News feed

3:58 AM

Bulgaria to redirect reform funding to assist Ukrainian refugees.

About $53 million will go be rerouted to assist with the humanitarian crises caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Bulgarian National Radio. The money will go towards produce and other items to assist refugees, transportation, as well as to education integration for fleeing Ukrainians.

3:56 AM

Human Rights Watch: Russia commits summary executions, torture, grave abuses in Chernihiv, Kyiv Oblasts.

A report published on May 18 said Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine committed “apparent war crimes” from late February through March 2022. The human rights group investigated 22 apparent summary executions, nine unlawful killings, six possible enforced disappearances, and seven cases of torture across 17 communities in the regions.

3:46 AM

Belarus implements death penalty for ‘attempted terrorism’.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko signed a law on May 18 expanding the death penalty to include merely planning terrorist attacks. Previously, such punishment could not be given for an “unfinished crime.” Human rights groups fear this move will further threaten Belarusian activists and political opposition.

3:39 AM

Kursk region governor says Ukraine attacked border villages.

Two villages in Russia's western region of Kursk bordering Ukraine came under fire on May 18, regional governor Roman Starovoit said, blaming the Ukrainian forces for the attack. No casualties were reported.

3:34 AM

Canada recognizes deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide.

Canadian parliament voted unanimously to condemn the Soviet Union’s mass deportation of Crimean Tatars from the peninsula in 1944, which Russia continues to deny.

3:19 AM

Russian forces sustain heavy casualties and equipment losses.

According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia lost 20 armored vehicles, a cruise missile and a Su-34 bomber over the past 24 hours. Additionally, Ukraine's Air Force successfully carried out a mission destroying a Russian equipment depot.

2:18 AM

Reuters: US has no right to seize Russian central bank assets.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that discussions are ongoing surrounding how to get Russia to pay for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

2:12 AM

Ukraine seizes $1 billion in Russian, Belarusian assets.

Director of the Bureau of Economic Security Vadym Melnyk said the assets are derived from a mining plant, cars, and assets from a financial institution.

1:45 AM

European Commission allocates $260 million to EU countries assisting most Ukrainian refugees.

Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic will receive 248 million euros to help manage their borders and assist with the provision of food, transportation, and shelter to those fleeing Russia’s war.

1:34 AM

CNN: NATO expects ‘standstill’ in battlefield in coming weeks.

According to an unnamed NATO military official, no significant gains for either side are predicted, although momentum has shifted in Ukraine’s favor. Discussions are reportedly ongoing over whether Ukraine can retake Russian-occupied regions of Crimea and Donbas.

1:22 AM

Blinken: US to provide additional $215 million in emergency food aid to Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 18 that he also expects Congress to authorize an additional $5.5 billion in support for humanitarian assistance and food security.

1:03 AM

Russian troops fire on fleeing civilians in Kherson Oblast.

Head of Kryvyi Rih Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Vilkul said on May 18 that three people are dead and six wounded due to a Russian attack near the village of Davydiv Brid.

12:46 AM

US Senate approves Bridget Brink as Ambassador to Ukraine.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on May 18 that Brink’s new role confirms “U.S. support for Ukraine is only growing.” The position has been vacant for three years.

12:17 AM

Kuleba describes what Ukraine will consider as victory over Russia.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Dutch newspaper NRC that the list includes: the liberation of Russian-occupied territories, including Donbas and Crimea, the payment of reparations by Russia, trials for Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity, and European integration for Ukraine.

12:07 AM

Croatia to block Finland, Sweden from NATO membership.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic told the N1 TV channel that he would instruct the country's permanent representative to NATO to vote against this move. The future membership of the two Nordic countries in NATO will depend on whether Bosnia and Herzegovina's electoral law is changed, he said, adding that Croats in Bosnia are “being destroyed” as a political entity.

11:24 PM

Russian military killed 15 civilians in Luhansk, Donetsk oblasts on May 18.

According to Ukraine's military, Russia shelled 46 settlements, destroying or damaging more than 40 residential buildings, two schools, a kindergarten and other civilian infrastructure in one day. Among the killed people were two families with children.

10:57 PM

Death toll in Russia’s airstrike on Bakhmut grows to 5 people.

On May 17, the Russian military dropped a bomb on a five-story apartment building in Bakhmut, a city of 73,000 in Donetsk Oblast. Among the victims was a two-year-old child, the regional prosecutor's office said. Four other civilians, including three children aged 9, 12 and 17, were seriously injured.

10:29 PM

Azovstal bombing may put Azov Sea on the brink of extinction.

