade — resulting from the war with Russia — in addition to incidents of grain theft, reportedly at the hands of Russian forces, are causing a global supply crisis of grains such as wheat and corn.

Families of Azov regiment fighters holed up in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol sent an emotional appeal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging him to “be a hero” and initiate an extraction procedure for all remaining fighters at the plant. 

At a news briefing in Kyiv, a father of an 18-year-old fighter urged the Turkish leader to seize “a historical opportunity to go down in history as a peacemaker, as a hero.”

“As a man to man, a father to a father, I implore you to save my son and his comrades,” Evheniy Suharnikov pleaded, referencing Turkey’s experience with military extraction operations in the Middle East.

Using examples of extractions in Syria and Dunkirk during World War II, Suharnikov asked for a civilian vessel to be sent for the fighter’s collection from Azovstal. The fighter’s father also suggested they are taken to a neutral country, away from the hostilities. 

“We need a hero, a person with enough political authority to carry out this procedure. From a political and geographical perspective, we think Turkey can be that country and Erdogan can be that person,” he added.

Families of fighters have gathered 1.5 million signatures on a petition they started to secure a safe passage out of the plant for Azov fighters.

“The UN and the Red Cross are only interested in civilians,” one fighter’s wife said while standing next to her young son.

One girlfriend of an Azov fighter warned if the fighters are abandoned, “Ukraine will not have a bright future.”

Ukraine has offered to release Russian prisoners of war in exchange of the evacuation of injured Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel plant. There are thought to be several hundred soldiers still at Mariupol’s last Ukrainian stronghold. Russia continues regular bombardments of the plant, according to both the Russian and the Ukrainian military.

Russian state energy giant Gazprom said it will stop sending Russian gas through the Yamal pipeline that runs through Poland, after the Kremlin imposed sanctions on a number of foreign companies.

Gazprom said the sanctions include EuRoPol Gaz, which owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. 

“A ban has been established on transactions and payments in favor of persons under sanctions, in particular, for Gazprom, this means a ban on the use of a gas pipeline owned by EuRoPol Gaz to transport Russian gas through Poland,” a Gazprom representative said.

It’s the latest tension over gas between Russian and Poland. Last month, Gazprom said it had fully halted supplies to Polish gas company PGNiG and Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz after they refused to meet a demand by Moscow to pay in rubles rather than euros or dollars.

The Yamal pipeline runs from Russia through Belarus and onto Poland and Germany. According to energy analyst Bruegel, it accounts for a small part of Russian gas flows to Europe, and its use has been declining sharply since the war began. 

The German energy regulator played down the impact on its supplies. It told Reuters in a statement that stopping gas flows through Yamal will not endanger German supplies because “hardly any gas to Germany has been going through this pipeline for weeks.”

German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck accused Russia on Thursday of using energy “as a weapon,” following an announcement by the Russian government on Wednesday to impose sanctions on 31 foreign energy companies in retaliation for Western penalties over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“It has to be said that the situation is coming to a head, in such a way that the use of energy as a weapon is now being realized in several areas,” Habeck told reporters at a news conference in Berlin. This is not the first time Habeck has said Russia is using energy as ”a weapon.”

Germany has been under pressure from Ukraine and other nations in Europe to make progress in weaning itself off Russian energy supplies since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. 

On Thursday, Habeck said that Germany was focusing on building up gas reserves to prepare for winter.

“The gas storage facilities must be full by winter or else we will be in a situation where we can easily be blackmailed,” Habeck said. 

Finland “must be aware of the responsibility and consequences” of joining NATO, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday, adding that Russia “will be forced” to take retaliatory steps if the country joins the alliance.  

“The statement by Finnish President S. Niinistö and Finnish Prime Minister S. Marin, who spoke today in favor of Finland joining NATO, is a radical change in the country’s foreign policy,” the Russian foreign ministry said, adding “Helsinki must be aware of the responsibility and consequences of such a move.”

Finland’s possible accession to NATO would cause serious damage to bilateral Russian-Finnish relations, which are maintaining stability and security in the Northern European region, the ministry said. 

“Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop the threats to its national security that arise in this regard,” it said. 

“Joining NATO will also be a direct violation of Finland’s international legal obligations, primarily the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 and the 1992 Treaty between Russia and Finland on the fundamentals of relations,” Russia’s foreign ministry said. 

Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia.

The State Migration Service of Ukraine is conducting a “complete audit” into the services provided to its Russian citizens, in order to “single out those individuals who conduct certain activity against Ukraine,” the agency’s head, Natalia Naumenko, told journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.

