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9:38 PM

First Russian soldier standing trial for war crime in Ukraine asks for forgiveness, faces life imprisonment.

Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is the first Russian soldier tried for a war crime in Ukraine since Russia began its all-out war on Feb. 24. He faces a life sentence for violating the laws of war by killing a civilian during the Russian troops’ retreat from Ukraine. On Feb. 28, Shishimarin

9:27 PM

Azovstal defenders: Soldiers remain at Azovstal plant.

"The operation is underway," Sviatoslav Palamar, a deputy commander of the Azov regiment, said on May 19, without providing further details.

8:45 PM

Reuters: G7 countries agree to allocate $184 billion to Ukraine.

The sum includes $9.2 billion from the U.S., according to the draft document quoted by Reuters.

8:38 PM

The Senate approves $40 billion in aid to Ukraine, send it to Biden.

The Senate on May 19 gave final approval to a $40 billion emergency military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine.

8:03 PM

Finance minister: Ukraine needs $5 billion per month to finance social and humanitarian aid.

Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said on May 19 to G7 finance ministers that frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild Ukraine. "Ukraine needs more active funding from our international partners," Marchenko said.

7:28 PM

Germany to allocate 1 billion euros to support Ukraine's budget.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced the new assistance package on May 19 during a G7 finance minister meeting. According to Lindner, the U.S. wants to mobilize $7.5 billion to help Ukraine’s short-term budget.

7:20 PM

12 killed, over 40 injured in Russia’s shelling of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast.

Russian troops have been “chaotically” shelling Sievierodonetsk with heavy weapons, mostly targeting residential buildings, according to Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai.

7:08 PM

Daughter mourns loved ones killed in Kyiv Oblast: ‘Humans can’t do what they did to my family’.

On March 23, Kyiv resident Olena Sukhenko got the most terrifying phone call of her life. “Russians came to our house,” her younger brother told her. “They took our mother. Our father went with her.” She felt the ground slipping out from beneath her feet. Olena asked her brother to

7:06 PM

Stoltenberg: Russia’s offensive in Donbas stalled, but ‘war may continue for a long time’.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on May 19 that NATO doesn’t believe that Russia has given up on its strategic goals and that NATO has to be prepared to support Ukraine “for a long time.”

6:34 PM

50,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s war have arrived in UK.

According to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, they are doing “everything possible” to help Ukrainians “build lives here.” According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a total of over 6 million people left Ukraine since Feb. 24, with nearly 3.5 million have been registered in Poland, followed by nearly 1 million people settling in Romania.

6:10 PM

Ukrainian forces liberated 23 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast within 2 weeks.

Russian troops continue to shell Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts “to divert our forces from the main directions,” says Ukrainian General Oleksiy Hromov.

5:51 PM

Russians block civilians from leaving occupied areas in southern Ukraine.

Russians have held over 1,000 cars with people at their checkpoint in Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, not allowing them to either enter Ukrainian-controlled territories or return to the occupied ones, deputy head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Administration Zlata Nekrasova reported on May 19. According to her, there are women with children in the cars.

5:40 PM

Russian occupiers try to conscript Ukrainian men in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast.

Russian occupiers have been forcing male residents of the temporarily occupied town of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast to either go to Russia or join the Russian army, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov said during an interview with Focus media. “We have no information that anyone has agreed to join the Russian Armed Forces,” Synehubov said as quoted by Focus.

4:59 PM

37 people evacuated from Sievierodonetsk amid heavy shelling.

Five of those evacuated were children, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai reported on May 19. According to him, the evacuation was “beyond difficult” due to Russia’s non-stop heavy shelling of Sievierodonetsk.

4:22 PM

European Parliament approves suspending import duties on Ukrainian exports to EU for 1 year.

To “support Ukraine’s economy,” the measures will remove import duties on Ukrainian industrial products, along with entry duties on fruit and vegetables, anti-dumping duties, and safeguard measures on steel imports for one year.

3:48 PM

Bloomberg: In first quarter, Russia’s economic growth ‘slowed down more than expected’.

According to Bloomberg, Russia's GDP growth fell to 3.5%, despite average forecasts of 3.7%, as the “initial impact of sanctions imposed following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began to show up.”

3:23 PM

Australia to provide Ukraine with more armored vehicles.

The Australian government is sending Ukraine 14 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers and 20 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, Australian Defence Magazine reports. The country will also provide Ukraine with 60 pallets of medical supplies, “donated by Australian citizens,” as well as three pallets of radiation monitoring equipment, and some personal protective equipment.

2:57 PM

Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing civilian asks for ‘forgiveness’.

