June 1, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

The West is actively pushing Moldova to participate in the Ukraine conflict, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) -- the successor to the Soviet Union's KGB -- said Thursday.

Ukraine has become a springboard for the war against Russia and subversive activities against Belarus, Alexander Bortnikov said at a meeting of security chiefs of the CIS Member States.

Secret documents uncovered in March revealed the FSB had a detailed plan for destabilizing Moldova and preventing it from joining NATO by supporting pro-Russian groups in the former Soviet republic and controlling supplies of natural gas.

Some background: Earlier this year, tensions began mounting in Moldova, a small country on Ukraine’s southwestern border, where Russia has been accused of laying the groundwork for a coup that could drag the nation into the Kremlin’s war

The flashpoint is in Transnistria – a self-proclaimed, unrecognized territory bordering southwestern Ukraine with a predominantly Russian-speaking population that broke away from Moldova in 1990 -- where Russia maintains a military presence and exerts political influence.

Moldova’s President, Maia Sandu, accused Russia in February of using “saboteurs” disguised as civilians to stoke unrest amid a period of political instability, echoing similar warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile baselessly accused Kyiv of planning its own assault on the pro-Russian territory in Moldova where Moscow has a military foothold, heightening fears that he is creating a pretext for a Crimea-style annexation.

Moldova has provided huge support for Ukraine since the start of the war – taking in more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other country – and last year was granted European Union candidate status.

On Thursday, Moldova hosted a summit of the EU’s 27 member states and 20 other European countries at a castle deep in Moldova’s wine region just 12 miles (20 km) from Ukrainian territory near Transnistria, according to Reuters.

At least 484 children have been killed and 992 injured since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office said Thursday as Ukraine marked International Children's Day. 

Ukraine and most other eastern European post-Communist countries mark June 1 as International Children's Day. Towns, schools and community groups often organize children-focused events like sports days and fun fairs.

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska tweeted Thursday: "Children's Day has to be about safe childhood, summer, life... But today it is about new crimes of [Russian Federation] against Ukrainian children. A 9-year-old girl was killed in the shelling of Kyiv, and another is now in hospital.”

More than 2,500 educational institutions were damaged, including 256 completely destroyed, the Prosecutor General’s Office also said in its Thursday statement.

It added that more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia or temporarily occupied territories. “But these are only the cases that are officially registered,” it said, warning the number could be higher.

War crimes: In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

The ICC charges, which relate to an alleged practice that CNN and others have reported on, were the first to be formally lodged against officials in Moscow since it began its unprovoked attack on Ukraine last year.

ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmanski told CNN in March that all signatory countries are "obliged to execute arrest warrants issued by the court," meaning that "there are 123 states -- two thirds of the states in the world -- in which he (Putin) will not be saved."

The Kremlin labeled the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable” and said Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court.

A child, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv after trying to enter a bomb shelter that was closed, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs Ihor Klymenko said in a statement.

Klymenko said Kyiv police have launched an investigation into the incident regarding “negligence that caused grave consequences.”

Ukraine's national police said earlier that a 9-year-old girl, her 34-year-old mother, and a 33-year-old woman were killed in Kyiv on Thursday after missiles that targeted the capital were shot down. Twelve others were injured.

The husband of one of the women told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspline that when they heard the air raid alarm, people ran to the shelter but found it locked.

“I just ran to the other side, calling for them to open. And just at that moment everything happened, at that moment something flew - I don't know, fragments or something,” he added.

Another eyewitness named Kateryna Didukh said: “They ran here to hide but unfortunately it was closed. This is the largest bomb shelter. They were all standing at the entrance. There is a polyclinic and a kindergarten here, and it fell right between them.”

Klymenko said that after “the 16th month of full-scale war,” he believes “responsible officials should have identified and fixed all the flaws in the issue of people's safety. The enemy continues large-scale shelling of cities. But some shelters still remain closed during the air raid alarm.”

“As part of the investigation, we will find and bring to justice all those responsible. In addition, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, will regularly inspect the accessibility and condition of bomb shelters in all settlements of the country,” he said.

NATO cannot accept new members that are currently embroiled in war, Germany's foreign minister said Thursday, as foreign ministers from member nations of the military alliance meet in Oslo.

Her remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his country is ready to join the defense alliance.

Baerbock said the meeting in Oslo is another step ahead of the NATO leaders' summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, scheduled for July, which aims to foster agreement on how to strengthen relations with Kyiv. 

