Escalating Violence in Russian-Ukrainian Border Region Sparks Fears and Accusations.

Four civilians were killed in shelling on Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, while thousands of residents have fled villages near Russia's southwestern border as shelling has intensified. The Russian Defense Ministry said forces had used jets and artillery to repel a Ukrainian attempt to "invade" the region of Belgorod. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO before the end of the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian capital has seen almost nightly air raids in May after being relatively spared in the beginning of the year.