May 18, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Turkey's President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during his party'ss group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara, on May 18.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his party’s members of parliament in Ankara that he expects NATO member countries to “understand” Turkey’s security issues over Finland and Sweden’s bids to join the alliance.

“We expect our allies to understand, respect and support our sensitivity. We have a sensitivity to protect our borders against terrorism. None of our allies showed respect to this sensitivity as we expected,” he said. 

Erdogan said last week that he does not view the NATO applications of Sweden and Finland “positively” and would not support it if they sanction Turkey. 

“NATO’s enlargement is meaningful to us only to the extent that our sensitivities are respected. Asking us for support to NATO membership while providing every kind of support to the PKK/YPG terrorist organization amounts to incoherence, to say the least,” Erdogan added. 

Erdogan accused the two countries of harboring members of the separatist militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of masterminding a 2016 coup attempt, which Gulen denies. 

The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. 

Erdogan also said Sweden did not extradite 30 people whom Turkey sees linked to terrorism. 

“They wanted to come on Monday. Do not bother, there is no need,” he added, regarding the high-level diplomatic delegation that was expected to come for the talks over the issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a news conference in Berlin, Germany, on May 15.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for “adding another 40 million people to those who are food insecure.”

Blinken is in New York to attend a ministerial on food security in the afternoon.

“We’re coming together… to look at concrete steps we can take to address the food insecurity issues, to help people in need around the world,” said Blinken.

More context: The Biden administration is working closely with European allies to try to develop routes to get Ukrainian wheat and corn out of the country after Russia blocked Ukrainian ships from departing with grain that is vital for food supplies around the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.

There is no silver bullet to solve the complicated challenge and officials are considering a wide array of options to get the food exports safely out by rail, sea and air, two US diplomats and four European diplomats told CNN. Possible scenarios are being studied and devised whether Russia consents or not. 

The challenge is a major focus for Blinken as he convenes a ministerial meeting on food security and chairs a discussion on the matter at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday and Thursday, the diplomats said.  

Russian army Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is seen behind a glass during a court hearing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 18.

The war crimes trial of a 21-year-old Russian soldier has been adjourned until Thursday because too many members of the media were crowding the courtroom in Kyiv.

Vadim Shishimarin appeared before the first war crimes trial since Russia invaded Ukraine back in February. He is accused of killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian man in Ukraine’s Sumy region, according to the country’s prosecutor general’s office.

Shishimarin said “fully” guilty when asked how he pleaded. The Russian soldier appeared in a glass box in the packed court room at Kyiv courthouse, faced with dozens of cameras. He declined to speak when he was asked by the court. 

Shishimarin, wearing a blue-gray top with a shaved head, was seen listening to his Ukrainian-Russian interpreter as he was read the charges. His defense lawyer Viktor Ovsyannikov sat on the same bench as the interpreter. 

The victim’s family was also in courtroom and was due to testify.

The Kremlin’s response: Russia said it still has no details about Shishimarin’s case in Ukraine, and it considers the charges “unacceptable,” “outrageous” and “staged,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We still have no information about this case. And the ability to provide assistance is also very limited due to the absence of our diplomatic mission [in Ukraine]. But once again I repeat, I do not have any information on this case,” Peskov said at his daily press briefing on Wednesday.

When asked about the Kremlin’s position on charges of war crimes allegedly committed by the Russian military in Ukraine, Peskov said the accusations were “unacceptable” and claimed that most were “staged incidents.”

CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne, Daria Markina and Melissa Bell contributed reporting to this post.

Buses carrying members of Ukrainian forces from the Azovstal steel works drive away under escort of the pro-Russian military in Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 17.

Amnesty International has said that Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol must not be ill-treated and should get immediate access to the International Red Cross.

“Ukraine’s soldiers deployed in Mariupol area have been dehumanized by Russian media and portrayed in Putin’s propaganda as ‘neo-Nazis’ throughout Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty’s deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“This characterization raises serious concerns over their fate as prisoners of war,” he said. “Prisoners of war must not be subjected to any form of torture or ill-treatment, and should be given immediate access to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The relevant authorities must fully respect the rights of prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva conventions.”

Amnesty had documented summary killings of captives by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine as well as extra-judicial executions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces, Krivosheev said.

