At least four civilians were killed and 27 injured on Friday, June 2, in bombings in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine. The regional governor said that shells fired by Ukrainian forces had crashed on a road near the town of Chebekino, located about ten kilometers from Ukraine. The Belgorod region has been targeted for several days by strikes of an intensity unprecedented since the start of the war in Ukraine.
kyiv targeted again. Russia has been increasing drone and missile attacks on kyiv since the beginning of May, often at night, a tactic denounced by Ukraine as aimed at terrorizing the civilian population. Thursday morning, at least three people, including a child, were killed in kyiv during one of these attacks.
Ukraine’s NATO membership on hold. Volodymyr Zelensky admitted on Friday that his country’s NATO membership was “impossible” as long as the war is on. The day before, he had called on the European leaders meeting in Moldova not to have any more “doubts” about kyiv’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance.
M1 Abrams tanks absent from the Ukrainian counter-offensive. US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said Ukrainian forces were well trained to use this US battle tank, but would not be ready for the counter-offensive launched by Kiev, reports Le Monde (article reserved for subscribers).