The UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution setting up an inquiry into allegations of abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine.

As we reported earlier, the Council was in emergency session in Geneva and heard accusations of war crimes including civilian executions, rape, torture and enforced disappearances.

The vote was passed with 33 members in favour, 12 abstentions and two votes against (from China and Eritrea). Russia was suspended from the Council last month and chose not to join the session as an observer.

Now, back to the UN Human Rights Council's emergency session, where a vote is expected later on a proposed UN inquiry to look at alleged abuses by Russian forces in the Kyiv region.

Russia's ambassador to the UN in Geneva has criticised the resolution.

In a statement emailed to Reuters, Gennady Gatilov said:

The Chinese ambassador, Chen Xu, was also critical. He complained of the "politicisation" of the Council and said the resolution could "add fuel to the fire" of tensions in Ukraine.

Russia denies that its forces have carried out abuses. It was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council last month, and left its seat as an observer empty during today's session.

Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

Here in Ukraine, officials have welcomed the news that Finland will join Nato.

It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commended the country for its "readiness to apply for Nato membership".

Ukrainian politician Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Facebook that Sweden and Finland will be in the Nato alliance "thanks to Putin".

Sweden is expected to decide on its membership application in the coming days.

"Putin restored the unity of the West and did what Trump failed to do - force higher defence spending," Klimkin wrote.

"Putin wanted to destroy Ukraine and weaken the West, but totally miscalculated and launched the counter of the destruction of his regime."

Fedor Venislavsky, who's Zelensky's representative at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine said that Finland's decision is "natural and predictable".

He added that he thought Sweden will be next.

Image source, EPA

WARNING: This post contains details some readers may find distressing

More now from a UN Human Rights Council emergency session in Geneva, which is examining evidence of violations in Ukraine.

Speaking by videolink from Kyiv, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said the people of her country had faced "10 weeks of sheer horror", AFP reports.

"Torture and enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence - the list of Russia's crimes is endless," she said.

Dzhaparova held up a picture featuring black lines which she said had been drawn by an 11-year-old boy who had been raped in front of his mother and now communicates only through drawing. The BBC is not able to verify this account.

The UN body's monitoring mission visited Ukraine last week. As we reported earlier, human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said 1,000 civilian bodies had been found in the Kyiv region, external, some of which appeared to have been summarily executed.

She also spoke of civilians who died because of stress to their health and lack of medical aid. This includes a case the BBC reported on, in Yahidne village in Chernihiv, where she says 360 residents, including 74 children and 5 persons with disabilities, were forced by Russian forces to stay for 28 days in a school basement. It was so overcrowded people could not lie down. Ten older people died, she says.

The UN General Assembly voted in April to suspend Russia from the Council and it immediately withdrew. It could have attended this session as an observer, but its chair was empty.

Later today, the council will vote on whether to set up an official UN inquiry to look specifically at violations in the Kyiv region.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed Finland's plan to apply for membership of Nato.

In a tweet he said that he had spoken to the Finnish president and, "I have assured Finland of the full support of the German government".

Image source, European Pressphoto Agency

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of harming its own national interests and "provoking a global crisis" by imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Noting a sharp rise in inflation, he told a government meeting on economic issues that “commodity prices have risen by more than 11% in the eurozone”.

In his remarks, which were broadcast on state rolling news channel Rossiya 24, he warned “the continuation of the obsession with sanctions will… inevitably lead to the most complex, nearly irreversible consequences for the European Union”.

Putin also said “the elites of Western countries” are to blame for causing knock-on effects for poorer countries, suggesting they "are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world in order to maintain their global dominance".

Image source, .

After decades of public support for military non-alignment, Finland's leaders have announced their intention to join Nato's defence alliance "without delay".

The country has a 1,340km (830 mile) border with Russia and public support in Finland for joining Nato has increased since the invasion of Ukraine - with 76% of the public in favour as of early May.

Russia has said it will be forced to take "retaliatory steps" over its neighbour's move.

More now on the Finnish foreign minister's interview with the BBC's Katya Adler in Helsinki.

Pekka Haavisto explained why Finland, which shares a long land border with Russia, is likely to apply to join Nato imminently:

He said that though his country has had "good co-operation" with Russia on their shared border for many years, they now have a "cold relationship". He also said the Finnish people felt a solidarity with Ukraine because Russia invaded Finland in World War Two.

But Haavisto insisted that Russia shouldn't feel threatened by Finland and Sweden joining Nato.

We have more reaction from Russia over Finland's announcement it intends to join Nato - this time from the foreign ministry.

