Key Points
- Ukrainian commander has warned that Kyiv has a list of 500 targets in Belarus ready if Lukashenko joins the war with Vladimir Putin
- Russia warns US embassy and foreign citizens to flee Kyiv as it threatens more 'systematic strikes' in response to Ukrainian attacks
- EU says Putin wants to sow 'fear and panic' as it rejects calls to leave Kyiv
- Zelensky says Ukraine achieved greater results on battlefield this year, a feat confirmed by criticism and complaints from Russia’s military bloggers
- Ukraine reburies repatriated remains of Second World War leader Andrii Melnyk who worked with Nazi Germany to fight against Soviet rule
- Putin signs a decree providing debt relief to new war recruits and their families in bid to enroll more fighters in Ukraine war
- British man, 23, killed in action in Ukraine after joining specialist unit supporting army
- Ukraine says it used UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles used to hit Russian military infrastructure in occupied Luhansk region
Ukraine warns Belarus it has 500 targets if Lukashenko joins war
05:07 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine has a list of 500 targets in Belarus ready if Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko joins the war with Vladimir Putin, a senior Ukrainian military commander has warned.
Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, advised Belarus against interfering in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“To the Minsk Gauleiter Lukashesku: a barking dog does not bite. A bird of prey is different. The first 500 targets are already on the list. Free and very practical advice: don’t get in Ukraine’s way,” Brovdi said in a Facebook post, as reported by Ukrinform.
The warning comes after a series of verbal escalations and accusations between Kyiv and Minsk along the shared northern border.
Russia and its ally Belarus held joint nuclear drills last week, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned in recent days that Belarus could provide a launchpad for Russia to open a new front in northern Ukraine.
Some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory in Moscow’s initial invasion on 24 February 2022.
More than 50 countries condemn Russia's mass strike on Ukraine
04:44 , Shweta Sharma
Over 50 countries have joined in condemning Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukraine on Saturday at the UN, saying Moscow had reached “a new and appalling level of aggression” by intensifying strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
In a joint statement delivered on Tuesday by Ukraine’s permanent representative to the United Nations, ambassador Andrii Melnyk, the countries warned that Russia’s repeated use of nuclear-capable missiles constituted an “unacceptable escalation”.
The signatories included the European Union and a broad group of allied states, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Poland and the Baltic states.
“For the city of Kyiv, this was one of the most devastating attacks recorded to date,” the statement said, referring to the overnight barrage on 23–24 May, when Russian forces launched hundreds of aerial weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones, against Ukrainian cities and regions.
Russia warns of ‘systematic’ strikes on Kyiv
04:23 , Shweta Sharma
Russia said on Monday it had launched a campaign of “systematic” strikes on Kyiv targeting the Ukrainian capital’s “decision-making centres”.
It urged foreign citizens, diplomats and residents to avoid public buildings and leave the city “as soon as possible”.
Ukraine said the threats by Russia were "nothing short of shameless blackmail" and urged allies to ignore it – a call they have largely heeded.
With its warning to foreign nationals, Moscow is "effectively admitting that its shelling is aimed, among other things, at intimidating the foreign diplomatic corps", it said.
Russia tells banks to shoot down Ukrainian drones as air defences are stretched thin
04:14 , Shweta Sharma
The Russian government is asking its top banks to shoot down Ukrainian drones themselves, as Moscow struggles to defend key sites from attacks.
The Russian parliament has passed a new law allowing banks, including its largest, Sberbank, and other financial institutions to operate defence systems, Reuters reported.
It also asks banks to arm staff against drones without special forces involvement.
Anatoly Aksakov, the head of the State Duma’s financial committee, said the institutions will handle the cost themselves
Alexander Shokhin, the head of Russia’s most influential business lobby, told Vladimir Putin on Monday that companies were willing to purchase heavier weapons and electronic warfare systems to protect themselves from drone attacks.
Putin gifts four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan ahead of visit
03:54 , Shweta Sharma
Russia has handed Kazakhstan four Amur tigers, two of them cubs, to help the country restore its numbers of the animals, president Vladimir Putin said in an article issued ahead of his visit to the Central Asian nation this week.
Rich in energy resources and critical minerals, Kazakhstan shares a border with Russia and is a close ally of Moscow in a region where China and the United States are also expanding their influence.
The four animals captured in Russia's far eastern region of Khabarovsk were flown to Kazakhstan, Putin said on the Kremlin's website on Tuesday, and are soon to be released into the wild.