According to Mariupol City Council, Russia’s brutal bombing of the steel mill could severely damage its facilities for storing thousands of tons of hazardous chemicals. Their leakage could kill all marine life in the Azov Sea, threatening an ecological catastrophe in two other seas, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The pictures published by the Mariupol City Council are a visualization of possible consequences of Russia’s bombing of Azovstal, not real photos.

10:11 PM

US embassy reopens in Kyiv.

The embassy was closed on Feb. 14, 10 days before Russia began an all-out war against Ukraine. After the U.S. flag was raised over the embassy building on May 18 in Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the embassy is "officially resuming operations."

9:55 PM

Podoliak: Ukraine-Russia peace talks are currently impossible.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to the presidential administration, told the NV radio that Russia still hasn't fully realized the consequences of the war it inflicted on Ukraine and the impact of the Western sanctions. According to Podoliak, Russia still has illusions that it can achieve military success in Ukraine.

9:10 PM

General Staff: Ukrainian military liberates another settlement in Kharkiv Oblast.

On May 18, Ukraine regained control over the village of Dementiivka. Hostilities with the Russian forces continue in another village, Ternova.

8:56 PM

Russia expels diplomats of France, Spain and Italy.

A total of 85 employees will have to leave Russia, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. The move is in response to similar actions of the three European countries.

8:03 PM

US unlikely to extend Russia’s debt-payment license, increasing risk of default.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed on May 18 that the license, which expires on May 25 and allows payments to U.S. bondholders, is unlikely to be extended for Russia. Yellen added that the move won't significantly change the situation in Russia, as “they're already cut off from global capital markets.” Currently, Russia has $40 billion in international bonds.

7:00 PM

Zelensky proposes extending martial law in Ukraine till end of summer.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a draft bill set to prolong martial law in Ukraine for 90 days. Zelensky imposed martial law on Feb. 24, with the current law set to expire on May 24.

6:34 PM

Erdogan blocks accession of Sweden, Finland to NATO.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he won’t allow either of the countries to join NATO because they support "terrorist groups" that pose a threat to the country’s national security. “It is controversial for countries to support terrorism and expect our approval,” the president said. Erdogan accused the two countries of harboring members of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.

5:58 PM

Kremlin-led proxies claim Ukrainian commanders have not left Azovstal plant.

Kremlin-led Donetsk Oblast proxies claim that top-ranking commanders defending the Azovstal steel mill were not among about 960 soldiers that surrendered to the Russian forces. What will happen to the soldiers taken to Russian-occupied territories remains unclear. Amnesty International has said the Ukrainian defenders who surrendered must not be ill-treated and should be given immediate access to the International Red Cross.

5:28 PM

Antonov Airlines temporarily move base from Kyiv Oblast's Hostomel to Germany's Leipzig Airport.

Antonov company confirmed that five Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan airplanes are now temporarily based in Leipzig and will continue transporting cargo for commercial and government purposes. Antonov's main hub, Hostomel Airport, was destroyed during Russian advances on Kyiv in late February.

5:01 PM

Welt: European Parliament to propose sanctions against former German Chancellor, Austrian ex-Foreign Minister.

The members of the European Parliament want to call on the 27 EU states to include Germany’s Gerhard Schröder and Austria’s Karin Kneissl on the sanctions list, the German newspaper Welt reported. Kneissl has been on the supervisory board of the Russian state oil company Rosneft since 2021, and Schroeder is the chairman of the supervisory board within the same organization.

4:32 PM

SBU: Russian-led militants, agents receive 8-13 years in prison.

Security Service of Ukraine spokesperson Artem Dekhtyarenko said that two Kremlin-led militants from Luhansk Oblast were captured in March, and the court sentenced them to eight and 10 years, respectively. In Rivne Oblast, a Russian spy was sentenced to 13 years in prison for collecting intelligence on the deployment of Ukrainian troops and equipment, Dekhtyarenko added.

3:35 PM

After capturing Azovstal, Russians seek to demolish it.

According to the Kremlin-controlled RIA Novosti media outlet, Russia and its proxies are set to demolish the Azovstal steel mill. The plant was the last Ukrainian stronghold of Mariupol, a city with a pre-war population of 450,000 people, completely destroyed by Russian troops.

3:16 PM

Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing civilian in Sumy Oblast.

Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is the first Russian soldier standing trial in Ukraine for war crimes. According to the prosecution, in late February, Shishimarin killed a 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine's northern Sumy Oblast during Russia's retreat. Shishimarin pledged guilty and is now facing a life sentence for violating the laws of war.

