Russian missiles smashed a military training base in western Ukraine with ties to NATO

There have been a number of developments in Ukraine. Dozens of people have been killed after Russian missiles struck a military training centre in western Ukraine early Sunday morning. It’s right next to the border with Poland, concerning NATO allies as the war inches closer to the west.

Russia’s latest airstrike that killed at least 34 people and wounded over 130 is just 25 kilometres from Ukraine’s border with Poland, bringing the war closer to NATO’s doorstep.

The military alliance has been cautious not to become too involved, but U.S. officials say NATO will respond should any of Russia’s attacks strike its members.

The international peace and security centre was the site of many NATO training missions, and the home of a Canadian armed forces operation to train the Ukrainian military.

All Canadians were moved to Poland at the start of the invasion. Roads near the compound have also been the main route for Ukrainians fleeing west.

Several humanitarian corridors opened this weekend, which Ukraine’s president says has allowed nearly 125-thousand additional civilians to escape through them. But, gunfire can be heard in the distance as Ukrainians leave their cars on the road and walk from the northern city Irpin, a suburb around the capital Kyiv.

Irpin is the city where an American video journalist was killed and another injured Sunday morning after Russian troops opened fire on their car. A New York Times spokesperson said 50-year-old Brent Renaud was a “talented filmmaker” who had worked with The Times before but was not on assignment with them at the time of his death.

Aid is expected to arrive in Mariupol on Sunday. More than 15-hundred people have died in that city since the start of the invasion, as Russian airstrikes have razed buildings and prevented food and medicine from entering.

As the United Nations estimates at least 2.6 million people have fled the country since the invasion, more peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to begin on Monday.