According to the decree, all adult "citizens" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia who held that status as of Aug. 26, 2008, the day Russia recognized the territories as "independent," are now eligible to apply for Russian citizenship through an expedited process.
Russian forces launched a massive drone assault across Ukraine overnight, using 62 drones including Shahed-type attack UAVs and decoy drones from Russia and occupied Crimea.
"For Russia, the most important and principal matter when signing documents between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations is the identity of the person authorized to sign on behalf of Ukraine," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The depot, located near a key highway between Simferopol and Alushta, reportedly housed military equipment, ammunition, and fuel storage facilities. Local residents reportedly described thick smoke over the military compound.
Russia launched a drone strike on Sumy Oblast in the early morning of May 17, killing nine people and injuring four more. The drone targeted a shuttle bus that was transporting civilians near the city of Bilopillia at 6:17 a.m. local time.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the cyberattacks hit the website of his Civic Platform party, as well as those of its coalition partners, the Left and the Polish People’s Party (PSL).
The number includes 910 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Russia's economy is experiencing a sharp slowdown in growth, according to a report released by the governmental statistics agency Rosstat on May 16. GDP only grew by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2025 – a notable decline from 4.5% growth in the previous quarter and 5.4% in the same period last year.
Key developments on May 16: * Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul end, Moscow demands Kyiv withdraw from 4 regions, no ceasefire agreement * Up to 640,000 Russian troops fighting against Ukraine, Syrskyi says * Ukraine 'lost contact' with F-16 during combat, pilot ejected, Air Force says * Putin appoints general who led Mariupol assault
Editor's note: This opinion first appeared in German in Süddeutsche Zeitung. Russia’s President — a wanted war criminal — Vladimir Putin failed to show up in Istanbul for the “direct talks” with Ukraine that he himself proposed. For the Kremlin to wage an unprovoked war of conquest, reject a ceasefire, and
"In Putin’s eyes, all the leaders of the Western world are weaklings and suckers," Ukrainian infantryman "Mamai," told the Kyiv Independent.
Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Commission is preparing a new sanctions package, which would include sanctions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, additional listings of vessels from Russia's shadow fleet, a lower oil price cap, and sanctions on Russia's financial sector.
Despite an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet face to face in Istanbul, President Vladimir Putin was a no-show in Turkey, sending instead an aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to head the Russian delegation in peace talks. Medinsky headed the last and only other direct talks between the two sides in
The first direct peace talks in years between Kyiv and Moscow ended on May 16 with Russia once again rejecting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In turn, Russia demanded that Ukrainian troops leave four of the country's regions, which Moscow partly controls. Such a demand is a non-starter for Ukraine. Ukrainian
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, who held the role since 2022, accused the Trump administration of prioritizing pressure on Ukraine, the victim of Russia's full-scale invasion, rather than confronting the Kremlin.
"Parties have agreed in principle to come together again," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
The conversation took place shortly after the conclusion of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, which ended with little progress beyond an agreement on prisoner exchange.
"We know the date, but we're not going to say it yet," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.
Some of Russia's demands include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from their own territory as a condition for a ceasefire, an unnamed Ukrainian source told Sky News.
Under Andrey Mordvichev’s command, Russian troops carried out the destruction of civilian infrastructure and committed atrocities against both civilians and the Ukrainian military, Ukraine has said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the next set of EU sanctions will target Nord Stream, more "shadow fleet" listings, a lower oil price cap, and new measures targeting Russian and third-country banks aiding the war effort, according to the Kyiv Independent reporter.
The bodies of soldiers were recovered from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts as well as from morgues in Russia.
"I think it’s time for us to just do it," U.S. Presidnet Donald Trump said in Abu Dhabi, adding that the meeting between the two would happen "as soon as we can set it up."
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Albania on May 16 to attend the summit of the European Political Community, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said, according to the state news channel Freedom TV.
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.
A fire broke out at an ammunition depot in the village of Perevalne in Russian-occupied Crimea following a series of explosions during a drone attack on the morning of May 16, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported, citing local residents.
The number includes 1,100 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
The Air Force "lost contact" with an F-16 jet during a mission to repel a Russian aerial attack overnight on May 16 following an emergency situation on board, the Air Force reported.
Ukraine will receive $84 million from the World Bank to restore housing damaged in Russia's war, the Finance Ministry announced on May 15.
Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), reported in March that Russia had deployed 620,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine, a rise from his previous estimate of nearly 580,000 in November 2024.
A Russian delegation will await its Ukrainian counterparts to begin direct peace talks at 10 a.m. local time in Istanbul on May 16, Vladimir Medinsky, Russia's delegation lead and advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Key developments on May 15: * Zelensky sends Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul, as peace talks with Russia are expected on May 16 * Trump expects no progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks until he meets Putin * Pro-Ukraine partisans sabotage railway track near Russia's Smolensk * Ukraine shows its latest 'ship-killer' Magura drone series to
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, eight years after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula and led an armed aggression in Ukraine’s east.
In February 2014, almost immediately following the end of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine, Russia swiftly moved to annex and occupy Crimea. Within months, Russian proxy forces took control of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
By the start of 2022, Russia had amassed nearly 200,000 troops on Ukraine’s border. At 4:50 a.m. on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a speech that Russia was to carry out “a special military operation.” Within minutes, missile strikes were launched on Ukrainian cities and the full-scale invasion had begun.
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