“We are working on gathering an understanding for each one of these cases, and not just us, but our law enforcement agencies as well,” Naumenko added.

Citizens of Russia and Belarus make up the largest expat community in Ukraine, with over 150,000 nationals currently living in the country. Ukrainian Migration Service stopped processing Ukrainian citizenship applications for Russians in the country during the ongoing conflict. 

Naumenko added that those Russian nationals with a valid residence permit in Ukraine are “free to travel in an out of the country through controlled checkpoints.”

Sanctions imposed on Russia by the West are “provoking” a global crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a meeting on economic issues.

“Their authors, guided by short-sighted, inflated political ambitions, Russophobia, to a greater extent hit their own national interests, their own economies, the wellbeing of their citizens. We see this, first of all, in a sharp increase in inflation in Europe,” said Putin.

According to the Russian leader, continuation of the West’s “obsession with sanctions” will inevitably lead to the “most difficult, intractable consequences” for the European Union as well as the poorest countries in the world.

“The blame for this lies entirely with the elites of Western countries, who are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world in order to maintain their global dominance,” he said.

Putin added that Russia is coping with external challenges provoked by Western sanctions and the inflation in the country is slowing down.

“The weekly increase in prices has already dropped to 0.1% – this is already close to the weekly growth rate that corresponds to the inflation target of the Bank of Russia,” he said.

A Russian merchant ship loaded with grain stolen in Ukraine has been turned away from at least one Mediterranean port and is now in the Syrian port of Latakia, according to shipping sources and Ukrainian officials.

CNN has identified the vessel as the bulk carrier Matros Pozynich.

On April 27, the ship weighed anchor off the coast of Crimea and turned off its transponder. The next day, it was seen at the port of Sevastopol, the main port in Crimea, according to photographs and satellite images.

The Matros Pozynich is one of three ships involved in the trade of stolen grain, according to open-source research and Ukrainian officials.

Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, produces little wheat because of a lack of irrigation. But the Ukrainian regions to its north, occupied by Russian forces since early March, produce millions of tons of grain every year. Ukrainian officials say thousands of tons are now being trucked into Crimea.

Kateryna Yaresko, a journalist with the SeaKrime project of the Ukrainian online publication Myrotvorets, told CNN the project had noticed a sharp increase in grain exports from Sevastopol to about 100,000 tons in both March and April.

From Sevastopol, according to satellite images and tracking data reviewed by CNN, the Matros Pozynich transited the Bosphorus strait and made its way to the Egyptian port of Alexandria. It was laden with nearly 30,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat, according to Ukrainian officials.

But the Ukrainians were one step ahead. Officials say Egypt was warned that the grain was stolen, and the shipment was turned away. The Matros Pozynich steamed toward the Lebanese capital of Beirut with the same result. The ship turned off its transponder again on May 5, but imagery from Tankertrackers.com and Maxar Technologies shows it traveled to the Syrian port of Latakia.

The Ukrainian defense ministry estimates that at least 400,000 tons of grain has been stolen and taken out of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

Continue reading here:

Close-up view shows the Matros Pozynich, named after a Russian soldier killed in Syria in 2015, at Latakia port.

Related article Russian ships carrying stolen Ukrainian grain turned away from Mediterranean ports -- but not all of them

Shell has announced plans to sell some of its Russian businesses to Lukoil, the country’s second biggest oil producer.

The deal will include 411 retail gas stations and a lubricant blending plant in Torzhok, which is 200 kilometers (124 miles) north-west of Moscow.

No details were given on the financial terms of the deal, which is expected to be completed later this year.

On March 8, Shell announced plans to withdraw from all of its Russian energy businesses in a phased manner.

In April the company revealed that its exit from Russia could cost it as much as $5 billion.

“Under this deal, more than 350 people currently employed by Shell Neft will transfer to the new owner of this business,” said Huibert Vigeveno, Shell’s downstream director, in a statement.

Earlier Thursday, German engineering firm Siemens also announced plans to exit Russia. 

“We join the international community in condemning the war in Ukraine and are focused on supporting our people and providing humanitarian aid,” said Roland Busch, Siemens president and CEO. “Today, we announced our decision to carry out an orderly process to wind down our industrial business activities in Russia.”

The Kremlin said on Thursday that “everyone wants to avoid” a direct clash between Russia and NATO, but added that Russia will be ready to give “the most decisive response” to those who would try to get involved in the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“Everyone wants to avoid a direct clash between Russia and NATO: Both Russia and NATO, and, most importantly, Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call.

“At the same time, Russia will be ready to give the most decisive response to the side that tries to somehow get into Ukraine and get into the special operation being carried out by the Russian armed forces,” he added.

