20,000 foreign volunteers join Ukrainian forces in war with Russia.

11:07 PM

EU to restore quotas on Ukrainian farm imports in June, Bloomberg reports.

The move marks a significant shift in EU trade policy toward Kyiv, as bloc members seek to balance wartime support for Ukraine with growing domestic unrest from European farmers.

11:01 PM

Ukraine, US officially launch joint Reconstruction Investment Fund.

"The last step was a diplomatic note from the United States, which I personally received this morning. The Fund is officially launched," Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on May 23.

10:25 PM

Controversial ex-official Portnov visited Ukraine days before being killed in Madrid, news outlet reports.

According to three Ukrainian Pravda's interlocutors with knowledge of Portnov's movements — including sources in law enforcement and his inner circle — he was in Ukraine on May 17-18 and reportedly met with top law enforcement officials.

10:10 PM

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine, Russia hold largest prisoner swap since start of Russia's war.

9:57 PM

Opinion

Chaos to coordination: the evolution of POW swaps in the Russia-Ukraine war

9:36 PM

Zelensky slams Russia's delay on peace memorandum as 'mockery of the whole world.'

"We need a ceasefire. We need diplomatic steps toward real peace. And it's definitely time to put more pressure on Russia," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

8:39 PM

Opinion

Ukraine must look beyond the EU for its agricultural future

8:33 PM

Polish jets intercept Russian bomber over Baltic Sea after 'dangerous' maneuvers.

According to Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Russian aircraft posed a threat to regional airspace safety.

7:30 PM

Russia executes 2 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk, prosecutors say.

According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, the incident occurred on May 22 during an attack on Ukrainian positions in one of the most active combat zones of the front line.

7:04 PM

Video

Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrel provides an ultimate guide on how drones have changed the warfare in Ukraine — starting with an embed with a drone unit of the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade and providing even more insights with a step-by-step simulation on how fighting for an average village in Ukraine looks like now, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.

5:01 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 6:57 pm)

Russia strikes Odesa port with ballistic missiles, kills 2, injures 7.

Four of the wounded are in serious condition, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said.

6:25 PM

Russian military helicopter crashes in Oryol Oblast.

The Moscow Military District attributed the crash to a technical malfunction.

5:03 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 6:12 pm)

Prisoner exchange

BREAKING: Ukraine, Russia hold largest prisoner swap since start of Russia's war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that 390 Ukrainian prisoners had been exchanged as part of the first stage of the swap.

9:04 AM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 3:43 pm)

Ukraine confirms strike on Russian factory making parts for Iskander ballistic missiles, defense tech

Ukrainian drones attacked the Energy (Energia) plant in Yelets, Russian Telegram-channel Astra reported, citing locals. Videos on social media purported to show blasts and fires following the strikes.

10:39 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 3:18 pm)

Editorial

Editorial: Russia just said it doesn’t want peace. This is what you need to do

3:08 PM

German company shipped restricted technology to Russia despite EU sanctions, Politico reports.

According to the report, Kontron used the Slovenian entity to ship over 3.5 million euro ($3.9 million) worth of telecommunications equipment to its Russian subsidiary, Iskra Technologies, between July and November 2023.

11:36 AM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 2:20 pm)

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 20 over past day.

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured 20 others over the past day, regional authorities said on May 23.

2:08 PM

Finland ‘closely monitoring’ borders amid reports of Russian military preparations.

The comments come after reports that Finland expects a Russian military build-up on its borders after the war in Ukraine ends.

1:50 PM

Ukraine denies Trump's claim that POW swap with Russia 'completed'.

The planned exchange, involving 1,000 detainees from each side, follows an agreement reached between Ukrainian and Russian delegations during talks in Istanbul on May 16, 2025.

1:02 PM

Top executive at sanctioned Russian defense company reportedly injured in hammer attack.

The Kurganpribor, which produces a range of equipment for Russia’s defense industry, including components for rocket systems, missiles, and bombs, is under U.S. and EU sanctions in response to Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine. It is described as one of the leading enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.

11:07 AM

Ukraine can only wage a 'high-tech war of survival' against Russia, Zaluzhnyi says.

"I hope there is no one left in this hall still waiting for a miracle — for some white swan to bring peace to Ukraine, restore the borders of 1991 or 2022, and after that there will be great happiness in Ukraine," said Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K.

11:04 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 10:13 am)

Putin claims Russia preparing 'security buffer zone' along Ukrainian border.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Putin's words are further proof that Russia "is an obstacle to peace efforts."

8:15 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 9:56 am)

Drones

Ukraine's new drone strategy — cripple Moscow's airports, make Russian population 'pay'

8:08 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 978,700 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,050 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

5:57 AM

G7 leaders pledge to freeze Russian assets until war ends, support Ukraine's recovery.

The G7 issued a joint statement on May 22, pledging to keep Russian assets frozen until the end of the war and to support Ukraine's recovery. "We reaffirm that... Russia’s sovereign assets... will remain immobilized until Russia ends its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine," the statement read.