Help us find 5,000 new members. Bring one friend.

Share your personal link and make us stronger in 2027.

News Feed

Russian attacks kill 3, injure 15 in Ukraine over past day

• 2 min read
Russian attacks kill 3, injure 15 in Ukraine over past day
The aftermath of a Russian drone attack against Odesa Oblast, Ukraine, overnight on May 16, 2025. (Governor Oleh Kiper/Telegram)

Editor's note: The story was updated with a statement by the Air Force.

Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least three civilians and injured 15 over the past day, regional authorities reported on May 16.

The attacks took place as Russian and Ukrainian delegates are set to meet in Istanbul in what would be the first direct negotiations between the two parties since 2022.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 73 of the 112 attack and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty-six decoy drones disappeared from radars without causing damage, according to the statement.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person in Oleksandro-Kalynove and injured six elsewhere in the region, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked four settlements over the past day, injuring an 88-year-old woman in the village of Malyi Burluk, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Later in the morning, Syniehubov reported that a 55-year-old woman was killed and four men were injured during a drone attack on Kupiansk at around 8 a.m.

One civilian was killed and another injured during Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin. Three high-rise buildings and seven houses were damaged.

A drone attack against Odesa and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Odesa Oblast injured three people, one of whom is in a critical condition, Governor Oleh Kiper reported. Multiple fires broke out but were promptly extinguished, and residential buildings and cars were damaged, Kiper said.

Russian drones attacked Kyiv overnight, with explosions and air defense fire reported by city officials. Fallen debris damaged a boiler room, windows, and cars in the Sviatoshynskyi district, but no casualties were reported as of the time of publication.

Ukraine and its partners have repeatedly urged Moscow to adopt an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as the first step toward peace, a move that Russia continues to reject.

Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Assistant Editor

Martin Fornusek is an assistant editor at the Kyiv Independent. Until recently, Martin held the role of foreign affairs reporter specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, focusing on developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

"We see some openings and some opportunities," Jared Kushner told the press, adding that the U.S. envoys would then travel to Dublin to debrief President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be attending an informal meeting of EU leaders scheduled for Nov. 13.

"There should be fewer enemy drones over Ukrainian cities. That's why we are not only intercepting drones that have already been launched, but also destroying the infrastructure from which they are launched," the 412th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces wrote.

Show More