Foreign energy companies under Russian sanctions won’t be able to participate in gas supplies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

“Blocking sanctions have been introduced. Therefore, there will be no relations with these companies, they are simply prohibited,” Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call, commenting on the decree published the day before.

On Wednesday, the Russian government approved a list of 31 foreign companies – all current or former subsidiaries of Russian state gas company Gazprom – which are now subject to special economic measures, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

Among the companies on the list are Gazprom Germania GmbH, Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd., and the operator of the Polish part of the pipeline Yamal-Europe.

German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Thursday that Germany had found alternative suppliers to Gazprom Germania.

”Last night Putin published a decree that European gas suppliers will now be sanctioned by Russia. In Germany, Gazprom and its subsidiaries are affected, which means that some of the subsidiaries now no longer receive gas from Russia,” Habeck told the German parliament without providing further details on the alternative suppliers.

At least three people have died and 12 were injured after a school and a boarding school were shelled at night by Russian forces in the northern Ukrainian city of Novhorod-Siversky, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska said, as she accused Russian of “waging war against our children.”

“Tonight, the Russian army fired rockets from a plane at a school and boarding school in the city of Novhorod-Siversky, Chernihiv region. Rescuers are currently working there, but we already know of 3 dead and 12 injured. The bombing was aimed. The Russians, who claim to be attacking only military installations, are waging war against our children. In fact, they are waging war against our future,” Zelenska said in a Telegram post Thursday.

She added that, according to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 1,635 educational institutions in the country have been affected by bombing and shelling, with 126 being completely destroyed.

“Whether Russia’s actions in Ukraine are genocide is currently being debated around the world. Instead of answering, look at the map. Every day a new school or kindergarten appears there, which was deliberately destroyed with unprecedented cynicism by the Russians,” she said.

What Russia says: According to the Russian defense ministry, its armed forces used high-precision air-based missiles to hit four command posts, 34 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment, as well as two ammunition depots near Novhorod-Siversky. 

“The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 320 nationalists and up to 72 armored and motor vehicles,” the defense ministry said during a briefing on Thursday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Germany’s response to the war with Russia, saying Germany has now moved in ”the right direction” following tensions between Kyiv and Berlin.

”We see an evolving position of Germany on the most important issues – this position is moving into the right direction,” Kuleba told reporters in Berlin Thursday.

This could be the supply of weapons to Ukraine or the sanctions that need to be imposed against Russia, he said. “We see the positive dynamic.”

In recent months, the German government and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have come under pressure from Ukraine and politicians at home for not doing enough to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion.

But at the end of April, Germany agreed to deliver Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, and last week it said it will supply Ukraine with seven self-propelled howitzers.

While relations between the two countries have improved, ”we have to make sure that the positive dynamic is maintained and we all move forward and that right decisions are being taken,” Kuleba said. 

The decision about Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, due to be taken at the European summit at the end of June, will largely define the future of Europe, he said.

”The EU needs Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs the EU,” Kuleba said. 

Finland continues to move towards membership of NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he commends Finland’s “readiness” to join NATO, while the Kremlin said it would see Finland’s accession to the military alliance as a threat.

On the ground, all the civilians are believed to have been evacuated from Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.

Here are the latest updates from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

Finland’s NATO membership: Finland’s leaders announced in a joint statement on Thursday that they are in favor of applying for NATO membership, moving the Nordic nation closer to joining the alliance. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, public support for joining NATO in Finland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls.

Sweden could be next: It is also expected that Sweden, Finland’s neighbor to the west, will soon announce its intention to join NATO. Sweden’s foreign minister said Thursday that the country will “take Finland’s assessments into account.” Russia has warned both countries against joining the alliance, saying there would be consequences.

Support for Finland: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland would be “warmly welcomed” into the alliance. Meanwhile, NATO members Denmark and Estonia said they would support Finland’s membership, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen saying it “will strengthen NATO and our common security.”

Moscow’s reaction: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russia would see Finland’s accession to the NATO as a threat and the move would not contribute to more security. Russia will analyze the situation with Finland’s entry to NATO and will work out the necessary measures to ensure its own security, he added.

Azovstal evacuation: All the civilians who were sheltering in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant have likely been evacuated, according to a Ukrainian officer inside the facility. However, the officer added that it’s difficult to make a full assessment of the situation across the plant given the constant bombardment from Russian forces.

Ukraine offers exchange: Ukraine has offered to release Russian prisoners of war in exchange for the evacuation of injured Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal plant, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. She added that there is no agreement yet as negotiations are underway regarding the proposal.