Putin is no stranger to using animals to advance diplomatic efforts.
In 2022, Russia sent 30 grey thoroughbred horses to North Korea, and the two nations have steadily boosted ties since the invasion of Ukraine that year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a keen horseman.
Kazakhstan, which is trying to restore the tiger population in Central Asia, sees the Amur tiger as a close relative of the extinct Caspian tiger.
The Russian gesture boosts the country's tally of the animals previously sent by the Netherlands.
On his visit, Putin will oversee the signing of a deal for a nuclear power project in Kazakhstan, which currently has no nuclear power generation, and will discuss efforts to boost the transit of Russian oil to China through the country, the Kremlin has said.
Diplomats refuse to leave Kyiv after Russia's threat
02:43 , Tom Barnes
There were no announcements of diplomatic departures from Kyiv as of Tuesday afternoon.
The European Union, French and Polish delegations publicly said that they would not leave.
The level of security threats posed by Russia to Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities “remains the same as in previous years and months,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement late last night.
Russia had urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the Ukrainian capital as quickly as possible and told residents to steer clear of military and government facilities.
It said that “systemic strikes” on Kyiv were being prepared.
Russia has continuously launched missile and drone attacks on the capital for more than four years, it pointed out, adding that Ukraine was prepared to assist diplomatic missions seeking additional security measures.
Zelensky meets with Belarus opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya
01:40 , Tom Barnes
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya today and the two leaders discussed Russia's attempts to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine.
"Ukraine has never been a threat to Belarus. And we are grateful to those Belarusians who stand with Ukraine – now, when the fate of both our independence and the independence of every nation that borders Russia is being decided," Zelensky said on X after the meeting.
Zelensky said Ukraine supports the “aspiration of the Belarusian people to free themselves from Russian interference”.
“We value every expression of support from Belarusians for a free Ukraine, and we know that the day will come when there will once again be good-neighborly relations between our states – based on the real independence of both Ukraine and Belarus from Moscow,” he said, sharing a video of their meeting.
Russian companies ready to finance own air defences
Wednesday 27 May 2026 00:36 , Tom Barnes
Russian companies are ready to finance the purchase of heavier weapons and electronic systems to defend their plants from drone attacks, Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia's most powerful business lobby, has told President Vladimir Putin in a meeting.
According to remarks posted on the Kremlin's official website, Shokhin said the companies needed "not only light weapons of 7.62 caliber, but also larger ones, including various electronic warfare systems, laser installations and other calibers".
"Businesses are ready to finance all this work, but a mechanism is needed where financing schemes are clear. This could be a fund of some sort or another form of targeted financing," Shokhin - head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs - was quoted saying.
EU and member states summon Russian envoys after Moscow tells foreigners to leave Kyiv
Tuesday 26 May 2026 22:00 , Daniel Keane
Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and the EU summoned Russian representatives after Moscow threatened strikes on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and urged foreigners to leave.
Moscow stated on Monday it would strike Ukrainian military targets and 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv, a day after one of the city's heaviest bombardments of the war.
The European Union's diplomatic service summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires.
Spokesperson Anitta Hipper called Russia's 'threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation', urging Moscow to 'stop hitting civilians'. The EU delegation remains.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide summoned Russia's ambassador, Nikolai Korchunov, to address “the explicit threats against foreign personnel in Ukraine”.
Sweden summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday evening to “condemn Russia's false claims of airspace violations in the Nordic-Baltic region and Russia's threats against Latvia and other countries in the region”.
Russia and Kazakhstan will sign nuclear power deal during Putin trip, Kremlin says
Tuesday 26 May 2026 21:00 , Daniel Keane
Russian President Vladimir Putin will oversee the signing of a deal outlining parameters for Russian construction of a nuclear power plant and a Russian state loan when he visits Kazakhstan this week, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
He will also discuss an increase in transshipment of Russian oil to China via Kazakhstan, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.
NATO 'to beef up forces assigned to defend Baltics in war'
Tuesday 26 May 2026 20:00 , Daniel Keane
NATO is poised to reinforce the defence of its eastern flank with a new command structure, designed to enable the rapid deployment of forces in Latvia and Estonia in the event of a conflict with Russia, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
At present, NATO forces across the three Baltic nations and northern Poland operate under the command of a single multinational headquarters situated in Szczecin, Poland.