In a statement, external, the ministry says Finland's accession to Nato will cause serious damage to Russian-Finnish relations and "to maintaining stability and security in the Northern European region".

"Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop the threats to its national security arising in this regard," it adds.

James Reynolds
Reporting from Lappeenranta

In normal times, Russian visitors cross the border into this Finnish region to spend money.

Mohamad Darwich, who’s originally from Syria, runs a giant shopping market near the crossing. He usually sells large amounts of instant coffee and washing up liquid to incoming Russians. But the pandemic, and now the invasion of Ukraine, mean that business has all but stopped.

“The war on Ukraine was a big mistake,” he says, “I don’t think they [the Russians] will repeat it. And even if Finland goes to Nato it will not become hostile to Russia automatically. Finland must be more interested in getting more Russians here to see the other point of view.”

For years, Finland has maintained its own armed forces, as a precaution against its larger neighbour. Conscription is mandatory for men – who are then enlisted into the reserve.

“I think Finland is pretty well prepared if something like Ukraine is going to happen,” one local reservist says. “I truly hope not, war is awful, but the Finnish population is ready to defend their country and if we are in Nato then Russia will think twice."

In the harbour, I meet two Russian women who prefer not to give their names.

“When you travel right now you are scared to say that you are from Russia because you don’t know the reaction,” one tells me. “I am impressed that when you say in Finland that you are Russian they say we know what you are going through so it is kind of nice. I feel more home here than in Russia but I would not cut loose from there either."

Finland's thinking about defence is still shaped by an attempt by the then Soviet Union to invade and occupy the country in 1939.

In what became known as the Winter War, Finland fought off an invasion from the Soviet Union, but ended up ceding most of its eastern province of Karelia.

Anna-Liisa Anttila was a teenager in the city of Vyborg at the time. The Soviets captured it and made it part of Russia, and Finland never got it back.

Anna-Liisa remembers what the bombing was like back then and tells the BBC's Allan Little about having to flee with her mother on the last bus out of town.

Read more about Finland's history.

Laura Gozzi, BBC Monitoring

The Finnish backing for Nato membership is being discussed on Russian state TV, where hosts and guests are being typically scathing about the prospect of Sweden and Finland joining the alliance.

On Rossiya 1's talk show "60 minutes", retired military intelligence officer Rustem Klupov called it an "escalation of the conflict".

Host Olga Skabeyeva - who is on the sanctions list of both the EU and the UK - said that ordinary Finns and Swedes did not stand to gain from joining the alliance: "The main beneficiary here is America and Biden, and the main objective is a new iron curtain from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea," she said.

Over on Telegram, pro-Kremlin channel "Release the Kraken" said, external that Nato membership would "trigger the militarisation of the Baltic area and the entire north-west of Russia, and increase tension in Northern Europe for many years to come".

Quentin Somerville
Reporting from Kharkiv

More now on Ukraine's attempt to regain control of territory in the Kharkiv region. BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville and cameraman Darren Conway have been with Ukrainian forces as they advance.

Image source, Darren Conway

At an army aid station, we met Raisa Opanasivna who has lived in the village of Ruska Lozova for 30 years.

It was recently liberated in a co-ordinated effort led by senior military commanders.

Raisa, 66, approached the Ukrainian soldiers, weighed down by history and two large plastic shopping bags.

Under a knitted grey beanie, her gaunt face was weather-beaten, her slim frame stooped. She hadn't seen this many people for months. Since the beginning of the war, her village had been under Russian occupation.

Ruska Lozova has been torn apart, but more than that, Raisa's whole world has been upended by Russia's invasion. In the east, the war is bringing not just a re-examination of people's relationship to Russia - barely 30km north - but a more personal reassessment of what it means to be a Russian-speaking Ukrainian.

Watch the video below and read more here.

Image source, EPA

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he cannot see how there could be a normalisation of relations with Vladimir Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Asked on LBC Radio whether the Russian president could be accepted back onto the world stage again if he were to repent for the war, Johnson said: "Repentance is going to be very difficult for Vladimir Putin now... nothing is impossible, I suppose, but I just cannot see for the life of me how we can renormalise relations with Putin now."

Johnson also warned of a repeat of 2014 when world leaders condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine but went on to negotiate a "way forward" for Putin.

"And Putin basically used that as a way of twisting the knife in Ukraine," Johnson added.

Katya Adler
BBC Europe Editor reporting from Helsinki

Finland’s foreign minister has just told me that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was the turning point for his country, upending decades of public support for non-military alignment.