Russian civilian reportedly killed: For the first time, a civilian in Russia has reportedly died as a result of cross-border shelling from Ukraine, according to Russian authorities.

Russia would see Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance as a threat and the move would not contribute to more security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

“As we have said many times before, NATO expansion does not make the world more stable and secure,” Peskov told reporters after Finland’s top politicians announced their support for an application for NATO membership.

Peskov added that Russia’s reaction will depend on the development of NATO military infrastructure.

“It will depend on what this expansion process will entail, how far and how close to our borders the military infrastructure will move,” Peskov said.

Russia will analyze the situation with Finland’s entry to NATO and will work out the necessary measures to ensure its own security, he added.

Finland would be “warmly welcomed into NATO,” said the military alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg after the country’s top politicians said they wanted to join.

“This is a sovereign decision by Finland, which NATO fully respects. Should Finland decide to apply, they would be warmly welcomed into NATO, and the accession process would be smooth and swift,” said Stoltenberg, according to his office.

“Finland is one of NATO’s closest partners, a mature democracy, a member of the European Union, and an important contributor to Euro-Atlantic security,” he added. 

Earlier Thursday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin issued a joint statement announcing their support for a Finnish application to join NATO.

Stoltenberg said he agreed with the analysis from Niinisto and Marin “that NATO membership would strengthen both NATO and Finland’s security.” 

He emphasized that Finnish accession to NATO would show “that NATO’s door is open, and that Finland decides its own future.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he commends Finland’s “readiness” to join NATO, after the country’s leaders officially announced their support for joining the military alliance.

Zelensky spoke with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto by telephone, he said on Twitter on Thursday, adding that he “commended the readiness of Finland to apply for NATO membership.”

“We also discussed Ukraine’s European integration. And Ukraine-Finland defense interaction,” Zelensky added. 

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the south-eastern city of Mariupol, and “the true scale” of alleged atrocities is yet to be revealed, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Thursday.

Bachelet’s office continues to investigate allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Ukraine, “many of which may amount to war crimes,” she said during a Human Rights Council special session on Ukraine in Vienna.

In areas of intense hostilities, like Mariupol, it has been difficult for her team to get access and collect information, said Bachelet.

In the Kyiv region, the killing of civilians “often appears to be intentional, carried out by snipers and soldiers,” she said.

Last week, her team visited 14 towns and villages in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas, and “heard first-hand accounts of relatives, neighbors and friends being killed, injured, detained and disappeared,” she said.

“To date over 1,000 civilian bodies have been recovered in the Kyiv region alone. Some of those people have been killed in hostilities, others appear to be summarily executed,” and others appear to have died due to stress from hostilities and the lack of medical aid, she said. Some appeared to have been tortured, she added. 

Bachelet reiterated her calls to “both parties in the conflict” to respect international humanitarian law. 

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde says Sweden will consider Finland’s assessments on NATO membership as it also considers joining the military alliance.

“Finland is Sweden’s closest security and defence partner, and we need to take Finland’s assessments into account,” Linde said in a tweet.

“Sweden will decide after the report from the security policy consultations has been presented,” she added.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced their support for NATO membership in a joint statement Thursday, which Linde described as an “important message.”

There has been intense shelling along the front lines in the Luhansk region on Thursday, a Ukrainian official has said.

Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk region military administration, said the enemy had “completely destroyed the captured settlements in Luhansk … Shelling intensified along the entire Luhansk front.”

Hayday spoke of heavy fighting around Severodonetsk (in Belohorivka, Komyshuvaha and on the outskirts of Severodonetsk) and said the situation “has significantly deteriorated.”

He said that Ukrainian units in Belohorivka are “now holding back the Russian invasion … our defenders have twice destroyed pontoon crossings, and based on the actions of the Russians, the third time will be the same.”

Hayday gave no indication that any towns or villages in the area had fallen to the Russians.

He said the Russians “do not change tactics: They destroy cities and only then enter the scorched earth.”

As fighting in north-eastern Ukraine gets closer to the border with Russia, Ukrainian officials are claiming that more border villages are coming under fire from Russian forces.

One person was killed when the small village of Novi Vykry was bombarded early Thursday by a barrage of 20 artillery shells, according to Ukrainian officials in Sumy.

Shelling of border settlements in Sumy from across the border in Russia has picked up in recent days, at the same time as Ukrainian forces are advancing towards a different section of the international border in the Kharkiv region. 

Earlier Thursday, the Ukrainian armed forces said that Russian forces had launched an air strike in the Shostka district of the Sumy region.

The accession of Finland to NATO would “strengthen” the security of the Baltic Sea region and northern Europe, according to the country’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

Haavisto addressed the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs Thursday, just minutes after a joint statement was published from the Finnish President and Prime Minister announcing their support for applying for NATO membership. 