“The soldiers who surrendered today must not meet the same fate,” Amnesty said.

The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, “no one should doubt” that the fighters will be treated in accordance with international law.

Humanitarian laws “are sacred for the Russian side,” Maria Zakharova said at a Foreign Ministry briefing underway in Moscow. 

Russian personnel are providing medical help to the injured Ukrainian soldiers, Zakharova said, adding “this is not for show” and will continue. 

Buses with Ukrainian servicemen evacuated from Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, stand near a prison in Olyonivka, territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, on May 17.

The leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said that Ukrainian commanders inside the Azovstal plant in Mariupol are not among those who have so far surrendered.

Both the DPR and the Russian defense ministry said that about 960 of the Azovstal defenders have surrendered. Some have been taken to hospitals but most were taken on buses to a detention center at Olenivka inside the DPR, according to video Tuesday. 

Donetsk’s news agency quoted Pushilin as saying that “at the moment, there are no top-ranking commanders — they have not left (the Azovstal plant). But this is for now.”

CNN is unable to verify Pushilin’s comments, and it’s not known how many Ukrainian soldiers remain inside the plant.

The Ukrainian side has not given an update on the number who have left Azovstal or on the status of negotiations for their exchange for Russian prisoners.

Ukraine’s military announced late Monday that its forces had completed their “combat mission” at the sprawling Azovstal steelworks plant, which was for weeks the last major holdout in a city otherwise occupied by Russian troops.

Finland’s main gas company, Gasum, is warning that Russian gas supplies could be cut off this weekend.

In a statement, the firm said: “Gasum considers there to be a real risk of the natural gas supplies under the company’s gas supply contract ending and that it is likely that imports of natural gas from Russia to Finland will cease either late on Friday, May 20 or on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Gasum has not received any information about the matter from Gazprom Export or from the Russian transmission operator.”

Gasum said it is preparing for this situation with customers and the government, and it is working on other sources for supplies.

On Tuesday, Gasum said it would not pay for Russian gas in rubles or use Gazprom’s proposed payment scheme for gas. In a statement, the company said negotiations over a long-term gas contract with Gazprom were in dispute, and it was taking Gazprom to arbitration to try and resolve the matter. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed on Wednesday new macro-financial assistance to Ukraine of up to 9 billion euros ($9.5 billion) this year.

“We will continue to be by their side throughout this war and when they will rebuild their country,” von der Leyen said during a broadcast statement.

“Of course we need to think about the day after and the wider reconstruction efforts,” she said, adding that the EU has “a strategic interest in leading this reconstruction effort.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a statement at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18.

The European Union Commission announced a 210 billion euro plan ($221 billion) on Wednesday to boost the bloc’s target for renewable energy from 40% to 45% by 2030, as part of efforts to move away from Russian hydrocarbons. 

The Commission’s proposals would see the EU’s total renewable energy generation capacities increase to 1236 GW by 2030, with greater reliance on solar and bio methane energy, as well as accelerated electrification of European heavy industry.

As part of the plan, Von der Leyen also promised to speed up permits for renewable energy infrastructure, from as long as six to nine years currently to obtain permits for a wind turbine park down to one year. 

The so-called REPowerEU plan proposes a near doubling in the EU’s current solar photovoltaic capacity by 2025, to more than 320 GW of supply, with a total of 600 GW installed by 2030, the bloc said. Proposed measures will also see a “gradual obligation to install solar rooftop panels in certain buildings,” according to the Commission. 

These additional solar energy capacities could replace the consumption of 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually by 2027, per the Commission’s press release. The EU imported 358 bcm of natural gas in 2019, according to the bloc.

Reliance on Russia makes the EU “vulnerable,” and ending the “dependency” is imperative,” she added. “I am deeply convinced we can,” said von der Leyen.

Russia said Wednesday that nearly 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol since Monday. It comes the day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that evacuations at the plant – a powerful symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the otherwise Russian-occupied city – were still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden have formally handed in their applications to join NATO, the military alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday, in defiance of Russian warnings.

Here are the latest developments on the war in Ukraine:

Here’s a look at the latest situation on the ground:

Ukrainian officials in the Donetsk region said the whole front line is being “shelled day and night” by Russian forces.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk region military administration, said that settlements — namely Bakhmut, Kostiantynivka and Soledar — more than 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) from the front line were also being attacked with air strikes.

