Ukrainian forces destroy 78 pieces of Russian military heavy equipment, aircraft.

9:04 AM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 2:21 pm)

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike US-sanctioned factory in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian drones attacked the Energy (Energia) plant in Yelets, Russian Telegram-channel Astra reported, citing locals. Videos on social media purported to show blasts and fires following the strikes.

11:36 AM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 2:20 pm)

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 20 over past day.

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured 20 others over the past day, regional authorities said on May 23.

2:08 PM

Finland ‘closely monitoring’ borders amid reports of Russian military preparations.

The comments come after reports that Finland expects a Russian military build-up on its borders after the war in Ukraine ends.

1:50 PM

Ukraine denies Trump's claim that POW swap with Russia 'completed'.

The planned exchange, involving 1,000 detainees from each side, follows an agreement reached between Ukrainian and Russian delegations during talks in Istanbul on May 16, 2025.

1:02 PM

Top executive at sanctioned Russian defense company reportedly injured in hammer attack.

The Kurganpribor, which produces a range of equipment for Russia’s defense industry, including components for rocket systems, missiles, and bombs, is under U.S. and EU sanctions in response to Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine. It is described as one of the leading enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.

11:07 AM

Ukraine can only wage a 'high-tech war of survival' against Russia, Zaluzhnyi says.

"I hope there is no one left in this hall still waiting for a miracle — for some white swan to bring peace to Ukraine, restore the borders of 1991 or 2022, and after that there will be great happiness in Ukraine," said Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K.

11:04 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 10:13 am)

Putin claims Russia preparing 'security buffer zone' along Ukrainian border.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Putin's words are further proof that Russia "is an obstacle to peace efforts."

8:15 PM  (Updated:  May 23, 2025 9:56 am)

Drones

Ukraine's new drone strategy — cripple Moscow's airports, make Russian population 'pay'

8:08 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 978,700 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,050 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

5:57 AM

G7 leaders pledge to freeze Russian assets until war ends, support Ukraine's recovery.

The G7 issued a joint statement on May 22, pledging to keep Russian assets frozen until the end of the war and to support Ukraine's recovery. "We reaffirm that... Russia’s sovereign assets... will remain immobilized until Russia ends its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine," the statement read.

4:02 AM

Russia shuts down Moscow airports amid 3rd night of Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russian authorities have been forced to shut down airports in Moscow amid a barrage of Ukrainian drone strikes overnight, Russian officials and state media reported on May 23. Operations have been suspended at Moscow's Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports.

1:29 AM

Russia cuts key projects in aviation, tech, auto industries as oil revenues plummet.

The Russian government is slashing budgets for major projects across a number of sectors amid an economic downturn and oil price collapse, the pro-Kremlin news outlet Kommersant reported.

12:27 AM

Stripping Hungary's EU voting rights on agenda for May 27 meeting.

The Council of the European Union will hold a hearing regarding the potential loss of Hungary's voting rights at a meeting on May 27, marking the eighth hearing regarding Budapest's alleged violations of founding EU principles.

10:39 PM

Editorial

Editorial: Russia just said it doesn’t want peace. This is what you need to do

10:16 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Mass Ukrainian drone strike targets Moscow, Russia claims, multiple airports closed

9:31 PM

Ukrainian drones target Russia in large-scale attack, Moscow claims 159 drones shot down in under a day.

For at least two days in a row, Ukraine has launched massive waves of drones deep into Russian territory. Between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 22, Russia claims to have shot down 485 drones on its territory.

8:30 PM

Kyiv proposes EU partners help directly fund Ukrainian military under new model.

Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said Kyiv is proposing a new model: EU partners would help fund the Ukrainian military, and in return, Ukraine would be further integrated into the continent's defense system.

11:40 PM  (Updated:  May 22, 2025 8:23 pm)

KI Insights

Fallout from the Trump-Zelensky meeting. What's next for Ukraine? – spot briefing by KI Insights

8:13 PM

KI Insights

Ukraine's Frontline Pressure and Risks of Russia's Summer Offensive

6:34 PM

9 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, President's Office says.

Among the rescued children is a girl whose life was in danger due to the lack of adequate medical care in the occupied territories, and a boy who, along with his mother, was locked in a basement by Russian forces while his father was tortured in a nearby room, Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said.

5:41 PM

Ukrainian defense firms urge Zelensky to lift drone export restrictions in open letter.

The open letter, signed by leading representatives of Ukraine's defense-industrial sector, highlights the strategic potential of the country's homegrown military technologies, from drones to electronic warfare systems, and calls for decisive political action to authorize the controlled export of surplus weaponry to allied nations.

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.