"McDonald's says it is temporarily closing 850 restaurants in Russia in response to the Ukraine invasion."

7:49 AM

Actor, Maksym Kovtun, killed on front line defending Ukraine.

Actor-turned-soldier Maksym Kovtun was killed on the front line, the Dnipro Academic Youth Theater said on May 2.

6:28 AM  (Updated:  May 3, 2025 7:43 am)

Drone attack targets Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Russian officials claim.

Four were injured as Russia's Krasnodar Krai was allegedly targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on May 3, Russian officials claimed.

5:07 AM

'Putin has stalled and hampered discussions' — UK Foreign Secretary speaks to Vance.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on May 2. The two officials reaffirmed a shared desire to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Lammy said.

11:10 PM  (Updated:  May 3, 2025 3:42 am)

Russia's attack on Kharkiv injures 47.

A Russian drone attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv injured at least 47 people on May 2, according to local authorities. At least eight people have been hospitalized.

2:49 AM

US prepares sanctions against Russia, unclear if Trump will approve, Reuters reports.

The sanctions will target Russia's energy sector, including state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Major entities in the natural resources and banking sectors will also be targeted.

12:47 AM

US State Department approves sale of F-16 training, support services for Ukraine.

The equipment and services include aircraft modifications and upgrades as well as personnel training related to operation, maintenance, and sustainment support.

11:46 PM

Ukraine must 'accelerate creation of ballistic systems,' Zelensky says.

"Our long-range capabilities are a clear and effective guarantee of Ukraine’s security," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 2.

11:28 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia attacks Kharkiv with drones, injuring at least 40

8:41 PM

Explaining Ukraine

Could Ukraine have defended Crimea from Russia's illegal annexation in 2014?

8:27 PM

Azerbaijani lawmaker blames Russia for February cyberattack.

Russia was behind the February cyberattack on Azerbaijani media, Ramid Namazov, head of the Azerbaijani parliament's commission on countering hybrid threats, said on May 2, the APA news agency reported.

8:15 PM

Son of ex-Motor Sich president detained in Monaco for $650 million asset theft.

Motor Sich's former president Vyacheslav Bohuslayev was detained in Monaco on fraud charges linked to a $650 million asset scheme, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on May 2.

6:26 PM

Trump's team prepares economic options against Russia, Bloomberg reports.

The sources told Bloomberg that U.S. President Donald Trump is yet to make a decision, as diplomatic efforts to end the war are still underway.

5:28 PM

Video

One night with 3rd Assault Brigade medics in a new age of war.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a night at the stabilization point of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, one of Ukraine’s most battle-hardened units now fighting in Kharkiv Oblast. As drones reshape modern warfare, medics face mounting challenges: evacuations get harder and slower, turning survivable wounds into potentially fatal ones.

5:28 PM

Ukraine's agricultural exports drop 23.4% in April.

"This export decrease follows typical seasonal patterns. The majority of harvested produce has already been exported, with only minor volumes remaining for export," the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club said.

7:20 PM  (Updated:  May 2, 2025 5:00 pm)

Business

A billion-dollar question mark — the details of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal

3:51 PM

Belgium's Euroclear to redistribute $3,4 billion from frozen Russian assets, media reports.

The payout, drawn from a pool of 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) in cash frozen under EU sanctions since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, comes in response to Russia's confiscation of billions in Western-held assets over the past year.

3:51 PM

KI Insights

Reforms, Transitions, and Market Opportunities: Ukraine's Deal Pipeline in 2025​ – briefing by KI Insights

1:53 PM  (Updated:  May 2, 2025 3:38 pm)

Ukrainian activist, volunteer Sternenko injured in attack, suspect detained.

According to the SBU, the attack on Serhii Sternenko was an attempted assassination involving a firearm. His life is not in danger.

2:52 PM

Ukroboronprom posts $315 million profit as production triples.

Ukraine's largest state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom reported a consolidated net profit of Hr 1.31 billion ($31.5 million) for the previous year, according to a press release at the company's website.

2:25 PM

‘This cannot be allowed’ — Israeli opera hires Russian singers, Ukrainian director quits in protest

2:12 PM

Germany classifies AfD as confirmed right-wing extremist organization.

Until now, only AfD's regional branches in Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt held that status, while the national party had been under observation as a suspected extremist group.

1:02 PM

Global press freedom enters 'difficult situation' due to financial, propaganda pressure, RSF warns.

The index highlights an unprecedented economic crisis across independent outlets in Europe, worsened by the collapse of American aid and the spread of Russian propaganda.

12:49 PM

US confirms sending decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine for spare parts support.

According to an Air Force spokesperson, the U.S. Department of the Air Force "has supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts."

11:48 AM

Massive drone attack reportedly targets Russian military sites in occupied Crimea.

The pro-Ukrainian Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported explosions in several key locations, including Sevastopol, Dzhankoy, Saki, Novofedorivka, and Kacha — sites that host Russian military airfields.

10:26 AM

US shifting focus from Ukraine war mediation, calling for Kyiv and Moscow to engage directly, State Dept says.

"We are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings; that is now between the two parties, and now is the time that they need to present and develop concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end," U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.