After four years of brutal, all-out war in Ukraine, the Council of Europe met on May 15 to establish a long-awaited pillar of accountability: the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (The Tribunal). The Tribunal fills an important gap. The International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction for aggression — what judges at Nuremberg called the "supreme international crime." It seeks to hold the architects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, most senior Russian officials, account

Key developments on May 16-17: * Drone strike reportedly hits major Russian fertilizer plant linked to explosives production * Kyiv repatriates 528 bodies that Russia claims are fallen Ukrainian soldiers * 'Justified response' – Zelensky releases footage of Ukrainian strikes on Russian aircraft, other targets deep behind enemy lines * Ukraine attack on Moscow region 'completely fair response,' Zelensky says A fire likely broke out at the Nevinnomyssk Azot plant in Russia's southern Stavrop

The remarks came as European officials continue debating future engagement with Moscow amid growing uncertainty over the United States' efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur examines how Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency has changed over seven years in office, and whether he still represents the anti-establishment promises he campaigned on in 2019.

A large-scale drone attack targeted the Moscow region overnight on May 16–17, with Russian officials and local residents reporting multiple explosions across the area.

Editor's note: The following is the May 13, 2026 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. This newsletter wasn’t meant to be about illegal e-cigarettes in Ukraine. But I stumbled across a law enforcement operation yesterday — and immediately knew it would be the focus of this week's edition. While running an errand on Tuesday afternoon at Kyiv’s central Gulliver mall, I noticed t

Russia launched 287 attack drones overnight, Ukraine’s Air Force said, adding that 279 drones were shot down or suppressed by air defenses. Eight drones struck seven locations.

The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina won the WTA 1000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia tournament in Rome, securing one of the biggest titles of her recent career.

Romania's Defense Ministry said that an "unguided reactive projectile" was discovered on a property near the country's border with Ukraine.

The waiver, which allowed purchases of Russian oil stranded at sea, has expired as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 16.

"Probably they need more people to send to the war in Ukraine," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

The West must move on from the last four years of economic skirmishes and declare an "Economic World War" against Russia. The $70 billion budget deficit that Russia faced at the start of the year did not manage to cripple its economy.  Since then, its oil exports soared 52% to 713 million euros ($836 million) per day in March compared to February, turning Western efforts into a case of one step forward and two steps back. Russia's windfall from oil inflation has been further boosted by U.S. Pr

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of May 16: * Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant relies on off-site backup power line for almost 2 months, IAEA reports * Unmanned Systems Forces hit Russian military targets in Crimea, Berdiansk, Luhansk Oblast * Ukraine struck Russian military targets in occupied Donetsk Oblast following

"We discussed strengthening our capabilities to repel Russian attacks right now," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The survey also showed growing public anxiety inside Russia.

"There's no need to look for any hidden meanings in the fact that these contacts occur," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

Ukraine struck several Russian military targets this week, including a Be-200 amphibious aircraft, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 16.

Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, described the facility as "a critical component" of Russia's defense-industrial complex.

The Russian side has not commented on whether Ukraine transferred the bodies of Russian soldiers in return.

The Russian and Chinese presidents will discuss bilateral relations and ways to deepen the countries' "partnership and strategic cooperation."

Russia launched 294 drones overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said, adding that 269 of them were shot down.

The number includes 1,230 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russian forces launched overnight strikes targeting critical and civilian infrastructure across parts of Ukraine on the night of May 15–16, with attacks reported in Odesa Oblast and Kharkiv, according to regional authorities.

"The EBU is making it up as it goes along, and the BBC — a public broadcaster accountable to this country — is sitting at that table nodding along. That has to change," British MP Josh Newbury said.

A day of mourning was being observed in Kyiv on May 15.

Key developments on May 15: * Russia plans to strike President's Office building and state residence, Zelensky says * Massive fire erupts at Russia's Ryazan oil refinery as Ukrainian drone blitz hits multiple targets, oblasts * 205 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange * Russia plans to attack Ukraine or NATO from Belarus, Zelensky says * Russian military unit documents own war crime, milblogger publishes then deletes video * Zelensky pays respects to victims of

"The Russians are not hiding it, they are war criminals, and anyone who wants to strike a deal with them is an accomplice to these crimes," Serhii Sternenko wrote on X on May 15.

Almost all of the Ukrainian POWs who returned home had been held under Russian captivity for four years.

A state-owned bank that formerly belonged to a Russian oligarch is at the center of a spiraling corruption scandal implicating several people close to President Volodymyr Zelensky. In transcripts of recorded conversations published by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda in the first weeks of May, two businessmen with ties to close friends of Zelensky discuss potential candidates for the board of Sense Bank — appearing to exert influence over a process that should be free of outside interfer

Kyiv announced a day of mourning after 24 people, including three children, were killed in the attack.

Corruption is back at the top of the news in Ukraine, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The latest accusations against Andriy Yermak, the former Head of the Presidential Office, do not indicate an increase in corruption, as naysayers claim. This achievement is a remarkable victory for the autonomous anti-corruption architecture that we have carefully built since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Andriy Yermak was neither a normal high-ranking bureaucrat nor a regular official. He was the