Ukraine

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has urged military alliance leaders to continue to support Ukraine amid the Russian attack.   "It is extremely important that we stand ready to provide support as Ukraine faces an atrocity that we have not seen in Europe since World War II," Stoltenberg said shortly before the start of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital Madrid. NATO allies have already funnelled billions of euros worth of weapons to Ukraine. The alliance will come to the summit with an additional joint package, including secure communications equipment, anti-drone systems and training to help Ukraine transition to more modern Western weapons. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, who will address NATO leaders, tweeted that he had emphasized to Stoltenberg the importance of Ukraine...

Families of members of the Russian National Guard who died in the wars in Ukraine or Syria can claim 5 million rubles. President Vladimir Putin has ordered this, state news agency TASS reports.   The National Guard is an internal security service that is separate from the Russian army. Earlier it became clear that Russia has fired guards who refused to participate in the war in Ukraine. A court last month upheld the dismissal of 115 guards who had challenged their dismissal. It is unknown how many Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists have died in Ukraine. Moscow last mentioned a number in March: 1,351. According to Ukraine, some 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion on February 24. Some western experts think it's roughly half that.

The Ukrainian prosecutor is demanding a life sentence for the Russian soldier who shot and killed a 62-year-old Ukrainian. Vadim Shishimarin is the first Russian to stand trial in Ukraine for war crimes since the Russian invasion.   The 21-year-old soldier has pleaded guilty to the man's death. Another soldier ordered him to shoot the man so he wouldn't betray their presence. Because the other soldier was not higher in rank, according to the prosecutor, Shishimarin did not have to follow the order. Because Ukraine has no death penalty, life is the maximum sentence that the prosecutor could demand. Earlier in the trial, Shishimarin asked forgiveness from the widow of the slain man. She already indicated that she felt sorry for the soldier, but that she could not forgive him for this...

The United Nations Human Rights Council has agreed to investigate alleged misdeeds by the Russian military in Ukraine. A large majority voted in favour of a proposal from Ukraine to investigate events in Kyiv and other regions in February and March.   The UN Human Rights Council, which sits in Geneva, Switzerland, is made up of representatives from 47 states. China and Eritrea voted against the proposal. In addition, there were twelve abstentions. UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said earlier in the day that more than 1,000 bodies of civilians have been recovered in and around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in recent weeks. According to her, in many cases, there are probably war crimes. Until recently, Russia was part of the Human Rights Council. The country was su...

According to the Ukrainian Border Guard, about 1.1 million Ukrainians have returned to their country since the Russian invasion on February 24.   It concerns people who have returned after a flight and people who have gone to Ukraine to fight against the Russians or help in some other way. On April 12, the number of returnees stood at 870,000, according to the border service. The increase in recent weeks has mainly been caused by women and children returning to areas that are now safe again. At the beginning of the war, mainly men wanted to fight against the Russians. According to the United Nations, about 30,000 people return every day. In addition, the UN announced that more than 5 million Ukrainians had fled the country since the invasion.

Russian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least three people and injured 16 on Tuesday, authorities said.   The country's second-largest city has been under fire for some time, and dozens of victims have been reported from the Russian bombings in recent days. At least ten people were killed and 35 injured on Friday, two people were killed on Saturday, five on Sunday and at least four civilians died on Monday. Since Russian troops withdrew from the capital Kyiv, attacks in the country's east have intensified. Kharkiv is about 20 kilometres from the Russian border.

According to the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Bucha, which the Russians occupied for a while, 320 bodies have now been found in the city. Most bodies have gunshot wounds.   Reports of war crimes also come from neighbouring Irpin, where the Russians also withdrew. About 90 percent of the civilians killed in Butsha had gunshot wounds, and the mayor told German media. "It strengthens the evidence that the Russian armed forces committed war crimes" in the suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, local authorities say. The images of the atrocities have already led to stricter sanctions from Western countries. It is the intention that the bodies from Boetsja will be examined by specialists. "The number of bodies found is increasing every day," said the mayor. "Because they are found on p...