CNN geolocated a large fire Tuesday at an industrial plant near Soledar, which belongs to a German company that makes building materials.

The Russian defense ministry said Wednesday that warehouses of missile, artillery weapons and ammunition had been attacked in Soledar and Bakhmut.

Kyrylenko confirmed that the Russians had tried to break through Ukrainian lines northeast of the city of Sloviansk.

“This was the large-scale offensive in Donbas region, which started from the north of the region, from the Dolyna settlement,” he said. The village is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Sloviansk. 

On a different front close to the city of Donetsk, Kyrylenko said that “the enemy outnumbers [us] with its equipment and troops but we have been eliminating them.”

Russian forces also focused around the town of Avdiivka, where “there were attempts at a breakthrough,” he said.

Russia has declared 34 French diplomats “persona non grata” in the country in response to a decision by France to expel 41 Russian diplomats in April, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. 

French Ambassador to Moscow Pierre Levy was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, and “strong protest was expressed in connection with the provocative and unjustified decision” of French authorities to declare 41 Russian diplomats in France “persona non grata,” the ministry said. 

“It was emphasized that this act inflicts serious damage to Russian-French relations and constructive bilateral cooperation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. 

“As a response, 34 French diplomats have been declared ‘persona non grata’,” the ministry added. “They were ordered to leave the territory of Russia within two weeks from the date of delivery of the relevant note to the Ambassador.”

France issued a statement and said it “strongly condemns” this move.

“The work of these diplomats and the staff of our embassy in Russia, whose courage and great professionalism France salutes, is fully within the framework of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations. The decision of the Russian authorities has no legitimate basis. We can only condemn it.”

In a similar fashion, Russia also expelled 27 Spanish diplomats in Russia in response to a decision by Spain to expel 27 Russian diplomats from the country in April, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The Russian foreign ministry has been expelling employees of many embassies in similar retaliatory moves. Some of the most recent countries that received a similar response from Moscow include Finland, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark and Norway among others.

Russian army Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is seen behind a glass during a court hearing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 18.

A long line of journalists has formed outside a Kyiv courthouse, despite the morning drizzle, to hear from Vadim Shishimarin, the first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes since the war began.

Shishimarin is expected to take the stand for the first time after a preliminary hearing that was held last Friday.

His lawyer told CNN that Shishimarin, who is accused of shooting an unarmed civilian in the Sumy region four days after the war began, will be entering a plea.

It is the first war crimes trial held since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The prosecutor expects there to be many more.

So far, more than 12,000 war crimes have been recorded by Ukrainian authorities.

After Renault announced its departure this week from the Russian auto market amid the country’s war with Ukraine, Moscow’s mayor announced its factory will be used to restart the defunct Soviet-era Moskvich car brand.

Little known outside the former Soviet Union and its satellite countries, Moskvich was founded around 1930 and operated until 1991.

As with many car brands from Communist bloc countries, Moskvich struggled with quality problems.

The Muskovich 408 of the 1960s, which had a 50-horsepower engine, was even cited by Soviet officials for numerous defects, according to the book “Cars for Comrades” by Lewis Siegelbaum.

Read the full story here:

Moskvich automobiles shown in 1989.

Related article Russia needs cars, so it's rebooting this Soviet-era brand

The Russian Defense Ministry says that “rocket troops and artillery” hit a Ukrainian battery of recently arrived US howitzers.

At its daily briefing Wednesday, the ministry said that its forces hit “a Ukrainian battery of 155-millimeter M777 howitzers made in the United States in the area of the village of Podgorne.”

The ministry released video that showed a detonation close to what appears to be one of the howitzers, but the 10-second clip did not confirm that the M777 had been damaged or destroyed.

Some background: Last week, a senior US defense official said the US has delivered “more than 85” of the 90 howitzers, long-range weapons, that were pledged to Ukraine.

The official also said that “more than 310” Ukrainian soldiers have completed training on the howitzers.

On Friday, a senior US defense official added that the “vast majority” of the 89 M777 howitzer artillery systems the US has given to Ukraine are “in the fight” and are in a “forward-deployed setting.”

Buses carrying members of Ukrainian forces who have surrendered from the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, Ukraine, drive away under escort of the pro-Russian military on May 17.