The planned change highlights the critical strategic importance of the Baltics, a region that has been under intense scrutiny since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Assigning a second corps to the region will allow NATO to bring in "mass at speed", as one military official described it, directly addressing the area's limited strategic depth and inherent vulnerability.
When fully operational, an army corps typically commands three divisions, comprising between 40,000 and 60,000 troops. In peacetime, it usually exists as a skeleton command structure, complete with specialist functions such as artillery, air defence, and medics, to facilitate swift troop deployment when required.
In a coordinated effort, Germany and the Netherlands have reached an agreement with NATO to assign the German-Netherlands Corps, based in Muenster, Germany, to the defence of Latvia and Estonia, military sources informed Reuters on Tuesday.
Watch: One killed and several injured in Russian strikes on Odesa
Tuesday 26 May 2026 19:00 , Daniel Keane
Russia can 'spoof' GPS signals up to 450km into Europe, says Lithuania
Tuesday 26 May 2026 18:00 , Daniel Keane
Russia now possesses the capacity to falsify GPS signals up to 450km (280 miles) into Europe from its Kaliningrad exclave, a Lithuanian official revealed on Tuesday.
This expanded capability raises significant concerns about electronic interference across the continent.
Darius Kuliesius, deputy head of Lithuania's communications regulator, told Reuters that Russia has increased its GPS "spoofing" antennae – which broadcast false signals to confuse other location systems – from three in early 2025 to 36.
These units are located in heavily militarised Kaliningrad, between NATO members Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast.
European nations have frequently accused Moscow of electronic interference since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, though President Vladimir Putin's government denies this, citing "Western smear tactics."
Mr Kuliesius stated: "The occasional interference began with the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius. Now they have built up the infrastructure and the interference has become systemic, permanent, unending Russian provocation against European security."
EU summons Russian charge d'affaires after Moscow tells foreigners to leave Kyiv
Tuesday 26 May 2026 17:00 , Daniel Keane
The European Union has summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires following Moscow's declaration of intent to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv, coupled with an urgent call for foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital.
Anitta Hipper, the bloc's foreign policy spokesperson, announced the diplomatic action on social media platform X, condemning Russia's stance.
Ms Hipper stated: "threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation".
The European External Action Service, which issued the summons, also urged Moscow "to stop hitting civilians".
Despite the heightened threats, the EU's delegation confirmed it is remaining in Kyiv.
Ukraine expects Nato summit to discuss funding
Tuesday 26 May 2026 16:00 , Daniel Keane
Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey anticipates NATO will discuss financial support for Kyiv at its July summit, despite a proposal for members to contribute a small budget proportion lacking allied traction.
Ambassador Nariman Dzhelialov told Reuters on Tuesday he hopes President Volodymyr Zelensky attends the 7-8 July summit in Ankara.
Kyiv also seeks members to reaffirm support for its strategic goal of joining the military alliance.
Ukraine relies on international aid to cover its budgetary needs and fund the war with Russia.
Zelensky last June called for Western partners to allocate 0.25% of their GDP to help Kyiv ramp up weapons production; NATO chief Rutte also floated alliance members – excluding the US – spending that amount.
Pictured: People sit on a sofa outside the damaged building of the Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
Tuesday 26 May 2026 15:00 , Daniel Keane
Russian companies ready to finance own air defences
Tuesday 26 May 2026 14:01 , Daniel Keane
Russian companies are ready to finance the purchase of heavier weapons and electronic systems to defend their plants from drone attacks, Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia's most powerful business lobby, has told President Vladimir Putin in a meeting.
According to remarks posted on the Kremlin's official website, Shokhin said the companies needed "not only light weapons of 7.62 caliber, but also larger ones, including various electronic warfare systems, laser installations and other calibers".
"Businesses are ready to finance all this work, but a mechanism is needed where financing schemes are clear. This could be a fund of some sort or another form of targeted financing," Shokhin - head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs - was quoted saying.
Zelensky meets with Belarus opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya
Tuesday 26 May 2026 13:45 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya today and the two leaders discussed Russia's attempts to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine.
"Ukraine has never been a threat to Belarus. And we are grateful to those Belarusians who stand with Ukraine – now, when the fate of both our independence and the independence of every nation that borders Russia is being decided," Zelensky said on X after the meeting.
Zelensky said Ukraine supports the “aspiration of the Belarusian people to free themselves from Russian interference”.
