Western Ukraine was attacked by missiles, the US soon approved Sweden to join NATO

“At dawn this morning (May 17), the army Russia launched a missile attack on the infrastructure of the Lviv province. Three cruise missiles were destroyed by the air defense units of the Western Air Command of Ukraine. According to some reports, the missiles of the Russian army were launched from the southeast direction,” Al Jazeera news agency quoted a statement posted on Facebook by the Ukrainian Air Force as saying.

According to a group of AP reporters present in the city of Lviv on the night of May 16, they witnessed several bright explosions in the sky west of this city. The missile attack forced the authorities here to order a curfew from 11pm on May 16 to 6am this morning (local time).

“There is currently no confirmed information about the missile hitting the city. Thank you to the soldiers who protected our skies. We will provide more accurate information on the morning of May 17. Everyone take care of yourselves and don’t ignore the sirens,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, an unnamed senior US military official said today that the real target of the Russian military’s missile attack on Lviv province on the night of May 16 could be a training center. military of Ukraine is located in the town of Yavoriv, ​​which is about 25km from the Polish border.

“At most a few rockets were launched there and damaged some structures. There have been no reports of casualties yet. The missiles appear to have been launched from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea,” the official, who asked not to be named, told The Associated Press.

The US soon ratifies Sweden’s accession to NATO

Republican leader in the US Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell said today that the country will soon ratify Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“While many other NATO countries could have approved Sweden’s accession earlier, I am sure that the application for NATO membership by the Stockholm government will be approved by the US Congress next August. We are confident that Sweden’s application to join NATO will be accepted,” the AP news agency quoted Mitch McConnell as saying at a press conference held in Stockholm, Sweden.

Earlier, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on May 15 stated that “the best thing for Sweden and the security of the Swedish people is for it to join NATO”.

“Clearly there was context before and after February 24, 2022. Europe, Sweden and the Swedish people are living in a dangerous new reality. The European security order that has underpinned Sweden’s security policies for centuries is under attack,” Andersson said at the time.

New Zealand imposes sanctions on Belarusian leaders

According to Al Jazeera news agency, the New Zealand government on the night of May 16 announced sanctions on 27 Belarusian leaders, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and a number of military officials, for their support. Russia in military campaign in Ukraine.

“Belarusian military authorities have authorized an unacceptable attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. Sanctioned individuals will not be allowed to enter New Zealand, own property or do business in our country,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said.

Tuan Tran