The fate of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol should be decided in court, according to Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

“Regardless of the emotions of some [people], I heard various opinions. If an adversary laid down their arms, their fate is decided by a court,” he added. “If this is a Nazi criminal, then by a court martial.”

Most of the soldiers at Azovstal who surrendered are being held in DPR territory at Orlenivka.

On Tuesday, Russian investigators announced they would interrogate those described as “the surrendered militants” who were evacuated from the Azovstal plant.

The Biden administration is working closely with European allies to try to develop routes to get Ukrainian wheat and corn out of the country after Russia blocked Ukrainian ships from departing with grain that is vital for food supplies around the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.

There is no silver bullet to solve the complicated challenge, and officials are considering a wide array of options to get the food exports safely out by rail, sea and air, two US diplomats and four European diplomats told CNN.

Possible scenarios are being studied and devised whether Russia consents or not.

Read the full story here:

Related article US and allies struggle to come up with plans to get vital grain supplies out of Ukraine | CNN Politics

AerCap Holdings, the aircraft leasing giant that is the world’s largest owner of jets, lost 113 planes when Russia seized them in response to sanctions triggered by the war in Ukraine.

The seizures of the planes and 11 jet engines by Russian authorities caused AerCap to take a $2.7 billion pre-tax charge during the quarter, causing the company to report a net loss of $2 billion rather than the $500 million profit it would have made without the hit.

But company executives said the quarter was actually a good one and they see better times ahead as global demand for flying continues to recover from the Covid pandemic.

Read the full story here:

The tail of an Airbus A321-211 aircraft of Russian airline Aeroflot with registration VP-BOE is seen over the wall of the long term parking for planes of Geneva Airport on March 25, 2022. Due to sanctions imposed on Russia over the country's invasion of Ukraine, Russian carrier Aeroflot was banned from the airspace of whole Switzerland.

Related article World's largest aircraft owner lost 113 planes to Russia due to sanctions

Europe can’t make up its mind on how to pay for Russia natural gas imports that continue to fuel homes, businesses and power stations.

The confusion centers on the logistics of the payments themselves. Several European gas buyers have been preparing to work around the Kremlin’s demand that gas bills be paid in rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stipulated in contracts.

According to Russia’s new payment mechanism, buyers in “unfriendly” countries must open two accounts at Gazprombank – one in euros and the second in rubles, from which payments for the gas would be made.

But on Tuesday, the European Commission said companies opening an account in Russia’s Gazprombank to allow their payments to be converted into rubles would fall foul of EU sanctions.

That statement appeared to contradict guidance the Commission gave just four days earlier, which led some of Europe’s biggest energy companies to assume they could get around the currency issue by opening two accounts with the Russian bank.

It comes as several large European companies are attempting to pay their bills on time without violating sanctions.

Read the full story here:

Steam is seen from cooling towers of German energy giant RWE power AG in Neurath, Germany on April 1, 2022 as RWE shuts down 300 megawatt unit A in Neurath power plant on April 1 amid the Russian president threatened to halt contracts supplying Europe gas. (Photo by Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Related article Europe is still confused about how to pay its Russian gas bills

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, who received criticism outside of Russia for wearing a pro-war symbol on a podium next to a Ukrainian athlete, has received a one-year ban for his actions.

The 20-year-old wore a ‘Z’ symbol taped to his leotard while standing next to ​Ukrainian gymnast ​Illia Kovtun on a podium in March – Kovtun won gold and Kuliak picked up bronze in the parallel bars at the gymnastics World Cup event in Doha, Qatar.

The ‘Z’ insignia has been displayed on tanks and vehicles used by the Russian military and has become a symbol of support for the invasion of Ukraine.

The International Gymnastics Federation criticized Kuliak for his “shocking behavior” and has now been banned for 12 months by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation and told he must return his medal.

Read the full story here:

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak who was criticized for 'shocking behaviour' after wearing 'Z' symbol during the games.

Related article Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak banned for one year after wearing pro-war symbol on podium

The Russian Defense Ministry says nearly 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol since Monday.

Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that a total of 959 Ukrainian soldiers, including 80 wounded, had laid down their arms and surrendered since May 16.

He reaffirmed that 51 wounded were sent to the hospital at Novoazovsk, which is in the self-declared region of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

Konashenkov said that in the past day alone 694 Ukrainian “militants” had surrendered at Azovstal.

