UN says 3,668 killed in Ukraine since start of war
Relatives cry by the coffin of the Ukrainian fallen soldier Yurii Huk, age 41 at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv, Ukraine on May 16, 2022.
Omar Marques | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The United Nations has confirmed 3,668 civilian deaths and 3,896 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay reports.
The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.
— Amanda Macias
President Putin says NATO expansion ‘is a problem’
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech as he meets Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto on August 21, 2019 in Helsinki, Finland. Russian President Putin is on a one-day visit to Finland.
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images
Moscow has wasted no time in making its feelings known about the likely expansion of the Western military alliance NATO, with President Putin saying Monday that it “is a problem.”
Putin claimed that the move was in the interests of the U.S., in comments reported by Reuters, and said Russia would react to the expansion of military infrastructure to Sweden and Finland, although he insisted Moscow had “no problems” with the countries.
Putin’s comments come after other top Kremlin officials deplored the future expansion of NATO, with one describing it is a “grave mistake” with global consequences.
— Holly Ellyatt
McDonald’s says it will sell its Russia business
A logo of the McDonald’s restaurant is seen in the window with a reflection of Kremlin’s tower in central Moscow, Russia March 9, 2022.
Maxim Shemetov | Reuters
McDonald’s said Monday that it will sell its business in Russia, a little more than two months after it paused operations in the country due to its invasion of Ukraine.
“The humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and the precipitating unpredictable operating environment, have led McDonald’s to conclude that continued ownership of the business in Russia is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values,” the company said in a news release.
Russian forces, directed by President Vladimir Putin, have been accused of an array of war crimes during their assault on Ukraine.
McDonald’s exit from Russia is a bitter end to an era that once promised hope. The company, among the most recognizable symbols of American capitalism, opened its first restaurant in Russia more than 32 years ago as the communist Soviet regime was falling apart.
— Mike Calia
How could Russia react to Finland and Sweden’s NATO move?
Russian Sukhoi Su-34, Sukhoi Su-35S and Sukhoi Su-30S fighter jets perform ahead of Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
With Finland and Sweden both announcing their bids to join the Western military alliance NATO on Sunday, ending a long modern history of military non-alignment, all eyes are…
Read More News: Ukraine can win this war, NATO chief says; Finland and Sweden move to join military