Russia shells 7 communities in Sumy Oblast

The exercises have added significance as they come amid growing warnings from Kyiv that Russia is trying to draw Belarus deeper into its war against Ukraine, while also expanding military infrastructure that could support future Russian operations against Ukraine or NATO's eastern flank.

Russia is grappling with brewing internal pressure due to battlefield failures in Ukraine and domestic economic difficulties, Kaupo Rosin, head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, told the Kyiv Independent.

The statement offers a stark picture of the deteriorating situation north of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian troops say Russian drone superiority has made troop rotations, evacuations, and resupply missions nearly impossible.

"Importantly, this is specifically a Russian internal assessment — one they are trying to conceal both from the world and from their own domestic audience," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The development is significant because glide bombs are a primitive yet highly destructive weapon widely used against front-line areas. Russia has continuously modified the bombs to increase their range and destructive power, turning them into one of the biggest threats to both Ukrainian troop positions and civilians near the front line.

The bail funds were reportedly scraped from multiple sources, including contributions from Serhii Rebrov, the former Ukraine national football team coach.

Ukraine's Navy said the bulk carrier KSL DEYANG, designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargoes such as grains or coal, was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and is owned by a Chinese company, with a crew of Chinese nationals on board.

"We expect our American colleagues to continue their peacemaking efforts," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia launched 524 drones and 22 missiles, including 14 ballistic ones, Ukraine's Air Force said. Of them, 503 drones and 4 missiles were shot down. Direct hits by 18 missiles and 16 drones were recorded at 34 locations.

The number includes 1,220 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on Ukraine's central and southern regions overnight on May 18, injuring at least 20 people, including two children, officials reported.

The alleged figures, which the Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify, follow Kyiv's largest attack on Moscow in over a year on May 17 in which Kyiv reportedly launched 1,054 Ukrainian drones at Russia, as well as eight guided aerial bombs, and two newly developed Ukrainian missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the Ukrainian military's efforts in delivering "significant" long-range strikes on Moscow overnight on May 16-17, describing them as part of a broader shift in momentum in Kyiv’s favor.