“We value every expression of support from Belarusians for a free Ukraine, and we know that the day will come when there will once again be good-neighborly relations between our states – based on the real independence of both Ukraine and Belarus from Moscow,” he said, sharing a video of their meeting.
Diplomats refuse to leave Kyiv after Russia's threat
Tuesday 26 May 2026 13:30 , Arpan Rai
There were no announcements of diplomatic departures from Kyiv as of Tuesday afternoon.
The European Union, French and Polish delegations publicly said that they would not leave.
The level of security threats posed by Russia to Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities “remains the same as in previous years and months,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement late last night.
Russia had urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the Ukrainian capital as quickly as possible and told residents to steer clear of military and government facilities.
It said that “systemic strikes” on Kyiv were being prepared.
Russia has continuously launched missile and drone attacks on the capital for more than four years, it pointed out, adding that Ukraine was prepared to assist diplomatic missions seeking additional security measures.
Russia fires over 100 drones and missiles at Ukraine
Tuesday 26 May 2026 13:00 , Arpan Rai
Russia fired more than 100 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said today.
The aerial attacks from Russia come just hours after it warned foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the country, claiming there would be an impending major attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Russian drones and missiles continued to target Ukrainian cities through the morning and into the middle of the day, as the Ukrainian Air Force warned people in Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv to take shelter.
Kyiv hosts Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya for her first 'working visit'
Tuesday 26 May 2026 12:30 , Arpan Rai
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv yesterday after weeks of mounting warnings from Ukrainian officials about Russian plans to draw Minsk more deeply into the war against Ukraine.
Tsikhanouskaya arrived a day after one of the war's biggest strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed four people and damaged historical sites, and amid Russian threats to launch further heavy attacks on Kyiv.
Tsikhanouskaya, an opponent of Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Moscow, said only a democratic Belarus could become a source of stability and security in the region.
"Lukashenko's rhetoric is shifting: we are preparing for war, of course, we want peace, but we are gearing up for war. And that, of course, is very alarming for people," she told reporters after meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, on what she said was her first "working visit" to Kyiv.
Asked about a phone call that French president Emmanuel Macron held on Sunday with Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya described it as "a warning" from Europe.
"If you take any steps to escalate the situation... there will be a response from our side," Tsikhanouskaya said, paraphrasing what she believed to be Europe's message to the veteran Belarusian leader.
Ukraine destroys more than 80 Russian defence systems since March
Tuesday 26 May 2026 12:08 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has inflicted serious damage to Russia’s air defence capabilities as it has destroyed more than 80 air defence systems since March this year, its defence ministry said in an update.
Ukrainian forces have significantly intensified their strike campaign against Russian air defence systems, it said, damaging almost twice as many Russian air defence and radar systems in April 2026 compared to October 2025.
“The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces have struck 81 Russian air defence systems since March 1, 2026, and the Ukrainian MoD noted that Ukrainian forces have struck 12 Pantsir air defense systems in occupied Crimea since the start of 2026,” the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank said.
“Ukrainian forces have been conducting a coherent campaign to suppress and destroy Russian air defences since late 2025 in order to destroy or temporarily degrade surface-based air defenses and let friendly aircraft operate safely,” it added.
Six people die in a fire in Russia's Omsk region
Tuesday 26 May 2026 11:38 , Arpan Rai
At least six people, including four children, have died in a fire that broke out in a private house in Russia's Omsk region, local officials said.
Omsk lies in southwestern Siberia, about 2,200km (1,370 miles) east of Moscow.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Ukraine reburies remains of World War 2 leader who challenged Soviet rule
Tuesday 26 May 2026 11:08 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine reburied the repatriated remains of divisive military figure Andrii Melnyk, who worked with Nazi Germany to fight against Soviet rule, yesterday.
The ashes of the 20th-century Ukrainian military figure and his wife Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk were exhumed last week from Luxembourg and sent to Ukraine.
Their remains were reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv yesterday in a ceremony attended by president Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.
"Today we all see that the Ukrainian idea can overcome what once seemed absolutely insurmountable," Zelensky said, speaking at the reburial ceremony.
"Now, when we are on Ukrainian soil, under our Ukrainian flag, to the sound of the Ukrainian national anthem, paying due tribute to our Ukrainian heroes, we feel in our hearts everything that Ukrainians were forced to go through, everything our people had to endure,” he said.
