2:36 PM

Court arrests ex-first deputy secretary of Ukraine's security council in absentia.

The High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Oleh Hladkovsky in absentia on May 13, Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reported. Hladkovsky was the first deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council during Petro Poroshenko's presidency.

2:00 PM

Media: Zelensky to visit Spain to sign bilateral security agreement with Sanchez.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning a trip to Spain in the coming days to sign a bilateral security agreement, the El Pais newspaper reported on May 13, citing unnamed sources in the country's government.

1:28 PM

Military: Ukraine downs Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter.

Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter on May 13, the 47th Mechanized Brigade reported.

1:28 PM

Construction of fortifications around Vovchansk was 'difficult,' official says.

The construction of fortifications around the border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast was "difficult" due to constant Russian shelling, Tamaz Gambarashvili, the head of Vovchansk City Military Administration, told Radio Svoboda on May 13.

1:03 PM

SBU drones attack oil depot, substation in 2 Russian regions overnight.

A source in Ukraine's security services told the Kyiv Independent that drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeted an oil depot in Belgorod Oblast and an electrical substation in Lipetsk Oblast in Russia overnight on May 13.

11:21 AM

Parliamentary committee takes 1 minute to assess Georgia's foreign agents law.

Georgian Parliament's Legal Committee took just 67 seconds to assess and vote on the controversial foreign agents' law. At the same time, most opposition MPs could not join the session, Georgian news outlet Civil Georgia reported on May 13.

10:45 AM

Military intelligence identifies Russian soldiers behind cruise missile strikes.

Ukraine has identified Russian Air Force personnel responsible for carrying out cruise missile strikes on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced on May 13.

10:31 AM

Russian governor claims fire at substation in Lipetsk Oblast after overnight drone attack.

Russia claimed to have shot down a total of 31 drones, including four over Lipetsk Oblast. Another 12 drones were destroyed over Belgorod Oblast, eight over Kursk Oblast, and seven over occupied Crimea, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

9:34 AM

Over 5,000 civilians evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast.

5,762 civilians in Kharkiv Oblast have been evacuated from their homes amid heavy fighting in the region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 13.

9:01 AM

Protests continue overnight in Tbilisi ahead of final vote on foreign agents bill.

Thousands of protesters remained on the streets of Tbilisi overnight on May 12 ahead of the final reading of the controversial "foreign agents law" in Georgia's parliament on May 14.

8:37 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 484,030 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,740 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

6:20 AM

Lithuanian presidential election to go to runoff, incumbent president ahead.

Lithuania's presidential election is set to go to a runoff later this month as no candidate gained a majority of the votes on May 12, in a race that has heavily focused on the country's role as a NATO neighbor of Russia.

3:58 AM

1 killed, 2 injured in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces attacked nine communities in Sumy Oblast on May 12, killing one person and injuring two others, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

3:22 AM

South Korean intelligence: North Korea suspected of supplying Russia with weapons made in 1970s.

South Korea's intelligence service is conducting a review into suspicions that North Korea has provided Russia with artillery shells and other weaponry made in the 1970s, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on May 12.

2:21 AM

General Staff: Battle for Vovchansk ongoing, Russia achieving 'tactical success.'

Fighting is ongoing for Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, as Ukrainian troops are attempting to fend off Russia's attempt to capture the city, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on May 13.

12:48 AM

War

Ukraine war latest: Putin proposes firing Shoigu, appoints new defense minister.

12:40 AM

Blinken: No doubt there has been ‘cost in months-long delay’ of aid for Ukraine.

Without a doubt, there has been a cost in the "months-long delay in getting the supplementary budget request approved and the equipment sent out to Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 12.

11:25 PM

Update: Death toll in Belgorod apartment building collapse rises to 15.

According to the Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, a part of a 10-story apartment building collapsed there earlier in the day.

10:04 PM

Field report

Civilians flee Vovchansk under Russian bombardment as ground offensive on Kharkiv begins

Vovchansk is ground zero of Russia’s new offensive into Kharkiv Oblast, the first time a serious push has been made to take territory across the border since the area was liberated from Russian occupation in 2022.

9:42 PM

Putin proposes firing Shoigu, appointing new defense minister.

Belousov was Russia's economy minister in 2012-2013, an aide to Putin in 2013-2020, and first deputy prime minister in 2020-2024.

9:11 PM

Kharkiv Oblast

Zelensky: Situation in Kharkiv Oblast is 'difficult' as Russian troops advance.

His statement comes as Russia launched a new offensive operation targeting Kharkiv Oblast on May 10.

7:21 PM

Russia to increase taxes on struggling energy giant Gazprom this year.

Gazprom’s revenue fell by 30% last year with a net loss of $6.9 billion, the largest in 25 years. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to worsening relations with Europe, limiting the operations of the company.

5:49 PM

Video

Kharkiv Oblast town faces annihilation as Russia opens new front.

The Kyiv Independent joined local police on their mission to evacuate civilians from Vovchansk on May 11 — the operation that was constantly interrupted by Russian launches of aerial gliding bombs.

5:42 PM

Evacuations ongoing as Russian strikes increase in Kharkiv Oblast.

Around 500 people remain in the city of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border. Earlier in the day, two casualties were reported in Vovchansk and the nearby village Liptsy.

4:57 PM

Explosions rock Sumy, Kharkiv.

A Kyiv Independent correspondent heard explosions in Kharkiv at around 4:15 p.m. An hour before, the Air Force reported a missile attack on Sumy, located next to Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine.