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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A Ukrainian servicemember, released from Russian captivity during the second phase of ‘1000-for-1000’ prisoner exchange, hugs his beloved on May 24, 2025 in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Maksym Kishka/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine brings home 307 POWs in 2nd phase of major prisoner swap with Russia. Ukraine has secured the release of 307 Ukrainians from Russian captivity in the second phase of its largest prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 24.
Russia launches mass attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian cities for second night in row. Multiple waves of explosions rocked cities across Ukraine as Russia launched another massive drone and missile attack overnight. At least 11 people in Kyiv have been injured.
Russia ‘hasn’t faced enough pressure’ —Ukrainian, foreign diplomats react to overnight attack on Kyiv. “Russia’s continued aggression has a simple explanation: it hasn’t faced enough pressure to stop. The power to change that lies with us,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
Russia will reveal peace terms to Ukraine after prisoner exchange, Lavrov says. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on May 23 that Moscow will convey its peace terms to Kyiv immediately after the completion of the ongoing prisoner exchange between the two countries.
Russia’s upgraded ballistic missiles harder to intercept by Patriots, Air Force says. “It complicates (the interception), but doesn’t make the interception impossible,” Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. “I think our partners are already working to improve the system’s capabilities.”
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Ukraine denies Russian presence in Sumy Oblast border village, media reports. Earlier, Russia’s state-run news agency TASS claimed that Russian forces had entered Yunakivka, a village near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast.
Russian chemical plant, missile parts manufacturer targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone strike. The Energia facility, which lies in the Lipetsk Oblast city of Yelets, was attacked for the second night in a row, with residents reporting at least five explosions overnight, Astra reported.
Russian air base in Tver Oblast attacked by drones, media reports. The Migalovo military airfield is located on the outskirts of Tver, over 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
‘Putin remains confident in Russia’s ultimate victory in Ukraine,’ US intelligence reports. According to a recent report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains “committed to victory in Ukraine, and his objectives remain mostly unchanged since the beginning of the war: Ukrainian neutrality and a further partition of the Ukrainian state.”
Russia losing battlefield edge in war against Ukraine, WP reports. Moscow faces critical shortages of weapons and manpower, making the time ripe for escalated pressure, Western officials told The Washington Post (WP).
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‘It’s terrorism’ — Russia launches one of the heaviest strikes on Kyiv during full-scale war
At least 15 civilians, including two minors, required medical attention due to the attack, which marked one of the most intense strikes against the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war.
Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk
An unsettling situation for Ukrainian troops is now unfolding south of the town of Kostiantynivka, which has long served as a relatively safe logistics hub around the now Russian-occupied Bakhmut.
Photo: Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine
Vernacular Hardcore: Ukraine’s artists reimagine home and heritage at Venice Biennale
The Ukrainian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in the Venice Biennale reimagines historic structures in a kind of ethno-futurist monument and installation conceived by curator and architect Bogdana Kosmina.
Photo: Ukrainian Pavilion
Human cost of Russia’s war
‘Shoot them on the spot’ — Ukraine’s military intel records over 150 cases of Russia executing POWs. The agency noted that this figure includes those cases recorded by HUR, suggesting the actual total may be higher.
Russian attack in Kyiv Oblast kills 3, injures 10, including children. The bodies of two victims were found when first responders extinguished a fire in the Obukhiv district. Another person was killed in the Bucha district, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.
13 killed, 51 receive medical care after Russian strikes on Ukraine over past day. Russian attacks killed at least 13 civilians during attacks against Ukraine over the past day, regional authorities reported. At least 51 people required medical attention.
General Staff: Russia has lost 979,830 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,130 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia
International response
EU mulls cutting over 20 Russian banks from SWIFT, banning Nord Stream in new sanctions, Bloomberg reports. The new measures under consideration would also include lowering the Group of Seven oil price cap on Russian crude exports from $60 to around $45 per barrel.
Poland’s presidential debate: Trzaskowski slams Nawrocki over ‘Putin’s language’ on Ukraine’s NATO bid. Karol Nawrocki, backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky “treats Poland badly” and defended his criticism of Ukraine’s NATO bid by insisting, “I speak the language of Poles.”
UK probes possible Russian involvement in arson attacks targeting PM Starmer, FT reports. Two Ukrainian nationals, Roman Lavrynovych and Petro Pochynok, and a Romanian national, Stanislav Carpiuc, have been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
In other news
US rolls back Assad-era sanctions on Syria. The United States granted immediate sanctions relief to Syria after President Donald Trump called for a complete end to sanctions on the country. The sanctions relief was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department on May 23.
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