As we were bringing Colonel Andriy Melnyk and his wife Sofia back to Ukraine – through Zakarpattia and then across half the country to our free capital, Kyiv – this path was not marked by the discord that had so often knocked us, and Ukraine, off our feet in the past. There were… pic.twitter.com/qXpsTeZkfR
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2026
British storm shadow missiles used to hit Russian military infrastructure in occupied Luhansk
Tuesday 26 May 2026 10:38 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine says it used Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian military targets in the occupied Luhansk region yesterday.
"Ukraine used Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to successfully destroy an important enemy command-and-control and communications post in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk (Oblast)," a statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
“This strike underscores the strategic foresight, unity of planning, and deliberate actions that prove no position of the Russian aggressor is safe on Ukrainian soil," the General Staff said.
Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French cruise missile with a maximum range of around 155 miles (250km). The French call it Scalp.
Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 600mph, is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.
Russia had blamed Britain after a Ukrainian strike using the same kind of missile targeting a vital munitions factory in March. The attack reportedly killed seven people.
Kyiv said it hit one of Russia’s “most important military factories”, the Kremniy El plant in the border city of Bryansk using the British-supplied missile.
Zelensky says Ukraine achieved greater results on battlefield this year
Tuesday 26 May 2026 10:08 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces have achieved stronger battlefield results this year and managed to stabilise parts of the front despite major Russian attacks, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Everything is not simple. We are actively defending ourselves, but this year we have achieved greater results than before,” Zelensky said.
The war-time president said Ukraine has strengthened its battlefield positions through drone operations, long-range strikes and technological innovations.
He added that Ukraine’s claims have been indirectly confirmed by criticism and complaints from Russian military bloggers.
“It is especially pleasing when this is clearly confirmed even by the whining of the so-called Russian ‘war correspondents,’” Zelensky said.
Watch: Russia hits Ukraine with hypersonic missile in massive Kyiv assault
Tuesday 26 May 2026 09:38 , Arpan Rai
EU says not leaving Kyiv in response to Russia's bombing threat
Tuesday 26 May 2026 09:08 , Arpan Rai
The head of the EU mission in Kyiv said the 27-nation bloc was "not going anywhere” after Russia issued a warning message, asking foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital.
Russia has threatened to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, on a phone call with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, also pressured the US to evacuate staff from its embassy.
Katarina Mathernova, the head of the EU mission, said the Russian warning sought to sow panic.
"Russia wants fear. Panic. Isolation of Ukraine. It will not work," she said on social media. "The EU is not going anywhere. We are staying in Kyiv. We are staying with Ukraine,” she said.
Putin wants new Ukraine war recruits, offers debt relief in exchange
Tuesday 26 May 2026 08:38 , Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a decree providing debt relief to new Ukraine war recruits and their families, the Kremlin said late on Monday, as Moscow seeks to boost its army.
People who signed a contract with the Russian defence ministry from 1 May and/or their spouses are free from their debts of up to 10 million roubles (£103,791) if a legal claim to collect those debts was in force before that date, the decree posted on the Kremlin's website said.
The recruits will have to join the military to fight against Ukraine in Putin's “special military operation” for at least one year, it added.
The law adds to a variety of support measures for Russian fighters in the war, from big payouts to preferable admissions for higher education, as the Kremlin seeks to boost its forces.
Putin also signed a decree indefinitely extending rental rights for state land for those fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
EU says not leaving Kyiv in response to Russia's bombing threat
Tuesday 26 May 2026 08:10 , Arpan Rai
The head of the EU mission in Kyiv said the 27-nation bloc was "not going anywhere” after Russia issued a warning message, asking foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital.
Russia has threatened to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, on a phone call with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, also pressured the US to evacuate staff from its embassy.
Katarina Mathernova, the head of the EU mission, said the Russian warning sought to sow panic.
"Russia wants fear. Panic. Isolation of Ukraine. It will not work," she said on social media. "The EU is not going anywhere. We are staying in Kyiv. We are staying with Ukraine,” she said.
Lavrov tells Rubio of Russian decision to strike Kyiv sites linked to military
Tuesday 26 May 2026 08:08 , Arpan Rai
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has advised US secretary of state Marco Rubio of Moscow's decision to launch strikes on sites in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Moscow has warned it will launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, and urged foreigners to leave, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.
A statement on the ministry's website said Lavrov told Rubio by telephone that the move was initiated "in response to the continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime against the peaceful population and civilian sites on Russian territory”.