2:11 PM

Ukraine intelligence: Some Russian units refuse to fight.

Several units of the 70th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade have already openly refused to take part in the war, according to the Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate. Servicemen who demanded to return to Russia were instead sent to the most dangerous part of the front, Ukraine's intelligence claimed.

News Feed

4:07 PM

German lawmakers call on Merz to increase aid to Ukraine, Bild reports.

The signatories emphasized the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems urgently.

2:25 PM

China may ask Russia to attack NATO if Taiwan is invaded, Rutte says.

Fears of escalating Chinese military intervention in Taiwan have risen sharply since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

10:59 AM

(Updated: July 6, 2025 1:36 pm)

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 6, injure 25 over past day.

Russian forces launched four S-300 anti-aircraft missiles and 157 Shahed drones against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

12:46 PM

Yerevan denies Ukraine's report on Russia increasing military footprint in Armenia.

The news comes amid a major deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations after a deadly June 27 operation in Russia's Yekaterinburg, where Russian security forces killed two Azerbaijani nationals.

5:34 AM

(Updated: July 6, 2025 10:41 am)

Russian airports cancel flights amid drone attacks on Russia.

Russian air defenses on July 5 shot down four drones advancing on Moscow, prompting a temporary halt to outgoing flights at Sheremetyevo, one of the capital's main airports.

9:16 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,026,440 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,180 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

9:09 PM

(Updated: July 6, 2025 8:26 am)

Pipelines supplying Russian military explode in Russia's Far East, HUR source says.

Explosions near Russia's Vladivostok damaged a gas pipeline and destroyed a water pipeline that supplied military facilities in the area, an unnamed intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on July 5.

6:58 AM

Musk launches 'America Party' following public feud with Trump.

The announcement came a day after Trump signed his sweeping tax cut and spending bill into law, a legislative act that Musk has fiercely opposed.

4:17 AM

Rutte praises Trump in a NYT interview while warning of Russia's rising threat to NATO.

"Russia is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, adding that "...they are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year."

1:49 AM

Kremlin's war economy shows cracks as military spending boom fades.

The slowdown indicates that Western sanctions, though not a knockout blow, are increasingly damaging the Russian economy.

11:09 AM

(Updated: July 5, 2025 10:50 pm)

Trump says Putin 'wants to keep killing people,' signals US may send Patriots to Ukraine.

"It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It's not good," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

10:29 PM

Zelensky describes phone call with Trump as 'best conversation in all this time.'

"Patriot (missiles) are key to protection from ballistic (missiles). We discussed several other important issues that our teams will work out in detail at meetings in the near future," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

7:35 PM

BlackRock halted Ukraine recovery fund following Trump victory, France working on replacement, Bloomberg reports.

BlackRock, a U.S. investment firm, suspended work on its multibillion-dollar Ukraine recovery fund following U.S. President Donald Trump's election victory, prompting France to work on a replacement, Bloomberg reported on July 5.

6:05 PM

Ukraine hits Russian electronic warfare facility making Shahed, Iskander components, General Staff says.

The facility develops and manufactures Kometa adaptive antenna arrays used in Shahed-type drones, Iskander-K cruise missiles, and guided aerial bomb modules, according to the Ukrainian military.

5:33 PM

Russia captures 2 villages near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border, monitoring group says.

Russian troops have been escalating their assaults in the area and are attempting to breach into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which has not seen significant Russian incursions since 2022.

4:44 PM

Ukraine's army chief warns of new Russian offensives in northeast as he visits Kharkiv Oblast front.

Russian troops are ramping up attacks in the sector using large numbers of troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

9:11 PM

(Updated: July 5, 2025 2:46 pm)

'Nothing but terror and murder' — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 2 dead, 26 injured.

Fires broke out across the city as Russia attacked the capital overnight on July 4. At least 23 people have been injured, with 14 of the victims hospitalized.

2:27 PM

EU to help Moldova fight hybrid attacks from 'agents of autocracy,' von der Leyen says ahead of September election.

"Who is behind those attacks is clear to all of us here," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

2:08 PM

Drone threat reportedly causes mass flight delays in Russia's Moscow, St Petersburg airports.

Some passengers reported waiting more than 10 hours, according to the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot.

1:03 PM

Russia seeks to involve Laos in war against Ukraine, military intelligence claims.

Moscow is organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations, Ukraine's military intelligence said.

11:49 AM

4 killed, 37 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day.

Russia launched 322 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

7:44 AM

(Updated: July 5, 2025 11:10 am)

News feed

News Feed

Most popular

Editors' Picks

Subscribe