Drone attack reported in Russian city of Kursk

5:36 PM

Video

We need to push Russia to stick to ceasefire, Estonian ambassador says.

The Kyiv Independent’s Asami Terajima sits down with Estonian ambassador to Ukraine Annely Kolk to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and why there’s little trust in Russia honoring any ceasefire agreements.

4:00 PM

EU parliament backs tariffs on fertilizers from Russia, Belarus.

"The regulation gradually increasing customs duties for products from Russia and Belarus will help to prevent Russia from using the EU market to finance its war machine," said Inese Vaidere, Latvian Member of the European Parliament.

9:14 AM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 3:03 pm)

Mass Ukrainian drone strike targets Moscow, Russia claims, multiple airports closed.

All four Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky — as well as airports in Tambov and Vladimir were temporarily closed.

3:02 PM

Romania's top court rejects far-right candidate Simion's bid to annul presidential election results.

Days before, George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), appealed the results despite conceding defeat to pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan on May 18.

2:25 PM

Opinion

Why Washington failed to end the Russo-Ukrainian War

2:13 PM

North Korea's Kim reportedly lashes out after failed warship launch, calls it 'criminal act'.

North Korean Leader leader Kim Jong Un condemned the failed launch as a "criminal act" and placed blame on several state institutions, accusing relevant officials of "irresponsibility" which "could not be tolerated."

1:36 AM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 1:52 pm)

'We don't want this anymore' — Lavrov confirms Russia has no interest in Ukraine ceasefire.

Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

12:36 PM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 1:45 pm)

Controversial Ukrainian ex-official Portnov shot dead in Madrid, source says.

Andriy Portnov, a former top official in Ukraine's ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, was shot dead by an unidentified attacker or attackers outside the American School in Madrid, Reuters reported on May 21, citing a source close to the investigation.

12:41 PM

Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports.

U.S. Donald Trump's reported statement marked the first time he acknowledged to European leaders the thing they and Kyiv have long maintained — the Kremlin has no intention of ending its full-scale war against Ukraine.

12:33 PM

Finland expecting further Russian military build-up at border after Ukraine war ends.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023.

11:33 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 2, injure 27 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 74 out of the 128 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, and an Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty-eight drones disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.

11:30 AM

4 Chechen officers killed in car bombing in Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's HUR claims.

The first blast was followed by more explosions, as the officers were allegedly transporting ammunition that detonated.

12:42 AM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 10:35 am)

Judiciary

Hated, tainted, and covertly pro-Russian — Andriy Portnov, the top Ukrainian ex-official shot dead in Spain

4:47 PM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 9:02 am)

'Suspicious' Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker spotted near undersea power cable sparks Polish military intervention.

"After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.

8:11 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 977,650 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 870 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

9:15 PM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 7:40 am)

Kursk incursion

Top commander’s resignation puts new scrutiny on Ukraine’s military leadership

5:58 AM

Ukraine to pitch harsher Russian sanctions to EU next week as US sanctions fall through, Reuters reports.

Reuters reported on May 21 that Ukraine will propose to the EU that the bloc speed up the seizure of frozen Russian assets to provide to Kyiv. The additional proposed sanctions would also target foreign companies that assist Russia through the use of technology, and "the introduction of secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil".

5:07 AM

UK accuses Russian GRU of carrying out cyberattacks targeting logistics, technology organizations.

The United Kingdom has exposed a cyber campaign orchestrated by Russian military intelligence (GRU) targeting Western logistics and technology organizations involved in delivering foreign assistance to Ukraine, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) announced on May 21.

12:13 AM

'War crimes have been committed' — Rubio admits Russia is an aggressor, declines to label Putin as a war criminal.

"War crimes have been committed, no doubt, and who is responsible for that, there will be a time and place for that accountability, but right now the job is to end the war," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

11:16 PM

Ukraine working on 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Russia, Zelensky says.

"We have to release all our people, unconditionally. We are trying to do the maximum we can. We are trying very hard," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

10:11 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russian semiconductor plant making missile, jet parts hit in Ukrainian attack, military says

9:45 AM  (Updated:  May 21, 2025 9:57 pm)

Russian semiconductor plant making missile, jet parts hit in Ukrainian attack, military says.

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck Russia's Bolkhov semiconductor plant in Oryol Oblast, which is producing parts for Sukhoi warplanes and Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on May 21.

9:42 PM

Ukrainian officials deny Russian troop presence in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, called the online claims "fake" and said that the accompanying photograph allegedly showing Russian troops in the area was also fabricated.

9:28 PM

Iran's parliament ratifies 20-year strategic agreement with Russia.

While the pact does not include a mutual defense clause, it outlines commitments for both countries to cooperate against common military threats, enhance military-technical collaboration, and participate in joint military exercises, according to Reuters.

8:44 PM

Trump claims 'progress' on ending Russia-Ukraine war.

"We are trying to settle Russia-Ukraine," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters. "I spoke with President Putin for two hours the day before yesterday. I think we made a lot of progress. But that's a bloodbath."