Antonov

6:19 PM

Largest-ever Ukrainian-Russian prisoner swap comes under fire for lacking Azov fighters, civilians.

As Kyiv completed its largest prisoner exchange of the war on May 25, exchanging 1,000 Ukrainian POWs for 1,000 Russians, some spoke out on social media to criticize authorities for failing to return certain captives.

6:09 PM

Russians 'mock' US and peace process with latest attacks on Ukraine, EU ambassador says.

"How will the world react to Putin’s terror and clear provocation? To his mockery of any ceasefire discussion? I must admit, I ask that myself," Mathernova wrote. "Putin is clearly after his stated goal, killing Ukrainians and forcing Ukraine into submission. Sadly, the only language he understands is the language of force."

5:16 PM

Russia 'categorically' rejected unconditional ceasefire in peace talks, Ukrainian official says.

"I do not think that (the Russian negotiating team's) directives had a position that allowed for the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Ukrainian side on a ceasefire," Kyslytsia said.

5:03 PM

Video

Russia advancing and ex-official assassination | Ukraine This Week.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur shares key takeaways from Monday’s phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Wednesday’s assassination of a controversial Ukrainian ex-official. Also, Russia is advancing in Sumy Oblast.

3:52 PM

Two women killed in Russian strike on residential building in Kupiansk.

"At this moment, two people are known to have died - women aged 85 and 56," Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram.

5:07 PM  (Updated:  May 25, 2025 2:41 pm)

Russia upgrades Iskander ballistic missiles, more difficult for Ukraine's Patriots to intercept, Air Force says.

"It complicates (the interception), but doesn’t make the interception impossible," Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. "I think our partners are already working to improve the system's capabilities."

2:19 PM

US silence 'encourages Putin', Zelensky says after massive Russian attack.

"Without really strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will definitely help," Zelensky wrote in a post on Telegram on May 25.

1:05 PM

Ukraine brings home 303 POWs in final phase of biggest prisoner swap with Russia.

The prisoner exchange took place in three phases carried out over three days, and was agreed on during peace talks held in Turkey on May 16, the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in three years.

12:12 PM

Russia claims it downed 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The drones were intercepted over several regions of Russia, including Moscow and Kursk oblasts, according to the ministry.

10:39 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 980,850 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

Russia has lost around 980,850 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on May 25.

1:05 AM  (Updated:  May 25, 2025 7:26 am)

Russian missile, drone attack kills 12, injures over 60.

Multiple waves of explosions rocked cities across Ukraine as Russia launched another massive drone and missile attack overnight. At least 11 people in Kyiv have been injured.

6:00 AM

Russian attack in Kyiv Oblast kills 3, injures 10, including children.

The bodies of two victims were found when first responders extinguished a fire in the Obukhiv district. Another person was killed in the Bucha district, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.

1:39 AM  (Updated:  May 25, 2025 5:31 am)

Ukrainian drones shot down near Moscow as Russia attacks Kyiv, official claims.

Six drones were shot down as they flew towards Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on May 25. His report came as Russia attacked Kyiv for the second consecutive night.

5:22 AM

Russia losing battlefield edge in war against Ukraine, WP reports.

Moscow faces critical shortages of weapons and manpower, making the time ripe for escalated pressure, Western officials told The Washington Post (WP).

3:52 AM

Russian air base in Tver Oblast attacked by drones, media reports.

The Migalovo military airfield is located on the outskirts of Tver, over 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

11:31 PM

US rolls back Assad-era sanctions on Syria.

The United States granted immediate sanctions relief to Syria after President Donald Trump called for a complete end to sanctions on the country. The sanctions relief was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department on May 23.

9:34 PM

Russia will reveal peace terms to Ukraine after prisoner exchange, Lavrov says.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on May 23 that Moscow will convey its peace terms to Kyiv immediately after the completion of the ongoing prisoner exchange between the two countries.

8:31 PM

Culture

Vernacular Hardcore: Ukraine’s artists reimagine home and heritage at Venice Biennale

8:06 PM

'Putin remains confident in Russia’s ultimate victory in Ukraine,' US intelligence reports.

According to a recent report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains "committed to victory in Ukraine, and his objectives remain mostly unchanged since the beginning of the war: Ukrainian neutrality and a further partition of the Ukrainian state."

12:53 AM  (Updated:  May 24, 2025 6:19 pm)

'It's terrorism' — Russia launches one of the heaviest strikes on Kyiv during full-scale war.

Multiple people were injured as multiple waves of explosions rocked Kyiv overnight on May 24 during a massive Russian drone and missile attack.

6:03 PM

Poland's presidential debate: Trzaskowski slams Nawrocki over 'Putin's language' on Ukraine's NATO bid.

Karol Nawrocki, backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky "treats Poland badly" and defended his criticism of Ukraine's NATO bid by insisting, "I speak the language of Poles."

5:27 PM

Video

Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia.

On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange.

3:35 PM

Ukraine hands over 70 collaborators to Russia in May 23 prisoner swap.

The identities of 31 of them have been revealed on the project's website. These included Oleksandr Tarnashinskyi, a former associate of pro-Kremlin oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, or ex-Security Service of Ukraine officer Vitalii Vasiliev.

3:18 PM

Lavrov dismisses Vatican as possible venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he believed "it would not be very comfortable for the Vatican itself to host delegations from two Orthodox countries in these circumstances."

1:49 PM  (Updated:  May 24, 2025 2:29 pm)

Ukraine brings home 307 POWs in 2nd phase of major prisoner swap with Russia.

Ukraine has secured the release of 307 Ukrainians from Russian captivity in the second phase of its largest prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 24.