Did the War End? Ep. 2: Defending Azovstal

1:05 AM  (Updated:  May 25, 2025 7:26 am)

Russia launches mass attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian cities for second night in row.

Multiple waves of explosions rocked cities across Ukraine as Russia launched another massive drone and missile attack overnight. At least 11 people in Kyiv have been injured.

6:00 AM

Russian attack in Kyiv Oblast kills 3, injures 10, including children.

The bodies of two victims were found when first responders extinguished a fire in the Obukhiv district. Another person was killed in the Bucha district, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.

1:39 AM  (Updated:  May 25, 2025 5:31 am)

Ukrainian drones shot down near Moscow as Russia attacks Kyiv, official claims.

Six drones were shot down as they flew towards Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on May 25. His report came as Russia attacked Kyiv for the second consecutive night.

5:22 AM

Russia losing battlefield edge in war against Ukraine, WP reports.

Moscow faces critical shortages of weapons and manpower, making the time ripe for escalated pressure, Western officials told The Washington Post (WP).

3:52 AM

Russian air base in Tver Oblast attacked by drones, media reports.

The Migalovo military airfield is located on the outskirts of Tver, over 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

11:31 PM

US rolls back Assad-era sanctions on Syria.

The United States granted immediate sanctions relief to Syria after President Donald Trump called for a complete end to sanctions on the country. The sanctions relief was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department on May 23.

9:34 PM

Russia will reveal peace terms to Ukraine after prisoner exchange, Lavrov says.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on May 23 that Moscow will convey its peace terms to Kyiv immediately after the completion of the ongoing prisoner exchange between the two countries.

8:31 PM

Culture

Vernacular Hardcore: Ukraine’s artists reimagine home and heritage at Venice Biennale

8:06 PM

'Putin remains confident in Russia’s ultimate victory in Ukraine,' US intelligence reports.

According to a recent report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains "committed to victory in Ukraine, and his objectives remain mostly unchanged since the beginning of the war: Ukrainian neutrality and a further partition of the Ukrainian state."

12:53 AM  (Updated:  May 24, 2025 6:19 pm)

'It's terrorism' — Russia launches one of the heaviest strikes on Kyiv during full-scale war.

Multiple people were injured as multiple waves of explosions rocked Kyiv overnight on May 24 during a massive Russian drone and missile attack.

6:03 PM

Poland's presidential debate: Trzaskowski slams Nawrocki over 'Putin's language' on Ukraine's NATO bid.

Karol Nawrocki, backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky "treats Poland badly" and defended his criticism of Ukraine's NATO bid by insisting, "I speak the language of Poles."

5:27 PM

Video

Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia.

On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange.

5:07 PM

Russia's upgraded ballistic missiles harder to intercept by Patriots, Air Force says.

"It complicates (the interception), but doesn’t make the interception impossible," Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. "I think our partners are already working to improve the system's capabilities."

3:35 PM

Ukraine hands over 70 collaborators to Russia in May 23 prisoner swap.

The identities of 31 of them have been revealed on the project's website. These included Oleksandr Tarnashinskyi, a former associate of pro-Kremlin oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, or ex-Security Service of Ukraine officer Vitalii Vasiliev.

3:18 PM

Lavrov dismisses Vatican as possible venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he believed "it would not be very comfortable for the Vatican itself to host delegations from two Orthodox countries in these circumstances."

1:49 PM  (Updated:  May 24, 2025 2:29 pm)

Ukraine brings home 307 POWs in 2nd phase of major prisoner swap with Russia.

Ukraine has secured the release of 307 Ukrainians from Russian captivity in the second phase of its largest prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 24.

1:45 PM

Russia 'hasn't faced enough pressure' —Ukrainian, foreign diplomats react to overnight attack on Kyiv.

"Russia's continued aggression has a simple explanation: it hasn't faced enough pressure to stop. The power to change that lies with us," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

1:27 PM

War analysis

Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk

12:44 PM

EU mulls cutting over 20 Russian banks from SWIFT, banning Nord Stream in new sanctions, Bloomberg reports.

The new measures under consideration would also include lowering the Group of Seven oil price cap on Russian crude exports from $60 to around $45 per barrel.

11:52 AM

Ukraine denies Russian presence in Sumy Oblast border village, media reports.

Earlier, Russia's state-run news agency TASS claimed that Russian forces had entered Yunakivka, a village near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast.

11:38 AM

13 killed, 51 receive medical care after Russian strikes on Ukraine over past day.

Russian attacks killed at least 13 civilians during attacks against Ukraine over the past day, regional authorities reported. At least 51 people required medical attention.

10:56 AM

'Shoot them on the spot' — Ukraine's military intel records over 150 cases of Russia executing POWs.

The agency noted that this figure includes those cases recorded by HUR, suggesting the actual total may be higher.

10:36 AM

UK probes possible Russian involvement in arson attacks targeting PM Starmer, FT reports.

Two Ukrainian nationals, Roman Lavrynovych and Petro Pochynok, and a Romanian national, Stanislav Carpiuc, have been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

10:23 AM

Russian chemical plant, missile parts manufacturer targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone strike.

The Energia facility, which lies in the Lipetsk Oblast city of Yelets, was attacked for the second night in a row, with residents reporting at least five explosions overnight, Astra reported.

9:24 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 979,830 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,130 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.