Baerbock also said NATO expects to welcome Sweden as a new member at the Vilnius summit. Sweden's application for membership, though supported by most NATO members, has been so far been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Sweden's membership will be a key topic at the foreign ministers meeting this week, the UK foreign secretary said earlier Thursday.

The "extraordinary" solidarity of NATO members is one of the main reasons for Ukraine's success in pushing back Russian aggression, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Blinken spoke as he arrived in Oslo for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, standing beside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

He added that support for Ukraine, as well as strengthening the NATO alliance further, would be the focus of the meetings.

NATO membership: Part of Russia’s premise for its invasion of Ukraine was to fend off NATO from expanding close to its borders.

Stoltenberg said Thursday that it is not for Moscow to decide when the alliance expands, adding that NATO allies and Ukraine will decide “when the time is right” for Ukraine to join. Last month, he had said he expects Ukraine will join the alliance when the war is over.

Zelensky, who is in Modolva attending another summit of European leaders, said on Thursday that Ukraine "is ready to be in NATO."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his country is ready to join NATO as he arrived in Moldova for the European Political Community summit.

Dozens of leaders from across Europe are gathering for the meeting, where they will discuss security issues and areas of cooperation across the continent.

Earlier Thursday, NATO's chief said all members of the defense alliance agree "Ukraine will become a member," as NATO foreign ministers meet in Oslo to discuss the war.

Moldovan leader Sandu also expressed support for Kyiv and for Zelensky's proposed peace formula, saying: "Ukraine keeps Moldova safe today, and we're very, very grateful for that."

She also said she supported creating a special international tribunal to handle those "committing crimes of aggression in Ukraine."

The summit: The first meeting of the European Political Community was held in October 2022, with the leaders primarily discussing the war in Ukraine and global energy crisis.

“We are developing a coalition of fighter jets and offering a coalition of Patriots. EU, NATO, peace formula. Everything to protect our future,” Zelensky said Thursday in a Telegram post.

This post has been updated with additional reporting.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said he will send a “clear message” at Thursday’s NATO meeting that Sweden has fulfilled all the commitments needed to join the alliance, with the country's membership so far blocked by opposition from Hungary and Turkey.

Speaking to journalists on his way to the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Billström highlighted new Swedish terrorism legislation which recently came into effect as an example of the commitments met.

When asked if he was disappointed that his Turkish counterpart will not attend Thursday’s meeting, Billström said it was “quite natural” given the recent Turkish elections.

He stressed that the “more important” event will be the trilateral meeting between Finnish, Swedish and Turkish representatives of the joint mechanism established at last year's NATO summit in Madrid.

Billström also played down concerns over the delay in approving Sweden’s membership bid, saying: "This was never a sprint; it’s a marathon and we now see the end of it."

Also on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he would visit Turkey at an unspecified time to discuss Sweden's membership — which Billström said was "something positive."

The war in Ukraine and Sweden's NATO membership will be key topics during informal meetings between NATO foreign ministers this week in Oslo, said UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday. 

The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said on Thursday that all the bloc's allies agree Ukraine will become a member — and that he would travel to Turkey to discuss Sweden's application for membership, which remains in limbo.

All NATO allies agree that "Ukraine will become a member of the alliance," its chief Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

Part of Russia’s premise for its invasion of Ukraine was to fend off NATO from expanding close to its borders.

Even though Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, and NATO has insisted that it is not a party to the conflict, the bloc has played a critical role in supporting Kyiv, donating billions in military aid and other support.

On Thursday, Stoltenberg said NATO's most important task was to ensure that Ukraine prevails in the war against Russia — and to prevent the conflict from spilling over beyond Ukraine's borders.  “That's the reason why we have increased our major presence in Eastern lines on NATO territory,” he said.

New faces at NATO: Finland’s accession to the alliance earlier this month marked a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe, more than doubling NATO’s frontier with Russia.

Finnish public support for accession snowballed following the invasion of Ukraine, and also reignited calls from Kyiv to join.

Sweden also applied to join the bloc shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began, with the support of an overwhelming majority of NATO members — but its membership has so far been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey has accused Sweden of harboring members of terrorist groups, which Stockholm denies, while Hungary has claimed Sweden behaved hostilely toward its government.

Stoltenberg said Thursday he would soon travel to the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss Sweden's NATO membership, though did not specify the timing.