It said Russia's armed forces "are starting systematic strikes on facilities located in Kyiv that are used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on centres where the corresponding decisions are being made”.
Kyiv hosts Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya for her first 'working visit'
Tuesday 26 May 2026 07:50 , Arpan Rai
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv yesterday after weeks of mounting warnings from Ukrainian officials about Russian plans to draw Minsk more deeply into the war against Ukraine.
Tsikhanouskaya arrived a day after one of the war's biggest strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed four people and damaged historical sites, and amid Russian threats to launch further heavy attacks on Kyiv.
Tsikhanouskaya, an opponent of Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Moscow, said only a democratic Belarus could become a source of stability and security in the region.
"Lukashenko's rhetoric is shifting: we are preparing for war, of course, we want peace, but we are gearing up for war. And that, of course, is very alarming for people," she told reporters after meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, on what she said was her first "working visit" to Kyiv.
Asked about a phone call that French president Emmanuel Macron held on Sunday with Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya described it as "a warning" from Europe.
"If you take any steps to escalate the situation... there will be a response from our side," Tsikhanouskaya said, paraphrasing what she believed to be Europe's message to the veteran Belarusian leader.
Ukraine destroys more than 80 Russian defence systems since March
Tuesday 26 May 2026 07:08 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has inflicted serious damage to Russia’s air defence capabilities as it has destroyed more than 80 air defence systems since March this year, its defence ministry said in an update.
Ukrainian forces have significantly intensified their strike campaign against Russian air defence systems, it said, damaging almost twice as many Russian air defence and radar systems in April 2026 compared to October 2025.
“The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces have struck 81 Russian air defence systems since March 1, 2026, and the Ukrainian MoD noted that Ukrainian forces have struck 12 Pantsir air defense systems in occupied Crimea since the start of 2026,” the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank said.
“Ukrainian forces have been conducting a coherent campaign to suppress and destroy Russian air defences since late 2025 in order to destroy or temporarily degrade surface-based air defenses and let friendly aircraft operate safely,” it added.
British man, 23, killed in action in Ukraine after joining specialist unit supporting army
Tuesday 26 May 2026 06:49 , Arpan Rai
A 23-year-old British man, Ayrton Redfearn, was killed in action in Ukraine's Donetsk region. He died on 9 May.
From Devon, Mr Redfearn had joined a specialist unit supporting the Ukrainian army in 2025, his mother, Natasha, told the BBC, adding she “lived in fear of the police coming to my door with bad news”.
“This fear became reality on the evening of 11 May, and the world of myself, and Ayrton’s 10-year-old brother, then fell apart,” she said.
Mr Redfearn was a Torquay Air Cadet as a child, joining the RAF at 17 before travelling overseas.
His mother stated: "We are trying to have just 1 per cent of the strength, bravery and courage of Ayrton, and if we can do this, it will help us to eventually come to terms with our life without him.
British man, 23, killed in Ukraine after joining specialist unit supporting army
Russia says magnetic mines found on tanker at Ust-Luga port
Tuesday 26 May 2026 06:27 , Arpan Rai
Several magnetic mines had been detected on a tanker in Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, Russia's Investigative Committee said yesterday.
The committee said the mines, manufactured in a Nato country, were found by divers during an inspection of the hull of the tanker Arrhenius, which arrived from Belgium's port of Antwerp to load liquefied petroleum gas.
"Based on initial investigative actions, it can already be concluded that the magnetic mines could not have been installed in Russia's territorial waters," Petrenko said.
Nato has not mined any tanker, a Nato official said in an emailed statement.
Last year, Russia ordered divers to inspect ships in its ports, after suspected attacks on four oil tankers. The Suezmax tanker Koala ran aground at Ust-Luga after a blast in its engine room in February 2025.
According to LSEG ship tracking data, Arrhenius is Liberia-flagged and is managed by the Maple Mariner Holding in the UAE.
A spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee, Svetlana Petrenko, said the vessel, which entered Ust-Luga on 20 May, was scheduled to sail to the Turkish port of Samsun. The mines were deactivated, she said.
Six people die in a fire in Russia's Omsk region
Tuesday 26 May 2026 06:19 , Arpan Rai
At least six people, including four children, have died in a fire that broke out in a private house in Russia's Omsk region, local officials said.