“Should Finland decide to apply, the accession of Finland would strengthen the security and stability for the Baltic Sea region and north of Europe,” Haavisto told EU lawmakers.

Stressing that the country is now “fast approaching the point of national decision making,” Haavisto laid out further benefits of Finnish membership. 

“From NATO’s perspective Finland has solid democratic credentials that meet NATO’s membership criteria, and has a strong and credible national defense that is interoperable with NATO,” he said.

“We are convinced that Finland would bring added value to NATO. Our war time strength of the defense forces is 280,000 troops, and the trained reserve is 900,000 men and women,” Haavisto continued. 

He also set out the threats created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling Moscow’s “unpredictable behavior” an “imminent issue.” 

The invasion of Ukraine is “an attack against the entire European security order,” said Haavisto, who emphasized the need for the EU to do its “utmost to give Ukraine political, military, economic and humanitarian support.” 

NATO members Denmark and Estonia said they would welcome Finland joining the alliance.

In a tweet posted by Denmark’s Ministry of State Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: “Strong messages from the President and Prime Minister of Finland. DK [Denmark] will of course warmly welcome Finland to NATO. Will strengthen NATO and our common security. DK will do everything for a rapid accession process after the formal application.”

Earlier on Thursday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced their support for NATO membership, saying in a joint statement: “Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”

Meanwhile, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that Estonia supports “a rapid accession process” for Finland to join NATO, adding that Finland’s potential application will have the country’s “full support.”

Kallas said in a tweet: “History being made by our northern neighbours.”

“You can count on our full support. We support a rapid accession process. From our side will make necessary steps quickly,” Kallas added.

Some background: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, public support for joining NATO in Finland has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80% in some polls.

Once parliament has approved the idea in principle and any other domestic legislative hurdles have been cleared, it is expected that NATO would invite Finland to negotiate its accession.

Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia, which has warned against joining NATO by saying there would be consequences.

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, he made clear his belief that NATO had edged too close to Russia and should be stripped back to its borders of the 1990s, before some countries that either neighbor Russia or were ex-Soviet states joined the military alliance.

Russia currently shares about 755 miles of land border with five NATO members, according to the alliance.

Finland’s accession would mean that a nation with which Russia shares an 800-mile border would become formally militarily aligned with the United States.

Not only would this be bad news for the Kremlin, but the addition of Finland would be quite a boon for NATO.

Despite its relatively small population, Finland is a serious military power that has been unofficially aligned with the West.

Its military has for decades used equipment purchased from the US that is compatible with NATO allies, meaning it could easily join NATO missions should it choose to do so.

Read the full analysis:

Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called "Cold Response 2022", gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Setermoen in the Arctic Circle, Norway, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Related article Analysis: Finland is on the verge of asking to join NATO. Here's why that's bad news for Putin

The statement of support for NATO from Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin had been expected, after the Finnish government recently submitted to the country’s parliament a report on national security which outlined the path to joining the alliance as one of Finland’s options.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, public support for joining NATO has leaped from around 30% to nearly 80%.

Once parliament has approved the idea in principle and any other domestic legislative hurdles have been cleared, it is expected that NATO would invite Finland to negotiate its accession.

Sweden could be next: It is also expected that Sweden, Finland’s neighbor to the west, will soon announce its intention to join the alliance through a similar process.

Russia has warned both countries against joining NATO, saying there would be consequences.

Finland joining NATO would have both practical and symbolic consequences for Russia and the Western alliance.

Change in stance: Since the end of World War II, Finland has been non-aligned militarily and nominally neutral in order to avoid provoking Russia. It has indulged the Kremlin’s security concerns at times and tried to maintain good trading relations.

The war in Ukraine, however, has sufficiently changed the calculation, so that joining NATO now seems the best way forward, regardless of what Russia’s reaction might be.

Read the full story here:

Related article Finland's leaders announce support for joining NATO

Finland’s leaders have just announced in a joint statement they are in favor of applying for NATO membership.

Here’s some context on the announcement:

How will parliament vote? Parliamentarian Johannes Koskinen told CNN he expects the overwhelming majority of the Finnish Parliament to vote in favor. 

“I think in the plenary, the results, maybe around 180 out of 200 are in favor of membership,” Koskinen said. 

Is joining NATO popular? More than 75% of Finns support joining the military alliance, according to the latest state media polling data. 

What are the next steps? Should Finland and Sweden decide to apply to NATO, the accession process would “go quickly” and interim measures would be put in place until they become formal members of the alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in April.

