"Probably they need more people to send to the war in Ukraine," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

The West must move on from the last four years of economic skirmishes and declare an "Economic World War" against Russia. The $70 billion budget deficit that Russia faced at the start of the year did not manage to cripple its economy.  Since then, its oil exports soared 52% to 713 million euros ($836 million) per day in March compared to February, turning Western efforts into a case of one step forward and two steps back. Russia's windfall from oil inflation has been further boosted by U.S. Pr

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of May 16: * Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant relies on off-site backup power line for almost 2 months, IAEA reports * Unmanned Systems Forces hit Russian military targets in Crimea, Berdiansk, Luhansk Oblast * Ukraine struck Russian military targets in occupied Donetsk Oblast following

"We discussed strengthening our capabilities to repel Russian attacks right now," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The survey also showed growing public anxiety inside Russia.

"There's no need to look for any hidden meanings in the fact that these contacts occur," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

Ukraine struck several Russian military targets this week, including a Be-200 amphibious aircraft, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 16.

Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, described the facility as "a critical component" of Russia's defense-industrial complex.

The Russian side has not commented on whether Ukraine transferred the bodies of Russian soldiers in return.

The Russian and Chinese presidents will discuss bilateral relations and ways to deepen the countries' "partnership and strategic cooperation."

Russia launched 294 drones overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said, adding that 269 of them were shot down.

The number includes 1,230 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russian forces launched overnight strikes targeting critical and civilian infrastructure across parts of Ukraine on the night of May 15–16, with attacks reported in Odesa Oblast and Kharkiv, according to regional authorities.

"The EBU is making it up as it goes along, and the BBC — a public broadcaster accountable to this country — is sitting at that table nodding along. That has to change," British MP Josh Newbury said.

A day of mourning was being observed in Kyiv on May 15.

Key developments on May 15: * Russia plans to strike President's Office building and state residence, Zelensky says * Massive fire erupts at Russia's Ryazan oil refinery as Ukrainian drone blitz hits multiple targets, oblasts * 205 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange * Russia plans to attack Ukraine or NATO from Belarus, Zelensky says * Russian military unit documents own war crime, milblogger publishes then deletes video * Zelensky pays respects to victims of

"The Russians are not hiding it, they are war criminals, and anyone who wants to strike a deal with them is an accomplice to these crimes," Serhii Sternenko wrote on X on May 15.

Almost all of the Ukrainian POWs who returned home had been held under Russian captivity for four years.

A state-owned bank that formerly belonged to a Russian oligarch is at the center of a spiraling corruption scandal implicating several people close to President Volodymyr Zelensky. In transcripts of recorded conversations published by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda in the first weeks of May, two businessmen with ties to close friends of Zelensky discuss potential candidates for the board of Sense Bank — appearing to exert influence over a process that should be free of outside interfer

Kyiv announced a day of mourning after 24 people, including three children, were killed in the attack.

Corruption is back at the top of the news in Ukraine, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The latest accusations against Andriy Yermak, the former Head of the Presidential Office, do not indicate an increase in corruption, as naysayers claim. This achievement is a remarkable victory for the autonomous anti-corruption architecture that we have carefully built since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Andriy Yermak was neither a normal high-ranking bureaucrat nor a regular official. He was the

Documents and satellite images posted by President Volodymyr Zelensky suggest that the Kremlin plans to attack the President's Office in Kyiv and the president's state residence in Koncha Zaspa.

Patrick Fragman, the former CEO of U.S. nuclear energy firm Westinghouse Electric Company, resigned from his position at Energoatom, which operates Ukraine’s three working nuclear power plants, less than five months after being appointed to the board, the company announced on May 15.

According to Zelensky, Moscow has made fresh contact with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, in an effort to convince him to "join new acts acts of aggression."

Under the new methodology, Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating rose for the first time since December.

Among the victims killed were three children, including a 12-year-old child, according to the State Emergency Service. Forty-seven people were reported injured as well.

Ukraine's military reportedly launched a large-scale drone attack overnight on May 15, striking Russian military and energy infrastructure in multiple regions of Russia, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Ukraine has consistently qualified for the Eurovision final since it began participating in 2003 and won in 2004 with Ruslana's "Wild Dances," in 2016 with Jamala's "1944," and in 2022 with Kalush Orchestra's "Stefania."

36 countries and the European Union have committed to supporting the Special Tribunal, and the Netherlands has carried out preparatory work to host the court in The Hague.

The number includes 1,150 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Pentagon has abruptly cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland, as concerns over the reliability of U.S. military commitments to European allies continue to increase.

Russia's prison population has fallen by nearly 40% over five years, a decline driven in part by Moscow's recruitment of prisoners to fight in Ukraine.