Russian shelling of a border village in Sumy region kills three, including a seven-year-old girl. NATO’s Stoltenberg warns allies Ukraine could face heavy fighting and more Russian missile strikes. Finland will completely close its border with Russia for several weeks.
Russian shelling of border village in Sumy region kills three, including seven-year-old girl
Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure in a border village in Sumy region killed three people, including a seven-year-old child, and injured three others.
The Sumy regional prosecutor’s office said Russia shelled civilian areas in the village of Seredyna-Buda from multiple launch rocket systems at around 12:30p.m. local time, using methods of warfare prohibited under international law.
“At least five private houses were destroyed in the attack. Two dead women and two wounded men were recovered from the rubble. A man and his seven-year-old stepdaughter were also injured in their car. The girl later died in hospital,” it said in a statement.
At least 510 children have been confirmed killed in Ukraine, and 1,148 injured since Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Office of the Prosecutor General said on November 24.
© Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office
NATO’s Stoltenberg says heavy fighting, more Russian missile strikes ahead
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned allies of heavy fighting and more Russian missile strikes to come in Ukraine.
Intense fighting is taking place along the frontlines in Ukraine, Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived for a gathering of foreign ministers from NATO countries at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
“We have seen waves of drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and we need to be prepared for more fighting and also more air and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. This just makes it even more important that NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.
“I welcome the recent announcements by Allies of additional support,” NATO’s Secretary General said, referring to Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania.
Finland shuts border with Russia
Finland announced that it would close Raja-Jooseppi in the far north, its last remaining border crossing with Russia, from Thursday until December 13.
“The government has decided to close all the crossing points on the entire eastern border,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters following an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Under new rules, people seeking asylum in Finland must apply at airports and ports. Cargo rail traffic between Russia and Finland remains open.
“Finland has a profound reason to suspect that the entry (of migrants) is organized by a foreign state. This deals with Russia’s influencing operations and we won’t accept it,” Orpo said.
Since August, there has been a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers who were trying to cross into south-eastern Finland from Russia without proper documents. For decades, Russian border authorities checked that only people with proper documents can cross.
In response to a rise in the number of people crossing its border with Russia, Finland began to completely close its border crossing points. Last Thursday, Finland made the decision to close the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala crossings.
Addressing a news conference on Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of using migration as a tool to pressure Finland.
Reporting war crimes through “Sunflowers” project. Ukraine in Flames #539
The number of potential witnesses of crimes committed in Ukraine is enormous, as is the number of people harmed by these crimes. Past experience of international and national prosecutions of international crimes indicates that only a few witnesses to armed conflicts will testify before investigators and even fewer will testify before the courts. However, it is important to gather as much information as possible about evidence of these crimes and their victims. Watch Ukraine in flames #539 to find out about the recently launched ‘Sunflowers’ project, which aims to gather information on evidence of war crimes occurring in Ukraine.
Guests:
- Andrii Kosylo, PhD in Law, Member of the “Sunflowers” Foundation Executive Board
- Mykhailo Shepitko, PhD in Law, Member of the “Sunflowers” Foundation Executive Board
- Ewa Hofmanska, PhD in Law, President of the “Sunflower” Foundation Executive Board
