Explosions reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv oblasts during the nationwide air raid alert

5:27 PM

Polish PM: Warsaw to spend $25 billion to secure Russia, Belarus border.

Poland plans to invest 10 billion zlotys ($2.55 billion) in strengthening its borders with Russia and Belarus to deter potential aggression, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on May 18, according to Bloomberg.

4:13 PM

Prosecutor’s Office: 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast.

Two people were killed and two more were injured when a car with civilians trying to evacuate from Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast came under Russian fire, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on May 18.

3:39 PM

Authorities: Russian attack on Kharkiv injures 5, including 2 children.

Russian forces struck a residential area in the city of Kharkiv on the afternoon of May 18, injuring at least five people, including two children, local officials reported.

3:16 PM

Ukraine charges Russia's FSB chief, top officials with guiding EuroMaidan violence.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation reported on May 18 that it had charged Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), and another 20 top officials of Russian special services with curating and aiding the illegal obstruction of protests during Ukraine's EuroMaidan Revolution.

12:08 PM

Zelensky: Ukraine only has 25% of needed air defense capabilities.

Ukraine only has 25% of the air defense capabilities it needs to adequately repel Russian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with AFP on May 17.

11:22 AM

Zelensky: Russia’s Kharkiv Oblast offensive could be first of several waves.

Russia's offensive in Kharkiv Oblast this month could be the first of several waves, and Russian forces may try for the regional capital of Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with AFP on May 17.

10:53 AM

Ukrenergo: Russia launched attacks on 2 Ukrainian energy facilities overnight.

Russian forces attacked two energy facilities in Ukraine with drones overnight on May 18, Ukraine's state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo reported.

10:05 AM

Update: 4 killed, 31 injured in Russian glide bomb attack on Kharkiv.

The death toll of a Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv on May 17 has risen to four as an injured 33-year-old man died in the hospital, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 18.

9:02 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 491,080 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,210 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:33 AM

Air Force: Ukraine downs all 13 Russian drones overnight.

Ukrainian air defenses downed all 13 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on May 18, according to Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

6:52 AM

Mediazona confirms identities of over 52,700 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 52,789 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

5:40 AM

Russia claims explosion at St. Petersburg academy caused by World War Two ammunition

Russia's military reported on May 17 that a blast at the Budyonny Military Academy of the Signal Corps in St. Petersburg, which injured seven servicemen, was caused by the accidental detonation of World War II-era ammunition.

2:58 AM

Russia attacks 10 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces struck 10 communities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast in 44 separate attacks throughout the day, the regional administration reported on May 17. At least 183 explosions were reported in Sumy Oblast over the past 24 hours.

1:08 AM

2 civilians killed, 1 injured in Vovchansk amid Russian assaults in Kharkiv Oblast.

A 35-year-old man was killed, while a 60-year-old one was injured in recent Russian strikes, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported on May 17.

12:14 AM

Lithuania to supply Ukraine with 6 radars within German-led air defense initiative.

The approximate date of the radars' arrival in Ukraine, as well as the amount of Lithuanian contribution, were not specified.

11:58 PM

Ukrenergo: Restrictions on energy supply for industrial users remain in effect due to power shortage.

Limitations for industrial users will be applied from 7 p.m. to midnight local time on May 18, while restrictions for domestic users are not forecasted for the same day, according to Ukrenergo.

11:56 PM

Prosecutor's Office: 600 illegal online casino websites blocked in Ukraine since start of 2024.

Law enforcement officers are investigating over 450 criminal offenses related to the illegal organization of gambling as of mid-May, the Prosecutor General's Office said.

11:06 PM

Reuters: Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Tuapse refinery causes emergency shutdown.

A source told Reuters that drones had struck the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) unit at the refinery but that the crude distillation unit (CDU) was not damaged.

9:22 PM

Foreign Ministry to restore consular services for draft-aged men abroad on updated terms.

The algorithm of consular services provision was updated to align with the new mobilization law's requirements, the Foreign Ministry said.

9:16 PM

Zelensky: Slovenia confirms participation in Ukraine's peace summit, will soon sign bilateral security agreement.

Some 160 national delegations were invited to the peace summit, and at least 50 countries have confirmed their participation.

8:15 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones hit military facilities in Russia, Crimea amid Russian claims of over 100 drones downed

7:25 PM

UK announces new sanctions targeting Russia's 'arms for oil' trade with North Korea.

The new sanctions will target three companies and one individual from North Korea and Russia and follow similar measures implemented by the U.S. the day before.

7:08 PM

Slovak PM Fico undergoes 2nd surgery, still in serious condition following assassination attempt.

The Dennik N media outlet reported that none of the doctors personally attending to Fico have spoken publicly.

6:52 PM

Governor: Ukraine rescues 4 children from Russian-held territory of Kherson Oblast.

The evacuated children are three brothers and a sister, aged from two to 12, according to Oleksandr Prokudin.

6:35 PM

EU suspends 4 more Russian propaganda outlets.

Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta were recognized as such that spread and supported Russian propaganda and the war against Ukraine.