Russia-Ukraine live news: US supports Finland, Sweden joins NATO | Russia-Ukraine war news
The White House says that if European countries choose to join the US-led alliance, Washington would support their bid.
- The White House says that the United States “would support a NATO application from Finland and / or Sweden if they apply”.
- More than six million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began, according to UN refugee agency data.
- Russian media report that Ukrainian shelling killed a student in a Russian village near the border.
- The UN Human Rights Council adopts a resolution to investigate alleged violations of rights committed by Russian troops in parts of Ukraine that were previously under their control.
Here are all the latest updates:
Two civilians were killed in an attack near Kharkiv, a local official said
At least two civilians have died as a result of a bomb attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, local authorities say.
“As a result of the shelling, two people were killed, four more were injured, two of whom are doctors. All of these people are civilians,” Vyacheslav Zadorenko, mayor of the suburb of Derhachi, wrote in a Telegram post.
He added that the attack also damaged a building that contained a unit for humanitarian aid, municipal offices and hospital facilities.
Student dies in shelling in Russian village: Report
A student at a construction college in the Russian village of Solokhi near the border with Ukraine has died as a result of a shelling, a teacher at the university told the Russian news agency Interfax.
“Russian Nifodyov died as a result of the shelling of the peaceful village of Solokhi by the armed forces of Ukraine,” said Nikolai Ignatenko.
Earlier, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, where Solokhi is located, said at least one civilian had been killed in the shelling, while another six were injured. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov also blamed the attack on Kiev’s forces, but it was not immediately clear if the civilian he was referring to was Nifodyov.
The White House supports all measures from Finland and Sweden to join NATO
The White House has said that it would support any action by Finland and Sweden to join NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We would support a NATO application from Finland and / or Sweden if they apply. We would respect all the decisions they make, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Ukraine says its forces damaged the Russian navy’s ships in the Black Sea
Ukrainian forces have damaged a modern Russian logistics ship in the Black Sea and set it on fire, a spokesman for Odessa’s regional military administration in southern Ukraine said.
Spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk said in an online post that Vsevolod Bobrov had been hit near Snake Island, the site of renewed fighting in recent days, but gave no details.
The small island is located near Ukraine’s sea border with Romania.
More than six million refugees have fled Ukraine, the UN says
More than six million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24, according to the UN refugee agency data shows.
A total of 6,029,705 people had fled the country on May 11, the agency states.
Many have gone to neighboring countries, according to the agency’s dedicated website, where Poland hosts the largest number of people.
Canada sends military general, officers to new NATO unit in Latvia
Canada will deploy a general and six staff officers to a new NATO unit in Latvia to help plan, coordinate and integrate regional military activities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
The generals and staff officers will “be part of a first-of-its-kind unit,” Trudeau told reporters at a joint news conference with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. “It will continue to be an important part of our improvement in NATO’s defense and deterrence capabilities.”
Canada has nearly 700 members of its armed forces stationed in Latvia, a small Baltic state that shares a border with Russia. Karin welcomed Canada’s participation in a new “multidivisional headquarters” there.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all updates from Thursday, May 12 here.