Kyiv

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.

1:36 AM

'We don't want this anymore' — Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine, Lavrov says.

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

12:42 AM

Judiciary

Hated, tainted, and covertly pro-Russian, who was Andriy Portnov, a top Ukrainian ex-official killed in Spain

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.

9:15 PM

Kursk incursion

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

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."

8:25 PM

Ukraine dismisses Russian claims of full control over Kursk Oblast, says fighting ongoing.

"The statements by representatives of (Russia) about the alleged end of combat operations in Kursk Oblast do not reflect the actual situation," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.

7:42 PM

Ukrainian weapons

What happens to all the guns in Ukraine post-war?

7:22 PM

NATO summit in The Hague to focus on long-term support, lasting peace for Ukraine, Rutte says.

"We must ensure that Ukraine, while the fight continues, receives all possible collective support to be in the best possible position to continue," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

6:10 PM  (Updated:  May 21, 2025 6:57 pm)

Russia intercepts drone attack on Moscow, prompting flight disruptions and emergency response.

As of 5 p.m. local time, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed seven drones to be intercepted as they approached the Russian capital.

6:51 PM

Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 26

5:09 PM

Video

Historian Timothy Ash on the 'new West' after 'Trump shock.'

With the fading U.S. global leadership under Donald Trump, Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, and growing populism at home, Europe faces a stark choice: step up or fall into irrelevance. Speaking with the Kyiv Independent on May 16, British historian Timothy Garton Ash paints a picture of a West in transition.

12:36 PM  (Updated:  May 21, 2025 4:50 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.

4:47 PM

Poland intercepts Russian sanctions-evading ship near critical Baltic power cable, Tusk says.

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

3:47 PM

Almost 50,000 draft-age men detained trying to illegally cross border since 2022, Border Guard says.

The number of cases has "significantly increased" since the beginning of martial law, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.

3:36 PM

Dan opposes Romanian peacekeepers in Ukraine but affirms pro-Kyiv course.

"First, to have a big operational support on Romanian territory, yes. To be part of the armies guaranteeing peace in Ukraine, no," Romanian President-elect Nicusor Dan told Politico.

3:11 PM

EU officially agrees on 150-billion-euro defense fund.

"SAFE is an advantageous, low-interest, multi-year loan guaranteed by the EU budget," the Council of the EU said.

2:51 PM

Fire breaks out at thermal power plant in Kyiv Oblast, 2 dead.

Rescuers continue to work at the scene, while the consequences of the accident are still being determined.

1:42 PM

Russia massing troops near Kharkiv Oblast ahead of possible attack, military warns.

"There is an accumulation of personnel closer to the state border, that is, there are attempts to involve the (Russian) personnel, obviously preparing for active assault operations. Our Defense Forces are ready to repel attacks," Andrii Pomahaibus, the chief of staff of Ukraine's 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade.