Russia faced one of its biggest attacks of the year as at least 3,124 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed in the past week, the country’s defence minister said this morning.
The biggest onslaught on Russia was on 13 May and 17 May, with 572 and 1,054 drones downed respectively, it said, confirming the siege on the country.
At least four people were killed, and a dozen were injured, after a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia overnight, local officials said yesterday.
Three people were killed in a strike on the Moscow region, and a fourth was killed in the Belgorod region bordering northeastern Ukraine, local authorities said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensk confirmed the attacks on social media site X, said, "Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified," Zelenskiy said.
Later on Sunday, Zelensky said that Ukraine's "long-range sanctions have reached the Moscow region", referring to the latest drone attack.
"We are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war," he wrote in a post on Telegram.
Suspected Ukrainian sea drone crashed on Greek island ‘after malfunction’
Moscow pounds cities with over 1,500 drones in largest two-day aerial attack since war began
Latvian prime minister resigns after controversy over stray Ukrainian drones
Shock in Ukraine as corruption court arrests Zelensky’s former right-hand man
Key Points
- Russia says it destroyed over 3,000 Ukrainian drones last week
- War Briefing: What we know on the 1,544th day of the war in Ukraine
- Russia attacks Ukraine's Odesa and Dnipro with drones and missiles overnight
- Drone debris falls on international airport in Moscow
- Indian worker among four killed in attacks on Russia
Suspected Ukrainian sea drone crashed on Greek island ‘after malfunction’
07:15 , Arpan RaiA military sea drone, laden with explosives, discovered last week on a Greek island is believed by investigators to have veered off course due to a technical malfunction, sources indicated on Friday.
The unmanned vessel, found by fishermen on the shores of Lefkada on 7 May, has sparked diplomatic tensions between Athens and Kyiv, with Greece asserting a Ukrainian origin, a claim officially denied by Ukraine.
Greek intelligence and military units are currently engaged in a detailed analysis of the drone, involving its dismantling and reverse engineering to ascertain its precise characteristics.
Investigators are also meticulously examining its metadata to determine its intended mission and whether it was launched from a larger vessel or from a coastal location, potentially as distant as Libya across the Mediterranean.
Suspected Ukrainian drone crashed on island ‘after malfunction’
Russian management of Zaporizhzhia nuclear station reports Ukrainian shelling
06:51 , Arpan RaiThe Russia-installed management of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station yesterday said that Ukrainian forces had shelled part of the facility for the second day running, damaging a transport workshop but causing no disruption to the plant's operations.
The management, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the incident caused no injuries. The roof of the workshop was damaged along with buses for transporting staff and windows were smashed at a nearby communications building.
The Zaporizhzhia plant has been struck several times by drones since the beginning of the conflict. It generates no electricity, but must keep operating to keep nuclear fuel cool.
Russia's military seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the weeks following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Each side regularly accuses the other of military action compromising nuclear safety. The plant's management said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone fell near the facility's power units but did not detonate and operations at the plant continued as normal.
One killed and 30 injured in overnight Russian attack on Ukraine
06:32 , Arpan RaiAt least one person was killed and more than 30 injured after Russia attacked Ukraine with drones, airstrikes and shelled overnight, targeting cities like Odesa in the south and Dnipro in the southeast.
The drones hit residential buildings, a school and a kindergarten in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration, said on Telegram.
An 11-year-old boy and a 59-year-old man were injured in the attack, he added.
A missile attack on Dnipro injured 18 people, among them a girl of two and a boy of 10, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram.
In the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, three people were injured in the overnight attacks, governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Attacks in the southern region of Kherson killed one person and injured nine, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.
Young Kyiv couple killed by Russian airstrike wanted to start a family, mourners say
06:06 , Arpan RaiLike many Ukrainians, Maryna Homeniuk fled her homeland after Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago. She managed to complete her degree in the Czech Republic, adding Vietnamese to her impressive list of languages, before returning home the following year and meeting her beloved, Yurii Orlov.
Homeniuk and Orlov, who captained the Kyiv Floorball Club after playing hockey for teams in the Ukrainian capital, were among the 24 people killed on Thursday during a terrifying wave of Russian airstrikes that Ukrainian military officials described as the biggest barrage of the war. A cruise missile flattened their apartment building.