Vadim Shishimarin, 21, the first Russian soldier standing trial in Ukraine for war crimes, has asked the wife of a killed Ukrainian civilian for “forgiveness." He has given a detailed account of how he shot the 62-year-old man in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast during Russian troops' retreat from there. Shishimarin is facing a life sentence for violating the laws of war.

2:48 PM

Ukrainian minister slams ‘some EU capitals’ for second-class treatment of Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that “strategic ambiguity” on Ukraine’s European perspective has failed, emboldened Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and must end. “We do not need surrogates for EU candidate status that show second-class treatment of Ukraine and hurt the feelings of Ukrainians,” he wrote on Twitter. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said earlier that there was “no shortcut on the path into the EU”, while French President Emmanuel Macron had said that “Ukraine joining the EU is not a matter of a few months or a few years.”

2:34 PM

Governor: Russian airstrike hits Bakhmut.

Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian shells hit several buildings on May 19, and rescuers pulled 6 people out of the rubble. They are in a stable condition. On May 18, rescuers also found the bodies of a woman and a 2-year-old child under the rubble of a destroyed house in the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

1:51 PM

UK Intelligence: Russia fired top commanders for poor performance in Ukraine.

According to the latest intelligence update by the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russia has fired Sergei Kisel, the commander of the elite 1st Guards Tank Army, for failing to capture Kharkiv. Vice-Admiral Igor Osipov, who commanded Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has also likely been suspended following the sinking of the flagship Moskva, the ministry added. "This will likely place further strain on Russia's centralized command and control model," the report reads.

1:38 PM

Chill Ukrainian cat Stepan wins World Influencers and Bloggers Award.

The famous cat from Kharkiv won the award considered the most prestigious in the industry. The ceremony was held in Cannes, France, on May 18, and money raised during the event will be spent on helping Ukraine.

1:21 PM

WSJ: Google pulls most employees out of Russia.

The company aims to end its commercial presence in Russia in the near future, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Most of the Russian staff opted to relocate and continue working for Google outside Russia, and soon the company will have no more employees in the country, the newspaper said.

1:09 PM

Russia claims 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers from Azovstal taken prisoner since May 16.

This figure includes 80 wounded soldiers, Russia's Defense Ministry said at a news briefing. The ministry also said that, out of the total number, 771 soldiers from Azovstal had surrendered in the last 24 hours. The ministry promised medical treatment in hospitals in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Novoazovsk for those in need of it. The Kremlin-led proxies said on May 18 that the commanders hadn’t left the Azovstal steel plant in Russain-occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. Russia's recent statements have not yet been confirmed by Ukraine.

12:49 PM

Politico: Ukraine seeks long-range rocket launchers, Biden resists.

Ukrainian officials have pleaded with the U.S. for months to send multiple rocket launchers, but the White House is worried about expanding and prolonging the war as the weapon can be used to launch strikes inside Russia, Politico reported, citing three anonymous sources. Ukrainian officials “are growing frustrated with the Biden administration’s resistance to providing U.S.-made long-range rocket systems,” Politico added, as the weapon is critical to outgun Russia in the Donbas.

11:57 AM

Governor claims one person killed by Ukrainian strikes in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Kursk Oblast Governor Roman Starovoit claimed one civilian was killed and several people were wounded due to Ukrainian strikes. According to him, the strikes hit an ethanol factory in the village of Tyotkino, which is located 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Previously Ukraine had neither confirmed nor denied shelling Russian border regions.

11:12 AM

Ombudsman: Russia’s war killed at least 231 children, injured at least 427.

According to Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova, the figures are expected to be higher since they do not include casualties in the areas where hostilities are ongoing and in the Russian-occupied areas.

10:25 AM

General Staff: 28,500 Russian troops killed since Feb 24.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on May 19 that Russia had also lost 1,254 tanks, 3,063 armored fighting vehicles, 595 artillery pieces, 199 multiple launch rocket systems, 93 surface-to-air missiles, 167 helicopters, 203 airplanes, and 13 boats.

10:03 AM

US Senate to vote on $40 billion Ukraine aid on May 19.

The vote will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST, according to the U.S. Senate Periodical Press Gallery. The package includes military, economic, and humanitarian aid. The House of Representatives, the lower house of the U.S. Congress, earlier voted in favor of the package. If approved by the Senate, the bill is expected to be signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden.

9:07 AM

4 civilians killed, 3 injured by Russia's shelling of Sievierodonetsk.

Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Gaidai reported that the city has been shelled all morning. At least eight buildings are destroyed. According to the governor, at least 288 civilians have been killed in Luhansk Oblast since Feb. 24.

8:20 AM

Austrian company to help rebuild Trostianets in Sumy Oblast.