The DPR gave similar figures, saying that altogether 962 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered since May 16.

CNN is unable to confirm the Russian tally.

The Ukrainian side has not given an update on the number who have left Azovstal nor on the status of negotiations for their exchange for Russian prisoners.

Most of the Azovstal soldiers appear to have been taken to Olenivka, a town near the front lines but in territory controlled by the DPR.

Some background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday the negotiation process on evacuating the last soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant continues with Russia.

It follows the end of Ukrainian forces’ “combat mission” at the complex, which was for weeks the last major holdout in a city otherwise occupied by Russian troops.

Ukraine said it expects to carry out an exchange of Russian prisoners of war for the severely injured soldiers.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria, on May 11.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced a plan to speed up the world’s switch to renewable energy, saying that the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call for the globe to ditch fossil fuels.

Speaking at the launch of the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate 2021 report, Guterres described the findings as “a dismal litany of humanity’s failure to tackle climate disruption.”

“The war in Ukraine and its immediate effects on energy prices is yet another wake-up call. The only sustainable future is a renewable one. We must end fossil fuel pollution and accelerate the renewable energy transition, before we incinerate our only home,” he said, adding “time is running out.”

In his plan, Guterres proposed:

The leaders of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania endorsed “the historic decisions” by Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The statement was made by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjanis Karinš, and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.

“The Baltic States together with Finland and Sweden share the responsibility for peaceful, secure, and prosperous Nordic Baltic region,” they said.

Finland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen, left, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, center and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff, right, attend a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for NATO membership in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18.

Finland and Sweden have handed in their applications to join NATO, the military alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.

Stoltenberg made the comments alongside Klaus Korhonen, the ambassador of Finland to NATO, and Axel Wernhoff, the ambassador of Sweden to NATO.

Ukrainian military officials say the Russians have stepped up their efforts to destroy Ukrainian defenses in the Luhansk region, bringing in 15 helicopters to reinforce the offensive.

Ukrainian defenses around the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk remain under intense pressure from artillery bombardments and air attacks, which have also increased in villages further south, such as Vrubivka.

Ukrainian soldiers ride on a moving truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher near Lysychansk, eastern Ukraine, on May 13.

Why this area: Russian forces are trying to break through Ukrainian lines in this area and complete the seizure of Luhansk. They control about 90% of the region, according to most estimates.

Serhiy Hayday, head of Luhansk region military administration, said four civilians had been killed in the latest fighting and the nitrogen plant in Severodonetsk had been hit again.

Hayday said the city had withstood 15 artillery attacks on Tuesday.

Fresh attacks in Donetsk: The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces also acknowledged fresh attacks by Russian forces toward Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.

For weeks, Russian forces have been trying to push south to complete the takeover of Donetsk. The General Staff said Russian forces were trying to encircle Ukrainian units around the town of Lyman and were trying to gain full control over the nearby settlement of Drobysheve.

If they succeed, Ukrainian defenses in Lyman would be vulnerable to attack from three directions. There was heavy artillery fire in the area on Tuesday.

Further north: In Kharkiv, the General Staff said the Russians continued to shell villages north of the city to hinder Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has taken Ukrainian troops to the Russian border in several places.

Human Rights Watch says it has documented a litany of alleged crimes against civilians in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions of northern Ukraine.

A HRW team visiting the area in April and May said it “investigated 22 apparent summary executions, nine other unlawful killings, six possible enforced disappearances, and seven cases of torture,” according to a report released Wednesday.

The alleged crimes are believed to have been carried out in February and March by Russian troops as they controlled much of the area. 

HRW said it had interviewed 65 people between April 10 and May 10, including the families of victims and people who said they had been detained and tortured by Russian troops.

The group said it has compiled physical evidence further implicating Russian troops in “numerous violations of the laws of war that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Among testimonies collected by HRW was that of 66-year-old Anastasia Andriivna from the Kyiv region, who said she found her adult son’s body in a barn after he was apparently executed.

The organization also reported testimony from villagers who said they were among 350 people kept for 28 days in a cramped and squalid basement in Yahidne, near Chernihiv. Other villagers there were killed by Russian troops, HRW said.

HRW’s Europe and Central Asia director Giorgi Gogia called the alleged Russian atrocities “abhorrent, unlawful and cruel.”