What is Russia’s reaction? Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia is closely monitoring NATO configuration close to its borders, commenting on the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Read more here:

Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called "Cold Response 2022", gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Setermoen in the Arctic Circle, Norway, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Related article Analysis: Finland is on the verge of asking to join NATO. Here's why that's bad news for Putin

The Ukrainian military has acknowledged Russian advances in some areas in the east of the country — though it says the extent of the progress is difficult to measure.

In its daily operational update, the General Staff said Russian forces had crossed the Siverskiy Donets river in the direction of Lyman, which is in the Donetsk region. 

Lyman is a town to the northeast of Sloviansk, one of the Russians’ strategic objectives. Several bridges across the river had been brought down during earlier fighting. CNN is unable to quantify the scale of the Russian advance. 

“In the Sloviansk direction, the occupiers are regrouping troops to resume the offensive on Barvinkove and Sloviansk. The enemy moved the battalion tactical group in order to strengthen the advanced units,” the update said.

CNN has previously reported that Russia has added further battalion tactical groups to its offensive in this area.  

The General Staff also said that further east “the enemy is advancing in the direction of Kudriashivka bear Severodonetsk; with partial success … Their main task is to establish full control over Rubizhne, to capture Lyman and Severodonetsk.”

Kudriashivka is a small settlement close to Severodonetsk and Rubizhne, where Ukrainian forces have been holding off a Russian advance for weeks. The humanitarian situation in Severodonetsk, where some 15,000 people still live, is said to be dire.

River crossing attempts in Luhansk: The regional military administration in Luhansk said that “in total, towns and villages of Luhansk region were fired at 26 times during May 11. The largest number was in Severodonetsk.”

The Russians have repeatedly tried to cross the Siverskiy Donets in this area, but Ukrainian forces have quickly destroyed several pontoon bridges in recent days, according to a CNN analysis of satellite imagery. The General Staff said Thursday that another attempt to cross the river was being made near Kreminna.

If the Russians were able to sustain a river crossing, Ukrainian troops in the Severodonetsk area would be vulnerable to being cut off.

Northeastern battles: In the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian counterattack continues, and the General Staff says the Russians are reinforcing units in the border area.

“The enemy is regrouping troops in order to prevent a further advance of our troops in the direction of the state border. … In the areas north of Kharkiv city, the enemy fires artillery at units of our troops.”

Line holds to the south: In the south of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military reports further shelling by Russian forces but no changes in frontline positions. The authorities in Dnipro said there had been shelling throughout the night and one civilian had been killed.

UK weighs in: The UK Defense Ministry commented Thursday that “Russia’s prioritisation of operations in the Donbas has left elements deployed in the Kharkiv Oblast vulnerable to the mobile, and highly motivated, Ukrainian counter-attacking force. Despite Russia’s success in encircling Kharkiv in the initial stages of the conflict, it has reportedly withdrawn units from the region to reorganise and replenish its forces following heavy losses.”

In a joint statement Thursday, Finland’s President and Prime Minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation – which shares an 800-mile border with Russia – one step closer to membership of the US-led military alliance.

“During this spring, an important discussion on Finland’s possible NATO membership has taken place,” said Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
“Time has been needed to let parliament and the whole society establish their stands on the matter. Time has been needed for close international contacts with NATO and its member countries, as well as with Sweden. We have wanted to give the discussion the space it required.”

The leaders said that the “moment of decision-making is near” and Finland must apply for NATO membership.

“NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance. Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days,” the joint statement said.

In a statement Thursday, Finland’s President and Prime Minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation – which shares an 800-mile border with Russia – one step closer to membership of the US-led military alliance.

German manufacturing conglomerate Siemens says it will exit the Russian market as a result of the war in Ukraine. 

“We join the international community in condemning the war in Ukraine and are focused on supporting our people and providing humanitarian aid,” the company said in a statement Thursday. 

The multinational corporation said it has started “proceedings to wind down its industrial operations and all industrial business activities.”

Siemens said it had earlier put all new business in Russia and international deliveries to Russia on hold “while it evaluated the situation to ensure the safety of its 3,000 employees in the country.”

Read more about the effects of the war on German manufacturers:

A worker pours molten iron into a mould at the Siempelkamp Giesserei foundry on April 21, 2022 in Krefeld, Germany.

Related article Soaring costs and shortages push German industry to the brink

US Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN Wednesday night that leaders are working with Senate counterparts to get a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine approved in order to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The House approved the package Tuesday night by a vote of 368-57.

Schiff credited the US and Ukraine for their quick action on previous aid packages, getting humanitarian aid to citizens and military aid onto the battlefield.