On Saturday, friends and family paid their final respects to Homeniuk, a 24-year-old English teacher. They had hoped to pay tribute to Orlov, too, but his body wasn't ready for burial yet.
“She was a very caring person. I feel very sorry, because she had so many dreams. She worked with children and wanted to have children herself someday, when times were safer,” her friend Olesia Yukhnovych told The Associated Press.
The couple met on a dating app after Homeniuk returned to Ukraine in 2023 from the Czech Republic, where she studied Vietnamese. Friends say she spoke about 10 languages, including fluent Korean and Chinese.
A sensitive soul, she took in abandoned animals, friends said. She also loved seeing the world and would save up for adventures in new countries.
“This is a young person. This is a girl who had absolutely the whole future ahead of her,” said Anastasiia Petrushyna, a friend and colleague. “This future will no longer exist — our youth basically can’t have it. You never know what trouble awaits you.”
Friends said they were glad Homeniuk met Orlov, who was 30 years old when they died. Despite their differences — he loved sports and she loved art — it was obvious to everyone that they cared deeply for one another.
“It’s a shame. I should have been helping prepare for the wedding and I ended up helping prepare for the funeral,” said Yukhnovych. “It’s horrible.”
Ukraine says it blew up Russian plane worth £30m in airbase attack
05:54 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the country’s forces destroyed a rare amphibious aircraft worth £30m in a drone attack deep inside Russia.
Zelensky confirmed shared black-and-white footage purporting to show a first-person-view drone heading towards the Beriev Be-200 plane parked at a military airfield.
The Ukrainian drones also targeted and destoryed a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, several air-defence systems, a training centre and oil facilities, he said.
“The aircraft is powered by two D-436TP turbofan engines, can reportedly reach speeds of up to 720km per h, and has a range of approximately 3,850km. Depending on configuration, it can transport up to 72 passengers or carry roughly 12 tons of water for firefighting missions,” news outlet Ukraine24 reported.
A second drone purportedly showed the view of the attack on the aircraft.
The strike, Zelensky said, was part of a series of “long-range sanctions” carried out on military targets in response to a string of deadly Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in the past week.
Our long-range sanctions this week. Most of the operations are still ongoing, so the video captures only a portion of our results. Be-200 amphibious aircraft, a Ka-27 helicopter, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, a Pantsir-S1 surface‑to‑air missile and gun system, a Tor… pic.twitter.com/kX3oPCuok8
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2026
10-year-old boy injured in Russian missile attack overnight
05:44 , Arpan RaiRussia hit the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro with missiles in a separate attack, injuring nine people, including a 10-year old boy, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram.
Russian forces have continued their attacks on Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight, targeting the cities of Odesa in the south and Dnipro in the southeast, officials said.
Drone debris falls on international airport in Moscow
05:32 , Arpan RaiRussia’s largest airport, Moscow's Sheremetyevo, said drone debris had fallen on its territory but caused no damage after a major Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday.
The airport came under attack on a day Ukraine escalated its aerial offensive on Russia.
"Drone debris was detected on the premises of Sheremetyevo Airport. The debris is at a safe distance from passenger and aircraft servicing areas," the airport officials said in a statement, TASS reported.
"There are no casualties or damage in the airport area, and the situation in the passenger terminals remains calm," it added.
The Federal Air Transport Agency had announced flight restrictions on the airports arrival and departure terminals but said it was later lifted.
Indian worker among four killed in attacks on Russia
05:17 , Arpan RaiAt least four people were killed in Russian strikes on Russia over the weekend, including an Indian worker.
"One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in the Moscow region earlier today," the Indian embassy in Russia said in a statement.
The three other injured were also Indian nationals, it said.
“Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital,” it said in a post on X.
One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in Moscow region earlier today. Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital.
— India in Russia (@IndEmbMoscow) May 17, 2026
The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the…
Russia attacks Ukraine's Odesa and Dnipro with drones and missiles overnight
04:39 , Arpan RaiRussia attacked Ukraine overnight with drones and missiles, targeting the southern city of Odesa and Dnipro in the country's southeast, Ukrainian officials said this morning.
In Odesa, a major Black Sea export port, drones hit residential buildings along with a school and a kindergarten, injuring a 11-year old boy and a 59-year old man, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration, said on Telegram.
Separately, three people were injured after Russia hit the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro with missiles, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram.