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (L) and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson address a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 17.

Finland and Sweden will hand in their NATO applications on Wednesday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.

Here’s why that matters:

Will their bids to join succeed?

What next?

How has Russia reacted?

Read more here.

Members of Ukrainian forces are seen inside a bus, which arrived under escort of the pro-Russian military at a detention facility in the settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine on Tuesday.

The evacuation mission at the Azovstol steel plant in Mariupol continues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. It follows the end of Ukrainian forces’ “combat mission” at the complex, which was for weeks the last major holdout in a city otherwise occupied by Russian troops.

Here are the latest developments on the war in Ukraine:

Here’s a look at the latest situation on the ground:

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (L) and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson address a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 17.

President Joe Biden on Thursday will welcome the Prime Minister of Sweden and the President of Finland to the White House in a key show of support days after both countries announced they would seek to join NATO.

The leaders are expected to discuss Finland and Sweden’s NATO applications, European security and support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Both countries are looking to join the military alliance after Russia’s assault on Ukraine sparked renewed security concerns across the region. Their historic bids to join NATO represent a dramatic evolution in European security and geopolitics.

The US and other NATO leaders have expressed support for Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance.

Read more:

The White House is seen on July 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. - Washington, DC prepares to host the annual Independence Day fireworks display on the National Mall on July 4 as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic

Related article Biden to host leaders of Sweden and Finland at White House as countries look to join NATO

People walk past a destroyed apartment building in Mariupol on May 2.

After almost three months of intense bombardment, thousands of reported deaths and countless tales of horror and starvation, the battle for the city of Mariupol is nearing its conclusion.

Ukraine’s military announced late Monday that its forces had completed their “combat mission” at the sprawling Azovstal steelworks plant, which was for weeks the last major holdout in a city otherwise occupied by Russian troops. Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated from the facility and efforts were underway to evacuate those still inside.

Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov, has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February. It was there that Russia carried out deadly strikes on a maternity ward and the bombing of a theater where hundreds of civilians had sought refuge from the violence.

Now there are fears that evidence of further atrocities may be lost forever.

Before the Kremlin took control of Mariupol, the city council accused Russian forces of trying to erase evidence, using mobile crematoria to dispose of bodies and identifying witnesses to any “atrocities” through filtration camps. CNN could not verify that claim.

The Kremlin has denied many of these claims, including using filtration camps to cover up wrongdoing and targeting civilians in Mariupol.

Read the full analysis:

A view shows graves of civilians killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict by the roadside in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Related article The fall of Mariupol could conceal war crimes evidence from the world and give Russia's offensive a boost

In rare public criticism of the conduct of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, a former senior Russian officer has warned on state television that the situation will get worse.

Despite pushback from the show’s presenter, Khodarenok said Ukraine could arm 1 million people. 

Khodarenok, a regular commentator in Russian media, also commented on Russia’s broader isolation.

“Let’s look at this situation as a whole from our overall strategic position,” he said. “Let’s not swing missiles in Finland’s direction — this just looks ridiculous. The biggest problem with our military and political situation is that we are in total geopolitical isolation. And the whole world is against us — even if we don’t want to admit it.”

Khodarenok warned before the invasion started that it would be more difficult than many anticipated to wage war in Ukraine.

In an article in February, he said, “the degree of hatred (which, as you know, is the most effective fuel for armed struggle) in the neighboring republic towards Moscow is frankly underestimated. No one will meet the Russian army with bread, salt and flowers in Ukraine.”

Expert claims that Russian forces will defeat Ukraine in a short period of time “have no serious grounds,” he had said.

The US State Department on Tuesday announced the launch of a new program “to capture, analyze, and make widely available evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”

The program, called the Conflict Observatory, “encompasses the documentation, verification, and dissemination of open-source evidence regarding the actions of Russia’s forces during President Putin’s brutal war of choice,” according to a media note from the State Department.

The information will be shared publicly via an online platform, the statement added.

The State Department said the program is a collaboration with “Esri, a leading geographic information systems company, Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and PlanetScape Ai,” and the “the U.S. government has also contributed commercial satellite imagery to these efforts.”

The State Department said it expects international partner organizations to join the program. Reports will be available at ConflictObservatory.org website.