Russia's many attempts to erase Ukrainian language, culture

6:38 AM

'He was kidnapped' — Georgian opposition leader detained as ruling party continues crackdown on dissent.

Leader of the Georgian opposition party "Coalition for Change," Nika Melia, was detained on May 29, NewsGeorgia reported, citing Melia's associates.

4:51 AM  (Updated:  May 30, 2025 5:24 am)

9 injured in Kharkiv amid Russian drone attack.

Nine were injured in Kharkiv overnight on May 30, amid a Russian drone attack on the city.

3:56 PM  (Updated:  May 30, 2025 4:16 am)

'We only work for Serbia' — Vucic denies Moscow's claims of Serbian companies supplying ammunition to Ukraine.

"We have formed a working group, together with Russian partners, to establish the facts... we work only for Serbia," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

2:30 AM

Russians complain border regions uninhabitable as Kremlin pushes for buffer zone, Ukraine's military intelligence says.

"Well, in short, it's clear that they're going to kick everyone out of the border areas and create a gray zone," a Belgorod Oblast resident says in a call intercepted by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).

12:35 AM

Trump hopes next Russia-Ukraine talks will 'move ball forward,' White House says as Moscow further delays peace memo.

Trump previously said it would take him "about two weeks" to know whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about a peace deal.

11:21 PM

Russia received at least 100 ballistic missiles from North Korea last year, monitors find.

Illegal arms transfers "contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure," according to a report from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team.

10:50 PM

The Kyiv Independent wins Ukrainian journalism award for exposing Russian soldiers’ sexual violence.

The Kyiv Independent's investigative documentary, "He Came Back," which exposes sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, has won the 2025 Ukrainian journalism award, "Honor of the Profession."

10:16 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia reports 2nd consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow

9:27 PM

No sign Russia is preparing to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Reuters reports.

"Our teams continue to confirm there is no indication at the moment that there will be any active preparations for a restart of the plant now," an IAEA official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

8:56 PM

China сuts drone sales to Ukraine, West but continues supplying Russia, Bloomberg reports.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said China has stopped selling drones to Ukraine and Western countries while continuing to supply them to Russia, Bloomberg reported on May 29.

8:16 PM  (Updated:  May 29, 2025 8:47 pm)

'No one has seen it yet' — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks.

"The so-called memorandum they promised and claimed to be preparing for more than a week — no one has seen it," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

7:56 PM

Religion

Detention, pressure, threats — US pastor in Ukraine tells the Kyiv Independent about his encounter with Russians

7:44 PM

Culture

When art meets blockchain: Ukraine’s new frontier in wartime cultural preservation

7:30 PM

Ukrainian commander faces trial for failing to stop torture within his unit.

The investigators determined that from February to July 2024, Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, commander of the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade, was aware of repeated instances of torture and cruel treatment carried out by a subordinate officer but failed to take any action.

3:08 PM  (Updated:  May 29, 2025 6:56 pm)

US filmmaker injured by fallen balcony in Kyiv.

"While missiles and drones are flying, we are being injured by balconies due to someone's irresponsibility!" Christopher Walters, the injured U.S. filmmaker, said on social media.

6:35 PM

Ukraine’s AI-powered ‘mother drone’ sees first combat use, minister says.

The drone system, developed by Ukraine's defense tech cluster Brave1, can deliver two AI-guided FPV (first-person view) strike drones up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) behind enemy lines, according to Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

6:03 PM

documentary

'No God But Theirs' | Investigation into systemic terror against Ukrainian Christian churches under Russian occupation

5:43 PM

Europe

Infighting and national jockeying undermine Europe’s grand ambitions for rearming

5:26 PM

Russia's budget deficit triples amid sanctions and low oil prices, Ukrainian official says.

Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk said international sanctions remain a key driver behind the decline in Russia's energy revenues.

5:15 PM

Opinion

Russia's persecution of Ukrainian clergy is part of an organized genocidal campaign

4:58 PM

Portnov reportedly met controversial Zelensky staffer, Ukraine's investigations chief before being killed in Madrid.

Former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov met in Ukraine with Oleh Tatarov, deputy head of the Presidential Office, and Oleksii Sukhachov, director of the State Bureau of Investigation, days before he was killed in Madrid, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 29, citing undisclosed sources.

4:47 PM

Interview

Europe's 'Trump shock' is opportunity to forge 'new West,' Timothy Garton Ash says

5:18 PM  (Updated:  May 29, 2025 2:39 pm)

Germany pledges 5 billion euros in new aid to Ukraine, no Taurus missiles announced.

The agreement includes direct German investments in Ukraine's defense industry and a broader treaty between Kyiv and German arms manufacturers.

2:15 PM

Ukrainian abducted in Russian-occupied Crimea; Ukraine's ombudsman appeals to Moscow.

A Ukrainian citizen disappeared in Russian-occupied Crimea earlier in May after being detained by people who presented themselves as Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on May 29.

2:00 PM

Ukraine to boycott World Judo Championships over Belarus's participation under national flag.

"We firmly believe that allowing athletes from aggressor countries to compete under national symbols is not only a case of political blindness but also a blatant disregard for the victims of war and international law," the Ukrainian Judo Federation said.