Deadly shelling strikes Russian border region of Belgorod as hundreds flee

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3:49pm: Russia says Chechen special forces waging offensive in eastern Ukraine

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that the "Akhmat" group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Russia's Chechen Republic have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov said on Thursday that his forces were being moved to "another area" in preparation for a counter-offensive, but did not say where the troops were or where they were going.

2:54pm: Russia accuses US of cyberattack on Apple devices

Russia's security service has accused the US of being behind a cyberattack on thousands of Apple devices as cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab said it discovered spyware on iPhones used by its staff.

The FSB said on Thursday that the US National Security Agency was in "close cooperation" with Apple as thousands of devices were "infected" and that the telephone numbers of people working at Russian embassies abroad were leaked.

Separately, Kaspersky said its researchers found previously unknown malware on iOS devices and that dozens of its staff were targeted.

2:45pm: Russian-backed official says Ukraine shelled port of Berdyansk

A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had shelled the Russian-controlled port city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov and that a number of people had been injured.

"Information on the fatalities is being clarified," Vladimir Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app. He was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency that British long-range Storm Shadow missiles had been used in the attack.

Zaporizhzhia is one of five Ukrainian regions, including the Crimea peninsula, that Russia claims to have annexed.

2:42pm: Zelensky says Kyiv knows it won't join NATO until war ends

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he understood that Ukraine would not join the NATO military alliance while the war with Russia was still ongoing.

"We are adequate people and understand that we will not pull any NATO country into a war," he said during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Estonian President Alar Karis.

"And that's why we understand that we won't be a member of NATO while this war is ongoing. Not because we don't want to, because it's impossible."

1:32pm: Kremlin says US 'calls the tunes' on Ukraine joining NATO

Many European countries are aware of the problems that would arise if Ukraine were to join NATO but it is the United States that "calls the tunes" for the alliance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Asked at a regular news briefing about Ukraine's push to join the Western military alliance, Peskov said Kyiv's NATO ambitions underscored its unwillingness to resolve problems at the negotiating table.

Peskov added that Ukrainian membership in NATO would cause problems for many years to come and that Russia would protect its own security and interests.

12:46pm: We will not let enemies destabilise Russia, Putin says

President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of his Security Council on Friday that "ill-wishers" were increasingly trying to destabilise Russia and that this must be prevented.

"We must do everything we can to make sure that under no circumstances will they be allowed to do this," Putin said.

12:54pm: Zelensky orders audit of all bomb shelters in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he had ordered a complete audit of bomb shelters in the capital Kyiv and across the country.

He made the remark during a high-level government security meeting, a day after three people were killed in the capital after being unable to access a shelter during a Russian air strike.

11:34am: Blinken says Ukraine war a 'strategic failure' for Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called the invasion of Ukraine a "strategic failure" for Russia, pointing to Western unity and Moscow's losses.

“Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine has been a strategic failure – greatly diminishing Russia's military, economic, and diplomatic power and its influence for years to come," Blinken said in a speech in Helsinki.

He added that a strong Ukraine is a prerequisite for “real peace”, and that the war in Ukraine had strengthened US resolve on China.

"Our support for Ukraine hasn't weakened our capabilities to meet potential threats from China or anywhere else – it has strengthened them," Blinken said.

11:29am: Homes damaged from Ukrainian shelling, says governor of Russia's Bryansk region

The governor of Russia's Bryansk region said on Friday that four houses were damaged after Ukrainian forces shelled a town near the border.

No injuries were reported, Governor Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

11:00am: China envoy calls for governments to 'stop sending weapons to the battlefield' 

China's special envoy for Eurasian affairs on Friday laid blame for the conflict in Ukraine on the West, which has sent arms to Ukraine in a bid to help it fight against Russian forces.

"If we really want to stop the war, save lives and achieve peace, we should stop sending weapons to the battlefield," Li said.

"The painful lessons of how the Ukraine crisis developed to its current state merit deep reflection by all parties," he added.

10:47am: China willing to consider another Europe visit for Ukraine peace talks, envoy says

China is willing to consider sending another delegation to Europe for talks on resolving the war in Ukraine, its special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said on Friday.

Li told a news conference that his European trip last month, being the first visit to promote a political settlement to the war, may not lead to any immediate outcome.

"We felt that there is a big gap between both sides' positions," he said of Russia and Ukraine.

