Ukraine updates: Deadly daytime strike hits Kharkiv

Poland and Greece called for an "air defense shield" to be created by the European Union for enhanced protection.

"Europe will be safe as long as the skies over it are safe," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote in a joint letter to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

"That is why the EU needs a new flagship program, a European air defense shield, a comprehensive air defense system to protect our common EU airspace against all incoming threats."

The proposal comes as many EU countries continue to attempt to enhance their defense in the wake of Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

Von der Leyen, who is seeking a second term as president of the European Commission, took to social media to commend the cooperation, saying: "We need less fragmentation and common projects."

According to Tusk, in April, his head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, told him Poland needed to collaborate in several air defense cooperations.

"Only a strong, united Europe that pursues a common defense policy... will be able to prevent war," Tusk said on Thursday after submitting the letter. "We are preparing for war not because this war is going to happen, but so that it won't happen."

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Belarus late on Thursday for talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

The discussions are expected to focus on security and exercises with tactical nuclear weapons.

"There is a lot to talk about. Everything is stable and going well for us," Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying:

Minsk will take part in the exercises which will simulate preparations for the launch of the tactical weapons, which are smaller nuclear warheads meant for use in battlefields.

Nuclear analysts claim the exercises are designed as a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from offering more support to Ukraine. 

Western countries have provided weapons and intelligence to Kyiv, but have so far refrained from sending troops.

Meanwhile, Belarus has provided logistical support for Russia during its conflict with Ukraine. 

Russian forces entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory during their initial offensive against Kyiv in February 2022, but Lukashenko has sent no Belarusian troops.

Officials in Kyiv said on Thursday that 13 Ukrainian children have been returned to their homeland from Russia and Russia-occupied territories.

"Seven children and their families have returned from the temporarily occupied territories, and six more have been returned as part of the implementation of the approved action plan of the President of Ukraine," Andriy Yermak, the president's chief of staff said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. 

Moscow handed over six children, aged between 6 and 17, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Wednesday.

Ukraine says that around 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians.

It calls this a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide while Moscow contends it has protected vulnerable children from the war zone.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Russia rejects the allegations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a decree that enables Russia to compensate for Russian assets frozen in the United States

The move comes in response to the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act signed in April which allows the Biden Administration to seize $5 billion (about 4.6 billion) in Russian assets from US Banks and transfer them as part of Ukraine aid.  

The Russian law states that, if a Russian court finds any US seizure of Russian assets unjustified, it can order its compensation via US-owned assets or property in Russia like securities, real estate, company shares, or moveable property. This also includes assets or property owned by US individuals. 

For weeks, the Group of Seven developed nations (G7) has been negotiating how to exploit $260 billion in Russian assets frozen shortly after the invasion of Ukraine. European officials have voiced concerns regarding " legal and financial stability." 

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed at least six people and wounded several more on Thursday, local authorities said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the "extremely brutal attack," which took place during peak traffic and not at night, as is usual. The Russians were exploiting the lack of adequate air defenses, he posted on X, formerly Twitter. 

The sound of 15 explosions reverberated around the city of some 1 million people.

Kharkiv lies about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border.

Russia's aviation watchdog announced the suspension of arrivals and departures at Kazan airport on Thursday. 

In a statement published on Telegram, it said that flights in and out of Kazan were suspended from 11:30 Moscow time (0830 UTC/GMT) for security reasons. 

Similar restrictions have been temporarily put in place at Russian airports in the past in response to aerial activity such as drone strikes. 

The airport was later reopened.

Kazan, the capital of Tartarstan to the east of Moscow, is closer to Kazakhstan than it is to Ukraine, situated well over 1,000 kilometers away from the border.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its forces had captured the village of Andriivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. 

"Units of the Southern grouping of troops liberated the settlement of Andriivka in the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry said, using the title of the breakaway authority in Donetsk recognized only by Russia and a few of its allies.

Andriivka is close to the city of Bakhmut, a center of fierce fighting throughout much of the war currently in Russian hands. 

Russian media on Thursday reported the arrest of another senior military officer on suspicion of corruption. 

The Interfax news agency said that Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy head of the army's general staff, was being held in pretrial detention on charges of large-scale bribe taking.

The Komersant newspaper reported that Shamarin's home was searched by authorities. 

If the reports are accurate, Russia has now arrested four senior military officials in a matter of weeks, with President Vladimir Putin also dismissing former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. 

You can read more on this story in full here.

The governor of Ukraine's Kharkiv region has said that almost 11,000 people had been forced to leave their homes since Russian forces launched a ground attack on May 10. 

"A total of 10,980 people were evacuated," Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. 

Thousands have fled their homes or been encouraged to leave as Russian forces advanced towards border villages including Lyptsi and the city of Vovchansk, just 5 kilometers (roughly 3 miles) from the border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the assualt, which has brought Russia its biggest territorial gains in more than a year, could be the first of several waves. 

The warmer summer months are the easiest time to try to make ground in a region that frequently faces cold winters. 

Norway on Thursday announced further restrictions for Russian tourists seeking to visit the country. 

The NATO member, which shares an Arctic border with Russia, first tightened restrictions on Russian tourist visas soon after the invasion of Ukraine, in April of 2022. 

"The decision to tighten the entry rules is in line with the Norwegian approach of standing by allies and partners in reaction to Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine," Justice Minister Emilie Mehl said in a statement. 

Russian citizens visiting for tourism purposes or other non-essential travel will in many cases by rejected upon entry across the external border. Exceptions may be granted in cases such as visits to close family residing in Norway, the ministry said. 

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is in Lithuania for a meeting of northern European defense ministers later on Thursday morning. 

This comes as Germany deploys troops permanently to the Baltic state and Russian neighbor as NATO looks to reinforce its eastern flank. 

The German task force in Lithuania was making headlines domestically ahead of Pistorius' visit, in the shape of the latest of several coalition government disputes over spending in Berlin. 

News magazine Der Spiegel ran a story on Wednesday saying that Finance Minister Christian Lindner had "vetoed" plans for additional bonus payments for troops taking part in the mission. Lindner disputed this choice of wording online but also acknowledged his team was querying the plans. 

"No, I am not vetoing the bonuses for the Lithuania brigade. But my experts do have questions," Lindner said. "The Finance Ministry is not an agency where taxpayers' money can simply be demanded." 

Lindner, who leads the party most averse to spending in the coalition, the neoliberal Free Democrats, has been publicly resisting several coalition spending proposals. He argues that it's necessary to find savings amid lower-than-expected tax revenues and sluggish economic growth.

Pistorius, meanwhile, told Der Spiegel that he was "a little surprised" by the Finance Ministry's intervention, saying that the details of the plan had been discussed in advance with Lindner. He said he would stick to his plan and consult with the finance minister.

Germany has been scrambling and also struggling to increase defense spending,  recruit more soldiers, and improve its military readiness in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses in the border city of Belgorod destroyed a number of rockets and drones launched by Ukraine overnight. 

A missile attack warning had sounded in the city overnight. 

Around daybreak, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that no casualties had been reported. He also said that the security alert was no longer in effect.

The city of Belgorod has come under fairly frequent fire in recent months, with this being one of the reasons President Vladimir Putin has given to try to justify Russia's renewed push into the neighboring Kharkiv region this month.

msh/rt (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)