“Those supply lines are now well-orchestrated, and Ukrainians, I think, have done an extraordinary job in getting the materiel to their fighters and to defend the country,” he said.

Additional aid packages from the US will depend largely on how long Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his war in Ukraine, Schiff said.

“The more that we do now, the quicker we can bring this to an end once Putin realizes he is not going to accomplish his objectives there,” Schiff said.
“And the costs to Russia have simply becoming too high. Costs in terms of Russian lives, and costs in terms of the sanctions and the impact on the Russian economy and the Russian people.”

Read more about what’s in the $40 billion aid package here.

Russia’s behavior in Ukraine and abroad is the greatest threat to global stability, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday.

Russia “is today the most direct threat to the world order with a barbaric war against Ukraine and its worrying pact with China and their call for new, and very much arbitrary, international relations,” von der Leyen told reporters after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and European Council President Charles Michel in Tokyo. 

Michel and von der Leyen are in Tokyo for the 28th EU-Japan summit, during which their support for Ukraine was high on the agenda. 

“Our cooperation in Ukraine is critical in Europe, but it’s also important in the Pacific and we also want to deepen our consultation on a more assertive China,” Michel told reporters. “We believe that China must stand up to defend the multilateral system that it has benefited from in developing its country.” 
Michel also said “those responsible for war crimes must be and will be brought to justice.”

Speaking alongside von der Leyen and Michel, Kishida told reporters, “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine shakes the very foundation of the entire international order, not just for Europe, but for Asia as well, and can never be condoned.”

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Japan and the European Union have imposed a series of sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his family members.

The mayor of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine told CNN on Wednesday that his city’s proximity to the battlefields between Russian and Ukrainian forces in nearby Kherson means bombardments have occurred “almost every day.”

The frontlines have remained relatively stationary for two weeks, he said, and officials are expecting more aerial attacks since both militaries have taken defensive positions.

Mykolaiv is about 56 miles (90 km) north of Kherson, which has been under Russian control.

Syenkevych strongly disputed Russian reports that residents in areas under their control wish for Russian rule, adding he knows the previous mayor of Kherson who was replaced after the city was seized and that those claims are not true.

“I’m sure that no one wants to go to Russia,” Syenkevych said. “People want to be part of Ukraine, but for sure Russian TV and Russian propagandists will say they want to go to Russia. No one wants to go to Russia.”

Some context: Last week, Ukraine claimed to have won back some settlements along the border of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, which have been subject to intense battles since the invasion began.

CNN has obtained surveillance video of what is now being investigated as a war crime by Ukrainian prosecutors, showing Russian soldiers shooting two unarmed civilians as they walked away after an encounter in the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Both civilians died after the heartless shooting that goes against the so-called rules of war that outlaw the targeting of civilians. CNN has identified the victims. One was the owner of the vehicle dealership that was looted, whose family does not want to be named. The other was Leonid Oleksiyovych Plyats, a 68-year-old grandfather who worked as a guard there.

His daughter, Yulia, cannot bear to watch the video of the day her father died, but she is saving it to one day show her children, so they don’t forget how savage the invaders were.

“They are executioners,” she told CNN. “It’s awful because my father was a civilian, he was 68, a peaceful unarmed man.”

Read more about the killings here:

Related article Video shows Russian soldiers killing 2 civilians before they ransack a business | CNN

The struggle over the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol continues, with all the civilians believed to have been evacuated – though injured soldiers remain inside. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the east of the country, with Ukrainian forces blowing up bridges to counter the Russian advance.

Here are the latest developments:

Journalists Yegor Polyakov and Aleksandra Miroshnikova, working for Russian online newspaper Lenta.ru, told CNN that the idea to publish dozens of articles critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin came about because they couldn’t continue working as usual with the war in Ukraine raging on.

The articles were published to Lenta.ru, a pro-Kremlin news outlet in Russia, on May 9. It coincided with Russia’s Victory Day, a major national holiday in the country that celebrates the surrender of the Nazis in Berlin during World War II. 

The two journalists published a number of articles with headlines such as “Putin unleashed one of the bloodiest wars of the 21st century” and “Vladimir Putin lied about Russia’s plans in Ukraine.”

“The idea came to us almost at the same time,” the two told CNN in a statement. “We did not even have to discuss with each other the need for this decision. It was simply impossible to continue to work as usual when people are dying in a neighboring country.” 

“Some people say, ‘We had no other choice but to keep working,’” the statement said. “We had no choice but to do what we did. It was the only right decision for us.” 

Fearful of reprisals against their families in Russia, the two journalists would not go into details of how they published the articles. But they said they have been hard at work for the last week, sleeping only two to five hours a day. 