Briefing: What we know on the 1,544th day of the war in Ukraine
04:32 , Arpan Rai- Russia says its air forces intercepted and destroyed at least 3,124 Ukrainian drones over the past week, as the country under one of its biggest attacks in the course of war with Ukraine
- At least 1,054 drones were destroyed, respectively, mostly over European Russia, its defence ministry said
- In Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s military response to Russia’s heaviest bombardment of his country was “entirely justified” and accused Moscow of prolonging the war
- At least four people were killed, including three in the Moscow region, after Ukraine launched its biggest overnight drone attack on the Russian capital in more than a year, local officials said on Sunday
Russia says it destroyed over 3,000 Ukrainian drones last week
04:06 , Arpan RaiRussia has intercepted and destroyed at least 3,124 Ukrainian drones over the past week, the RIA state news agency said, citing data from the defence ministry.
RIA, after compiling the data, said the most drones were downed on 13 May and 17 May with 572 and 1,054 units destroyed, respectively, mostly over European Russia.
At least four people were killed, including three in the Moscow region, after Ukraine launched its biggest overnight drone attack on the Russian capital in more than a year, local officials said on Sunday.
In pictures: Ukraine and Russia prisoner of war swap
04:00 , Rebecca Thomas
US Treasury allows sanctions waiver on Russian seaborne oil to lapse
02:30 , Rebecca ThomasThe Trump administration on Saturday allowed a sanctions waiver to lapse that had previously allowed countries, including India, to buy Russian seaborne oil after a month-long extension aimed at easing oil supply shortages and high prices due to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said he would not renew the general license allowing the purchase of Russian oil stored on tankers. As of early afternoon Washington time on Saturday, no renewal notice had been posted on the Treasury website. A Treasury spokesperson declined further comment.
Two top Democratic U.S. senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren, on Friday urged the Trump administration against renewing the waiver, arguing that it was providing revenue to Russia to aid its war in Ukraine, but there was no evidence it was bringing down fuel costs for American consumers.
The prior extension was part of the Trump administration's effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the Iran war.
The Ukrainian flag has been removed from outside Essex County Council's offices by the newly elected Reform UK administration, according to reports by the BBC.
A second Union flag was instead put up in its place outside County Hall in Chelmsford on Friday.
Council leader Peter Harris said in a statement to the BBC that it was a "proud moment".
Harris said: "The replacement of the Ukraine flag does not diminish the support and generosity that Essex residents have shown the people of Ukraine since 2022, and I know this will continue."
A spokesman said there would be discussions with the county's Ukrainian community before finding the flag a new home.
Pictures showing the aftermath of Russia’s strike in Kyiv that killed 24 people.
Russia says prison population falls as convicts sent to fight Putin's war in Ukraine
Sunday 17 May 2026 22:30 , Rebecca ThomasRussia is witnessing a decrease in its population inside prison, with a drop of more than 180,000 people, in the past five years, the country’s prison chief said.
"If at the end of 2021 there were 465,000 (prisoners), then now there are 282,000," said Arkady Gostev, the head of Russia's penitentiary service.
Around 85,000 of the current prison population is held in pre-trial detention, he told TASS state news agency.
Gostev said the major decline in the prison population was partly driven by the army's recruitment drive, but also due to more suspended sentences and other forms of punishment handed out.
Moscow has regularly relied on recruiting its prisoners in exchange for buying out their sentences and sent them on the Ukraine frontline, but experts flagged that their lack of military and battlefield knowledge made them vulnerable to killings.
The young woman killed in Russian strike that killed 24 people
Sunday 17 May 2026 18:30 , Rebecca ThomasA young woman, Maryna Homeniuk, who died in the Russian strike on Ukraine, which killed 24 people, was a sensitive soul who took in abandoned animals, her friends told reporters.
She died with her partner Yurii Orlov, who captained the Kyiv Floorball Club after playing hockey for teams in the Ukrainian capital.
Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting civilians
Sunday 17 May 2026 16:30 , Rebecca ThomasRussia's foreign ministry accused Kyiv of targeting civilians.
"To the sound of Eurovision songs, the Kyiv regime, financed by the EU, carried out yet another mass terrorist attack," TASS news agency cited the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
Both sides in the conflict deny deliberately targeting civilians.