Pekka Haavisto used to be an outspoken advocate of closer engagement and cooperation with Russia. Now, he supports Finland joining Nato as soon as possible. He says the country will officially announce its application at the beginning of next week if (as expected) parliament gives the green light.

It’s a matter of protection, he told me. Finland shares an 800-mile (1300 km) long border with Russia. Haavisto re-iterated his country’s preference to become a Nato member at the same time as neighbouring Sweden, where public support for joining the alliance is a little less enthusiastic.

But Haavisto was quick to point out, when you ask Swedes if they’d join Nato if Finland does, support in opinion polls jumps 10% because of the traditionally close defence co-operation between the two countries.

Jenny Hill
BBC News, Moscow

Image source, EPA

One thing that is absolutely certain is that Vladimir Putin will be furious. He never liked Nato or its expansion eastwards. One of the reasons he attacked Ukraine in the first place was because he was concerned that it wanted to join Nato, and yet as a result of his war he's potentially now looking at a vastly enlarged alliance right on his doorstep.

It's inevitable Putin will use this as an excuse to tell the Russian people they are increasingly under attack from the West. We've heard it from politicians, pundits, TV presenters and Putin himself in recent weeks - that Nato is waging a proxy war in Ukraine, and today's decision by Finland will be framed within that.This morning we heard from the former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chair of Putin's security council. He doesn't speak for Putin and tends to be outspoken in a personal capacity, but this morning he said Nato exercises on Russia's borders were effectively escalating this conflict and increasing the threat that it could turn into a nuclear war.

Moscow knows what it's doing. It knows that Russian people will respond to its accusations that Nato really is the enemy, and that Putin had no choice but to invade Ukraine in order to defend Russia against the West.

It's a very powerful narrative and I think it's something the West is very conscious of - the more Russian people are told this, perhaps the more nervous they become, and perhaps the more united they become behind Putin.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's a quick summary of the main developments today:

• Finland's leaders have said the country should apply to join the Nato defence alliance "without delay". The country's parliament is expected to approve the plans next week, after which the application process can begin - though joining can take a year
• Sweden could follow suit within days
• The Kremlin said Finland joining the alliance would "definitely" represent a threat to Russia

In other developments:

• A thousand bodies have been recovered around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in recent weeks, the UN's human rights chief has said, adding that many killings the organisation is looking at may amount to war crimes. Michelle Bachelet told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council that the scale of unlawful killings uncovered was "shocking"
• Ukrainian troops have been continuing their counter-offensive around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. Russian troops have been pushed back so far that their artillery is no longer in range of the city's centre, Ukraine's military says
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he cannot see how relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin can be normalised following Russia's invasion of Ukraine

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said 1,000 bodies have been recovered in areas around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in recent weeks.

The UN has been verifying allegations of violations carried out since the Russian invasion began, and many may amount to war crimes, she added.

"The scale of unlawful killings, including indicia [signs] of summary executions in areas to the north of Kyiv, is shocking," she told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, external.

"While we have information about 300 such killings, the figures will continue to increase as new evidence becomes available.

"These killings of civilians often appeared to be intentional, carried out by snipers and soldiers. Civilians were killed when crossing the road or leaving their shelters to seek food and water. Others were killed as they fled in their vehicles. Unarmed local men were killed because Russian soldiers suspected them of supporting Ukrainian forces or otherwise being a potential threat, and some were tortured before being killed."

The Human Rights Council is to decide on Thursday whether to ask officials to carry out a full investigation into the events that occurred in Kyiv and other regions in February and March, Reuters news agency reports.

The Kremlin says Finland's plan to join Nato is "definitely" a threat to Russia and that the expansion of the military bloc will not make Europe or the world more stable.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the steps taken by Finland to join Nato were a cause for regret and a reason to impose a symmetrical response, Reuters news agency reports.

He added Finland had taken "unfriendly steps" against Russia.

Asked what form Russia's response would take, he said: "Everything will depend on how this... process of Nato expansion plays out, the extent to which military infrastructure moves closer to our borders."

Image source, .

Image source, Reuters

In light of Finland's bid to join Nato, the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the country's membership would strengthen both Nato and Finland itself.

"Should Finland decide to apply, they would be warmly welcomed into Nato, and the accession process would be smooth and swift," Stoltenberg says.

Finland says it is looking to join the alliance "without delay".

Stoltenberg adds: "Finland is one of Nato's closest partners, a mature democracy, a member of the European Union, and an important contributor to Euro-Atlantic security."