The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Relatives and friends mourn next to the coffin of 26-year-old Ukrainian serviceman Yaroslav Shvets, an actor and sapper, who died as a result of wounds received at the front, during the funeral ceremony in Kyiv on May 29, 2025. (Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images)
‘No one has seen it yet’ — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks. “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.
Ukraine’s AI-powered ‘mother drone’ sees first combat use, minister says. The drone system, developed by Ukraine’s defense tech cluster Brave1, can deliver two AI-guided FPV (first-person view) strike drones up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) behind enemy lines, according to Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Russia reports 2nd straight day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, building damaged in outskirts of capital. A building was reportedly damaged on the outskirts of Moscow following a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian capital overnight on May 29, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported.
Stavropol explosion kills Russian official who led attacks on Ukraine’s Mariupol. Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed Zaur Gurtsyev’s death, describing it as a “nighttime incident on Chekhov Street” without providing further details.
Portnov reportedly met controversial Zelensky staffer, Ukraine’s investigations chief before being killed in Madrid. Former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov met in Ukraine with Oleh Tatarov, deputy head of the Presidential Office, and Oleksii Sukhachov, director of the State Bureau of Investigation, days before he was killed in Madrid, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 29, citing undisclosed sources.
Russia amassed enough troops to attack Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns. Russia “has enough forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to carry out operations against our border and attempt to attack the territory of Ukraine,” said Andrii Demchenko, a State Border Guard Service spokesperson.
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Ukrainian commander faces trial for failing to stop torture within his unit. The investigators determined that from February to July 2024, Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk, commander of the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade, was aware of repeated instances of torture and cruel treatment carried out by a subordinate officer but failed to take any action.
No sign Russia is preparing to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Reuters reports. “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.
Rubio, Lavrov discuss next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also “informed Marco Rubio about implementing the May 19 agreements between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the United States Donald Trump,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Ukrainian abducted in Russian-occupied Crimea; Ukraine’s ombudsman appeals to Moscow. A Ukrainian citizen disappeared in Russian-occupied Crimea earlier in May after being detained by people who presented themselves as Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on May 29.
Russia’s budget deficit triples amid sanctions and low oil prices, Ukrainian official says. Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk said international sanctions remain a key driver behind the decline in Russia’s energy revenues.
Russia received at least 100 ballistic missiles from North Korea last year, monitors find. 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.
Read our exclusives
How much does a Russian drone attack on Ukraine cost? The question is more complicated than it sounds
Experts have estimated that attacks like the one this past weekend cost Russia hundreds of thousands of dollars in weaponry. The estimated figures vary significantly, however, and that’s before adding in other costs beyond their price tag, like the price of a flight that launches a missile, or storage costs before weapons are used.
Photo: Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images
Detention, pressure, threats — US pastor in Ukraine describes his encounter with Russians
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 U.S. State Department saved him.
Photo: Screenshot / The Kyiv independent
When art meets blockchain: Ukraine’s new frontier in wartime cultural preservation
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.
Photo: Ukrainian Fund of Digitized Art
Infighting around EU rearmament undermines grand ambitions for European defense
While some member states are putting real resources into defense, the collective EU government is nowhere near becoming a military power. Its efforts at armament are already falling victim to the infighting that has long dogged the bloc’s most ambitious plans.
Photo: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 3, injure 27 over past day. Ukrainian forces downed 10 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Forty-six drones were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.
General Staff: Russia has lost 983,890 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,050 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
‘No God But Theirs’ | Investigation into systemic terror against Ukrainian Christian churches under Russian occupation
International response
China сuts drone sales to Ukraine, West but continues supplying Russia, Bloomberg reports. 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.
‘Shooting Russia in the back’ — Serbian companies supplying ammunition to Ukraine, Moscow claims. “The Serbian defense industry is trying to shoot Russia in the back,” Russian foreign intelligence (SVR) claimed.
Taurus missiles for Ukraine ‘within the realm of possibility,’ Germany’s Merz says. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 28 that a potential delivery of Taurus cruise missiles for Ukraine is not being ruled out, but did not provide further details.
NATO reportedly wants 40,000 more German troops for defense against Russia. The alliance’s overall demand for the number of brigades provided by member states could go from 80 to between 120 and 130, an undisclosed senior official told Reuters.
Next Ramstein summit to take place on June 4 in Brussels. The Ramstein summit will take place as Washington is trying to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia to end Moscow’s full-scale war. In the meantime, Russia is amassing forces for a new offensive against Ukraine while continuing its attacks on civilians across the country.
Trump hopes next Russia-Ukraine talks will ‘move ball forward,’ White House says as Moscow further delays peace memo. 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.
Ukraine to boycott World Judo Championships over Belarus’s participation under national flag. “We firmly believe that allowing athletes from aggressor countries to compete under national symbols is not only a case of political blindness but also a blatant disregard for the victims of war and international law,” the Ukrainian Judo Federation said.
Russian-linked hackers target UK Defense Ministry while posing as journalists. The cyber attack was detected and thwarted, the British government said, unveiling a new cyber command tasked with managing both offensive and defensive cyber efforts.
Opinions and insights
Russia’s persecution of Ukrainian clergy is part of an organized genocidal campaign
“While restrictions on religious freedoms are typical for Russia, the persecution in the occupied parts of Ukraine goes far beyond what occurs inside Russia itself. This means that in places like occupied Melitopol, Russia is not merely replicating its usual policies — it is crafting a new, much harsher one specifically for Ukrainians,” writes Danylo Mokryk, a reporter with the War Crimes Investigations Unit of the Kyiv Independent.
Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images
In other news
Elon Musk announces exit from US government role. “The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Elon Musk wrote on his social platform X.
US court blocks most of Trump’s tariffs, rules he exceeded authority. The court struck down the 10% tariffs applied to all U.S. trading partners to address the trade deficit. This means that the court would also block tariffs on trade with Ukraine.
Durov announces Telegram’s partnership with Musk’s xAI, who says no deal signed yet. Telegram and Elon Musk’s xAI will enter a one-year partnership, integrating the Grok chatbot into the messaging app, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced. Elon Musk said that “no deal has been signed” yet.
US filmmaker injured by fallen balcony in Kyiv. “While missiles and drones are flying, we are being injured by balconies due to someone’s irresponsibility!” Christopher Walters, the injured U.S. filmmaker, said on social media.
The Kyiv Independent wins Ukrainian journalism award for exposing Russian soldiers’ sexual violence. 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.”
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