10:40am: Russian regional governor says two dead after Ukraine shelled town near border

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said on Friday that two people had been killed and two others injured when Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the town of Maslova Pristan near the Ukrainian border.

"Fragments of the shells hit passing cars. Two women were travelling in one of them. They died from their injuries on the spot," Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported attack.

10:26am: Russia sowed winter crops in annexed regions of Ukraine, deputy PM says

Russia sowed winter crops for this year's harvest on an area of 1.3 million hectares in the four regions of Ukraine that Moscow claimed to annex last year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko said on Friday.

Abramchenko said Russia had provided state support worth 3 billion roubles ($37.1 million) to farmers in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin moved to annex in September, following what Ukraine said were sham referendums.

The move was condemned by many countries as illegal. Russian forces only partly control the four regions.

Abramchenko said grain, beans and rapeseed had been harvested.

10:14am: Ukraine says downed all missiles, drones in new attacks

Ukraine said Friday it destroyed all 15 missiles and 21 drones from a new wave of overnight attacks that left two people wounded in Kyiv.

"The occupiers don't stop trying to terrorise the capital of Ukraine with attack drones and missiles," the air force said. "All 15 cruise missiles and 21 attack drones were destroyed," it added.

An 11-year-old and a 68-year-old were wounded, according to a statement from the prosecutor general.

The capital has seen frequent air raids since the start of May, including a rare daytime attack on Monday.

01:38

9:42am: China's Ukraine peace envoy says Russia appreciated its efforts to promote peace

China's special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said on Friday that the Russia appreciated China's desire and efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

"The risk of escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war is still high," Li said at a news briefing on his European tour last month.

"All sides must ensure the safety of nuclear facilities and take concrete measures to cool down the temperature," he said.

7:51am: 'We can't trust them': Anti-Russia sentiment grows in Finland

Since the war in Ukraine began, tensions have been simmering between Russia and Finland. The neighbouring countries – which share a 1,300-kilometre border – have honoured neutrality pacts towards each other for decades, but today, anti-Russian sentiment runs strong among the Finnish population, as FRANCE 24’s team on the ground reports.

02:29

7:29am: Two villages in western Russia shelled from Ukraine, regional governor says

Two villages in Russia's western Bryansk region have been shelled by Ukrainian forces, but no one was injured, regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a series of posts on the Telegram messaging app on Friday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reported attacks on Lomakovka and Novaya Pogoshch villages, which are located close to the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy regions.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Friday at least one incident of shelling had also been reported overnight in the Shebekino district, and over 2,500 people were being evacuated from the area.

2:27am: US debt ceiling bill does not stop Congress pursuing more aid for Ukraine, says Schumer

A US debt ceiling bill that the Senate passed on Thursday does not prevent Congress from pursuing more aid for Ukraine or for future national emergencies, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

2:27am: Kyiv says anti-aircraft defences in action against Russian attacks

Anti-aircraft defences in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were in action early on Friday morning, trying to fend off Russian attacks, the mayor and military authorities said in separate messages on Telegram.

"There are explosions in the city. Air defences are working," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a message, adding that a new wave of drones was heading for the city.

Russia has launched around 20 separate missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities since the beginning of May.

12:52am: UN warns of new threat to global food security after Russia limits Ukraine grain shipments

Warning of a new threat to global food security, the United Nations said Thursday that Russia is limiting the number of ships allowed to pick up Ukrainian grain at Black Sea ports in its campaign to get Kyiv to open a pipeline for a key ingredient of fertilizer to get to world markets.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed serious concern that only 33 ships departed from Ukrainian ports in May, half the number compared to April, and exports of grain and other foodstuffs totalled just 1.3 million metric tonnes last month, less than half the amount of the previous month.

He said Russia informed the centre in Istanbul coordinating the arrivals, departures and inspections of ships involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative “of its decision to limit registrations in the port of Yuzhny”, near Ukraine's Odesa.

Key developments from Thursday, June 1:

Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv early Thursday, killing three people including a child and bringing fresh terror to the city after a week of strikes. 

Russia's defence ministry said it had repelled three cross-border attacks on Thursday near the town of Shebekino near the Ukraine border, and it accused Ukraine of using what it said were "terrorist formations" to carry out attempted attacks on Russian civilians. Earlier on Thursday, evacuated residents from Shebekino were filling up temporary shelters in the regional capital, the governor of the Belgorod region said.

Read yesterday's live blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)