Ukraine’s military: 28 Russian troops killed in southern Ukraine on June 19.

Ukraine's economy improved in April, driven partly by the defense industry, softening what had been expected to be a sharper slowdown in early 2026 after the country's toughest winter of the full-scale invasion, the prime minister said.

The drills, scheduled to run through May 21, involve Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific fleets, long-range aviation command, and units from the Leningrad and Central military districts, the ministry said.

The Kyiv Independent has launched its largest and most ambitious membership campaign to date, seeking 4,000 new members from across the world to support its independent journalism from Ukraine.

China's armed forces secretly trained around 200 Russian military personnel in China in late 2025, with some later returning to fight in Ukraine, Reuters reported on May 19, citing three European intelligence agencies and documents seen by the agency.

"It would be useful to remind that the coordinates of decision-making centers on Latvian territory are well known," Russia's intelligence agency said.

Ukraine's top anti-corruption agencies say they have widened a sweeping bribery investigation tied to the former chairman of the Supreme Court, alleging that several senior judges accepted illicit payments in exchange for a ruling favoring a powerful businessman.

In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Moscow of intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones into NATO territory. "We apologize to Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.

The attacks came as Russia continued large-scale aerial strikes across Ukraine and intensified attacks on energy infrastructure.

Russia launched 209 drones overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said on the morning of May 19, most of them Shahed-type deep-strike drones.

The number includes 1 140 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.