Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in various parts of Ukraine, and many civilians have fled the country. We will update the situation in Ukraine on the 2nd (Japan hours), including the status of the battle and the diplomacy of the countries concerned.
(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)
President Zelensky calls for the start of NATO membership procedures
President Zelensky of Ukraine, who visited Moldova, said that "it is necessary to invite Ukraine to join the NATO summit and guarantee its security until accession" regarding Ukraine's goal of joining NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and asked the summit scheduled for July to decide on the official start of the procedure for accession.
NATO also exchanged views on this point at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Norway for two days until January 7.
At a press conference after the meeting, Stoltenberg said, "All member states have agreed that Ukraine will join in the future, and we need to consider what kind of framework we can put in place to provide the necessary guarantees that President Putin will never attack Ukraine again, and the details of that will be decided at a later time."
"We are working to further strengthen the relationship between NATO and Ukraine, bring it closer to NATO standards, and increase interoperability," U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said at the NATO summit. He expressed his expectation that military and political support would be expressed to ensure the security of Ukraine in the future.
Putin's administration wary of a series of attacks from Ukraine
The governor of Russia's western Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, announced on social media on the 1st that a total of 10 people were injured in shelling in Shebekino near the border.
In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had "repelled three attacks by Ukraine" and that it had prevented the invasion of Russia.
In response, two organizations, the "Free Russian Army" and the "Russian Volunteer Army," which claim to be volunteers such as Russians who oppose the Putin administration, posted videos on SNS on the 3st claiming their involvement in the attack, announcing that "the second phase has begun" and "liberate all of Russia."
The two organizations claimed to have fought in Belgorod Oblast on May 2, and Putin's government seems to be stepping up its vigilance against a series of cross-border attacks from the Ukrainian side.
Since Russia's military invasion, 484 children have died in Ukraine
June 6 is designated as "Children's Day" in Ukraine, and local prosecutors announced that 1 people have died and 2 injured in the known cases of child casualties since February last year, when Russia began its military invasion, saying that "it is difficult to gather information in occupied territories and fierce war zones."
Kyiv missile attack cancels Children's Day event
In Ukraine, June 6 is Children's Day, and various events are held in various places. But in Kyiv, there was a missile attack for one day, and fragments of the downed missile fell into a residential area, killing three people, including a 1-year-old girl.
The authorities in Kyiv announced the cancellation of all events related to Children's Day scheduled for the 1st, citing the number of attacks by Russian forces that have killed children.
Ukraine's adviser to the presidential office of Podolyak posted a photo on social media of his grandfather sitting beside the body of a dead girl, saying: "It is very painful to see this picture, he cannot leave his grandson's side and accept reality. I was once again reminded that Russia, which continues to attack, will only bring death and destruction."