Trostianets Mayor Yuriy Bova reported on May 18 that the Austrian company iC Consulenten ZT GmbH will help rebuild the city after the Russian invasion. According to the mayor, the company has offered to do it for free. Located 30 kilometers from the Russian border, the city was liberated by Ukrainian troops on March 26.

7:37 AM

Zelensky: Russia’s alleged ‘laser’ weapons indicate ‘complete failure of the invasion’.

Russia said on May 18 that it has deployed a new generation of lasers in Ukraine which can burn up drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky mockingly compared Russia’s claims to the “wonder weapons” Nazi Germany presented in an attempt to avoid losing World War II.

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6:25 AM

Kellogg, Umerov set to meet, discuss resumption of US military aid to Ukraine, Politico reports.

Following the talks between U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Rome, Politico reported that more meetings are set to take place in Kyiv over the next two weeks.

4:15 AM

'They have to be able to defend themselves' — Trump says US will send additional weapons shipments to Ukraine, criticizes Putin.

"They're getting hit very hard. We're gonna have to send more weapons, your defensive weapons primarily," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

2:53 AM

Russia jails former top general for 17 years in massive military graft case.

Colonel General Khalil Arslanov, a former head of the Russian military's communications unit, served as deputy chief of the army's General Staff from 2013 until his removal in 2020.

12:47 AM

Russia fails to meet OPEC+ oil production target in June, Bloomberg reports.

Historically, Russia, which co-leads the OPEC+ alliance with Saudi Arabia, has faced criticism for poor compliance with production quotas.

6:44 PM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 12:20 am)

Russia strikes conscription offices in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, injuring dozens, Ukraine says.

Two districts of Kharkiv came under attack that same day, in which one woman was killed and over 80 people, including eight children, were reported injured or suffered shock in Kharkiv, according to the local prosecutor's office.

10:32 PM

UK sanctions Russian officials and lab over chemical weapons use in Ukraine.

According to the updated sanctions list published on the U.K. government's official website, the new measures target Russia's Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, as well as Lieutenant General Alexei Rtishchev, head of Russia's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, and his deputy, Andrei Marchenko.

10:27 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russian airports cancel nearly 300 flights amid drone attacks on Russia

8:59 PM

EBRD to unlock $1 billion in credit for Ukraine's key sectors, considers mineral projects.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will enable Ukrainian banks to provide up to 900 million euros ($1.05 billion) in new loans by sharing credit risks.

8:23 PM

Russian weapons contain growing number of Chinese components, Zelensky's adviser says.

Russia’s growing ability to sustain weapons production despite Western sanctions is being driven by a flow of Chinese components and materials, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, told journalists on July 7.

7:45 PM

Minerals

Exclusive: Ukraine pitches deepwater gas, oil refinery projects to US under landmark minerals deal

7:43 PM

Opinion

War has changed: Ukraine’s tech pioneers are leading the fight West can’t afford to ignore

6:00 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 7:29 pm)

Russian-Chinese relations

Russia striking NATO while China invades Taiwan 'plausible' scenario, experts say

6:54 PM

Interview

‘Neither side wasted time' — Ukraine's economy minister on minerals deal negotiations with Trump’s ‘business-oriented’ administration

5:49 PM

5 suspects charged over deadly explosion in Ukraine's Zhytomyr Oblast.

According to prosecutors, one of the company directors had established illegal production of explosive materials and involved unqualified personnel without the necessary training or certification.

12:17 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 5:42 pm)

Ukraine confirms drone strike on Russian chemical plant near Moscow.

The Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant is one of the city's biggest employers and an important part of Russia's defense-industrial complex.

5:23 PM

Russian airlines face $254 million losses from just 2 days of Ukrainian drone strikes, Kremlin media reports.

Since the start of mass disruptions on July 5, a total of 485 flights were canceled, 88 were diverted to alternate airports, and another 1,900 were delayed across major hubs, according to Russia's aviation agency Rosaviatsiya.

5:12 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine economy minister breaks down US minerals deal.

The Kyiv Independent's business editor Liliane Bivings sits down with Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to discuss the U.S.-Ukraine "minerals deal" and address the myths surrounding it.

4:10 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 4:45 pm)

Russian transport minister fired by Putin reportedly shoots himself dead.

According to Russian media, ex-Transport Minister Roman Starovoit's body was found near Moscow. Preliminary findings suggest that the suicide may be linked to a possible criminal case.

3:01 PM

Ukrainian drone strike hits major oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, HUR source claims.

Located roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing over 6 million tons of fuel annually.

2:38 PM

HUR publishes Russian military order, claims proof of Moscow increasing military footprint in Armenia.

HUR first made the claim on July 5, saying Russia was increasing its forces at the Gyumri base to exert greater influence in the South Caucasus and "destabilize the global security situation."

2:19 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 1:43 pm)

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