· A court in Kiev will hear the first trial for war crimes for occupation. Vadim Shysimarin, 21, a commander in Russia's tank division, is accused of shooting dead an unarmed 62-year-old man who was riding a bicycle and talking on the phone in the village of Chupakhivka, Sumy. Shysimarin was ordered to "kill a civilian so that he would not report them to the Ukrainian defense," according to prosecutors.
· The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would have to take "military-technical" steps if Helsinki applied for NATO membership, as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said they should apply to join. joined the military alliance "without delay" Sweden is expected to follow Finland's example within days.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said "very difficult negotiations" were under way to evacuate 38 seriously wounded fighters from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol in exchange for Russian prisoners of war.
The number of people fleeing Ukraine to escape Russian occupation has exceeded six million, the UN refugee agency has said. Eight million more people have been displaced inside Ukraine.
Nearly 100 children were killed in Ukraine in April alone, but the current figures could be significantly higher, said the United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi called for an end to the bombing of Ukrainian schools.
European Union leaders are planning to assess Ukraine's membership next month, according to the French foreign ministry.
Source: Guardian
