- Mass Ukrainian drone strike targets Moscow, Russia claims, multiple airports closed
- 9 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, President's Office says
- Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports
- Kyiv proposes EU partners help directly fund Ukrainian military under new model
- Russia says 159 Ukrainian drones shot down in less than a day
Russian air defense systems shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight on May 22, including 35 intercepted over Moscow Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that all the drones were flying toward the Russian capital.
Due to the drone attack, all four Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky — as well as airports in Tambov and Vladimir were temporarily closed.
Other Ukrainian drones were also shot down over the Oryol, Kursk, Belgorod, Tula, Kaluga, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, and Bryansk oblasts, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev said one of the drones crashed into the roof of an apartment building in Tula. The attack also damaged other residential and non-residential buildings, he said.
Russian authorities haven't reported any other damage or reported any casualties.
Later on May 22, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 485 Ukrainian drones had been downed over the past three days, from May 20 to May 22, including 63 over Moscow Oblast.
Kyiv hasn't commented on the attacks. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
9 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, President's Office says
Ukraine has brought nine more children from Russian-occupied territories to Ukrainian-controlled areas, Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said on May 22.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who have been forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories. So far, only around 1,300 of them have been safely brought to Ukrainian government-controlled territory.
Among the rescued children is a girl whose life was in danger due to the lack of adequate medical care in the occupied territories, and a boy who, along with his mother, was locked in a basement by Russian forces while his father was tortured in a nearby room, Yermak said.
Others include two sisters who didn't leave their home for nearly three years because of constant shelling and the presence of Russian tanks, and a teenage girl who was cut off from online schooling due to communication blockades imposed by Russian forces.
"These children lived through horrors," Yermak said in a statement. "We are fulfilling the president's task: to bring all children back home."
Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports
U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready for peace in Ukraine because he believes he is winning the war, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 22, citing three undisclosed sources.
Trump's reported statement marked the first time he acknowledged to European leaders what they and Kyiv have long maintained — the Kremlin has no intention of ending its full-scale war against Ukraine.
The conversation on May 19 reportedly included President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Earlier the same day, Trump held a phone call with Putin, days after largely inconclusive negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia sent a delegation of low-level officials.
European leaders on the call reportedly seemed "surprised" that Trump was "relatively content" with what he heard from Putin, Axios reported on May 20.
Andreas Umland
Kyiv proposes EU partners help directly fund Ukrainian military under new model
Ukraine is requesting the EU begin financially supporting its armed forces starting in 2026, pitching the idea as a practical way to strengthen Europe's collective defense and share the cost of containing Russian aggression, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said on May 22.
The EU hasn't so far directly funded Ukraine's military, but member states provide weapons and other assistance through national programs and broader EU support packages.
Marchenko said Kyiv is proposing a new model: European partners would help fund the Ukrainian military, and in return, Ukraine would be further integrated into the continent's defense system.
"I am convinced that this decision has a number of strategic advantages for Ukraine, including maintaining financial stability in 2026 and beyond," Marchenko said in a statement following meetings with G7 finance leaders in Canada.
"And for the EU — protection from potential Russian aggression. After all, the Ukrainian army has all the experience necessary for this."
Under the proposal, the cost of supporting Ukraine's military would represent only a small fraction of the EU's combined GDP, Marchenko said, and could be shared among countries willing to participate. These contributions could count toward NATO defense spending targets.
Russia says 159 Ukrainian drones shot down in less than a day
Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted more than 150 Ukrainian drones over several regions, including areas near the capital, in what appears to be one of the largest such aerial assaults, Russia's Defense Ministry said on May 22.
For at least two days in a row, Ukraine has launched massive waves of drones deep into Russian territory. Between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 22, Russia claims to have shot down 485 drones on its territory.
According to the Russian military, 159 drones were destroyed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on May 22. The ministry said Ukrainian drones were intercepted across multiple central and western regions, including Moscow, where 22 drones were reportedly shot down. The surrounding regions of Kursk, Oryol, Tula, and others also came under attack, with dozens of drones intercepted in each area.
The ministry described the drones as fixed-wing, aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles. The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify the claims. Ukrainian authorities have not commented.
Note from the author:
Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.
Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.
We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.
Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?