“The articles that we have published are not just catchy headlines, they are well-thought-out materials, with all links, with visual inserts,” the two said. 

It’s unclear whether the two journalists have been fired from Lenta.ru, but they say that they no longer have access to the site’s publishing tools.  

“Perhaps this will have serious consequences for us,” they said — but added that they hope others in Russia will be inspired to do the same. For now, the two say they are no longer in Russia. 

“I don’t know what’s next,” Miroshnikova said. “I am in another country, completely alone, I have some small savings to live on for a few months. But I have no idea what to do, where to go and how to live on. Hope I will figure it out.”  

While both have received positive responses from some readers thanking them and offering them shelter, others — namely colleagues and family members — were less supportive.

“For me personally, the situation is quite difficult, because many of my relatives did not approve of my decision at all,” Miroshnikova said. “Someone considered it a betrayal, someone just stupidity, because of which I will be left without a job and any future.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko tells CNN’s Erin Burnett he worries about the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin using a tactical nuclear weapon on Kyiv.

“Safety is the main priority right now …Yes of course we worry, and we hope our warriors defend us, but the risk is still there and without our partners, without United States and European countries we can’t survive,” Klitschko said.

He also said there is “no doubt” the capital of Ukraine is still Russia’s “main target.”

The mayor warns residents coming back to Kyiv to be cautious saying, “… as mayor of Kyiv I tell to anyone, sorry, it’s your personal risk, but we can’t give you guarantee … So long as there’s war in Ukraine we can’t give the guarantee for any Ukrainian.”

He said Russian attacks could happen “any second.”

Klitschko added that war “changed life for everyone” and he says he is keeping his fingers crossed to “stop this senseless war as soon as possible.”

The Ukrainians have — twice in the last 24 hours — stopped Russian efforts to cross the Siverskyi Donets River in the Luhansk region, blowing up two pontoon bridges near Bilohorivka.

A satellite image collected by geospatial intelligence firm BlackSky shows a Russian pontoon bridge crossing the river on May 10 shortly after a Ukrainian artillery barrage hit the surrounding area.

Smoke is seen rising from the western shore of the Siverskyi Donets River at one end of the bridge. On the eastern bank, craters and smoke are also seen on the eastern shore, including around Russian military vehicles that crossed over.

Grainy drone video circulating on social media, geolocated and its authenticity verified by CNN, shows the aftermath of the strikes. The military strikes destroyed the bridge, which is seen half-sunk in the river. 

Additional photos circulating on social media, also taken by a drone, show the Russians tried to erect a second pontoon bridge across the river. That bridge, too, was blown up by the Ukrainians in addition to a number of military vehicles.  

Traversing Ukraine’s topography — specifically its rivers — has repeatedly proven a logistical nightmare that’s hampered Russian military advances for weeks, across numerous parts of Ukraine. In more remote areas, or in places that bridges have been blown up, they have resorted to utilizing pontoon bridges.

These bridges have repeatedly been targeted and blown up by Ukrainian forces. 

CNN has previously reported the bridge first appeared on May 8.

Serhiy Hayday, the Luhansk regional military administrator, said on Wednesday that the Russians are continuing to try to construct bridges across the Siverskyi Donets River. He also said that the Ukrainians have repeatedly blown them up.  

For the first time, a civilian in Russia has reportedly died as a result of cross-border shelling from Ukraine, according to Russian authorities.

The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that “one person was killed during shelling of the village of Solokhi.”

Solokhi is a village 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border. 

“The population of the village of Solokhi will be taken to a safe place under the leadership of the head of the district, Vladimir Pertsev, and the head of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations, Sergey Potapov,” Gladkov said.

Some context: Belgorod region has seen several explosions in recent weeks that appear to have been caused by missiles and bombs. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied being responsible for the blasts. 

Last week, Gladkov said five houses had been destroyed in another village, Nekhoteevka.

“Today there are just under 30 people left in the settlement,” he said. “We have already evacuated most of the people to safety.”

Ukraine has offered Russia to release Russian prisoners of war in exchange for the evacuation of injured Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, Vereshchuk said there is no agreement yet and negotiations are underway regarding the proposal.

“As of now, it is impossible to raise the blockade of Azovstal by military means. Azovstal defenders shall not yield themselves prisoners. It is worthy of respect. Russians won’t hear of the extraction. This is a reality but coming from the Russians, it is not surprising,” she wrote.

She said the government is working out different options to get Ukrainian soldiers out of Azovstal but that none of the options are “ideal.”

“We are not looking for an ideal option, but a working one,” Vereshchuk said.