Claims of Russian President Vladimir Putin's helicopter being "at the epicenter" of a Ukrainian drone attack in Kursk Oblast were reportedly fabricated by the Kremlin, the Moscow Times reported on May 30, citing four Russian government sources.
"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
Key developments on May 28: * Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims * Ukraine ready for 2nd round of Istanbul talks but seeks Russian draft memo in advance, Yermak says * Senate to 'start moving' Russia sanctions bill next week, Graham says * Russia may 'consider'
"The Russians have been unable to present the so-called 'memorandum' for over a week, which they promised to prepare immediately after the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "Ukraine has not received any documents from them."
The proposed bill would introduce expansive penalties on Russia and impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian fossil fuels.
Editor’s note: This is issue 27 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from May 19–May 25, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. Benchmarks
Russia's envoy to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, pledged that Moscow would "continue and intensify military operations for as long as necessary."
Poland’s presidential race has never seen a first-round winner with so many reasons to worry, the far right so emboldened, and Ukraine so central to the campaign. The June 1 run-off between Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the ruling Civic Platform (PO) and Karol Nawrocki, backed by Law and
The new measure, set to take effect in 2025, is aimed at addressing critical staffing shortages in front-line and underserved regions from which many residents — and professionals — have fled due to ongoing Russian attacks.
Ukraine's rocky relationship with Hungary reached new lows this month with the uncovering of an alleged spy ring run from Budapest. Arrests, tit-for-tat expulsions, and a stream of accusations from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban soon followed in a diplomatic scandal with potentially massive ramifications for both countries. "This is
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that a high-level summit would require concrete outcomes from the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) was behind the explosions near Desantnaya Bay in Russia's Vladivostok on May 30, which reportedly damaged military personnel and equipment, a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent.
Kyiv and its allies have urged Moscow to adopt an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 as the first step toward peace talks — a proposal Russia has ignored.
As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes countrywide, all eyes are on Europe’s capacity to continue supporting Ukraine, with the future of U.S. military aid growing ever more uncertain. Ukraine should have enough air defense missiles despite the persisting shortage to avoid the worst of the
A lot depends on the circumstances under which you try to define or feel your own loneliness. Let me begin with my biography — my recent story. I joined the army in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, as an officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion. This means it is important to receive Russia’s draft. There is enough time – four days are sufficient for preparing and sending the documents," Presidential Office Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said.
"Each drone means a destroyed enemy, and therefore a saved life of a Ukrainian serviceman. A special emphasis is placed on the destruction of enemy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) operators and their command centers," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian forces downed 26 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty drones were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.
"And that's one of the issues Russia will bring up... They're also talking about Georgia, they're talking about Moldova, they're talking — obviously — about Ukraine. And we're saying, 'Okay, let's address this comprehensively,'" U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.
The number includes 1,140 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Security advisors from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany will attend planned peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on June 2, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said
Nine were injured in Kharkiv overnight on May 30, amid a Russian drone attack on the city.
"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).
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.
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.
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."
* Russia reports 2nd consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, building damaged on the outskirts * Rubio, Lavrov discuss next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul * 'No one has seen it yet' — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks * Russia amassed enough troops to
"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.
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.
"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.
Dmytro Bodyu, a U.S. citizen and the pastor of the "Word of Life" Pentecostal Church in Russian-occupied Melitopol, was detained by Russians in March 2022. During his detention, he was accused of working for the CIA and received death threats from the Russian military. Only an intervention by the
As Russia's systematic destruction of Ukraine's cultural heritage continues amid the full-scale war, Ukraine's art community is seeking innovative, if not unconventional methods, to preserve their country's legacy — among them blockchain technology. Officially launched in February 2025, the Ukrainian Fund of Digitized Art (UFDA) was conceived with a bold mission:
(Updated: )