Omsk lies in southwestern Siberia, about 2,200km (1,370 miles) east of Moscow.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Russia warns US embassy and foreign citizens to flee Kyiv as it prepares more strikes
Tuesday 26 May 2026 06:00 , Arpan Rai
Russia has issued a stark warning to foreign nationals, diplomatic missions and staff to leave Kyiv immediately as it will launch “systematic strikes”.
“Given the continued terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime against Russian civilians, @mod_russia will be targeting Ukrainian defence industry facilities in Kiev. Foreign nationals, including diplomatic missions & staff, should leave the city ASAP,” it said in a post on X.
Moscow has said it will attack targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, on a phone call with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, also pressured the US to evacuate staff from its embassy.
⚡️ Given the continued terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime against Russian civilians, @mod_russia will be targeting Ukrainian defence industry facilities in Kiev.
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) May 25, 2026
Foreign nationals, including diplomatic missions & staff, should leave the city ASAP.https://t.co/yUFj4twX81 pic.twitter.com/9Hu0lPauvH
Ukraine reburies remains of World War 2 leader who challenged Soviet rule
Tuesday 26 May 2026 05:50 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine reburied the repatriated remains of divisive military figure Andrii Melnyk, who worked with Nazi Germany to fight against Soviet rule, yesterday.
The ashes of the 20th-century Ukrainian military figure and his wife Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk were exhumed last week from Luxembourg and sent to Ukraine.
Their remains were reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv yesterday in a ceremony attended by president Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.
"Today we all see that the Ukrainian idea can overcome what once seemed absolutely insurmountable," Zelensky said, speaking at the reburial ceremony.
"Now, when we are on Ukrainian soil, under our Ukrainian flag, to the sound of the Ukrainian national anthem, paying due tribute to our Ukrainian heroes, we feel in our hearts everything that Ukrainians were forced to go through, everything our people had to endure,” he said.
Коли ми повертали в Україну полковника Андрія Мельника та його дружину Софію через Закарпаття та ще пів країни у нашу вільну столицю, у Київ, на цьому шляху не було розбрату, який так часто раніше збивав нас, збивав Україну з ніг. Не було сумнівів, хто є справжнім ворогом для… pic.twitter.com/uOIyJ89oaK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2026
Watch: Russia hits Ukraine with hypersonic missile in massive Kyiv assault
Tuesday 26 May 2026 05:41 , Arpan Rai
British storm shadow missiles used to hit Russian military infrastructure in occupied Luhansk
Tuesday 26 May 2026 05:00 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine says it used Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian military targets in the occupied Luhansk region yesterday.
"Ukraine used Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to successfully destroy an important enemy command-and-control and communications post in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk (Oblast)," a statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
“This strike underscores the strategic foresight, unity of planning, and deliberate actions that prove no position of the Russian aggressor is safe on Ukrainian soil," the General Staff said.
Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French cruise missile with a maximum range of around 155 miles (250km). The French call it Scalp.
Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 600mph, is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.
Russia had blamed Britain after a Ukrainian strike using the same kind of missile targeting a vital munitions factory in March. The attack reportedly killed seven people.
Kyiv said it hit one of Russia’s “most important military factories”, the Kremniy El plant in the border city of Bryansk using the British-supplied missile.
Zelensky says talks with US on missile defences see little progress
Tuesday 26 May 2026 04:44 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine had made little progress in talks with the United States on expanding production of missile defences and was working with Europe to solve the matter, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Unfortunately, there has been no progress for a long time with America regarding the expansion of anti-ballistic missile production," he said in his nightly video address.
"We are trying to accelerate this work in Europe, the production of our own anti-ballistic systems on the continent in sufficient quantities," he said.
Zelensky said Ukraine was continuing to talk to the United States on how it can help Ukraine and that US leadership was vital.
He thanked French president Emmanuel Macron for his role in developing systems and said Europe was instrumental in providing financial help for Ukraine to acquire weapons.
“Europe is helping us financially. But the leadership of the United States is also very much needed. Today it is very, very important to say this," he said.
He added that Ukraine was grateful for US expertise and that it was "very important that there are results. The same applies to diplomacy. We expect new diplomatic measures with representatives of the President of the United States of America”.
Zelensky says Ukraine achieved greater results on battlefield this year
Tuesday 26 May 2026 04:23 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces have achieved stronger battlefield results this year and managed to stabilise parts of the front despite major Russian attacks, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Everything is not simple. We are actively defending ourselves, but this year we have achieved greater results than before,” Zelensky said.
The war-time president said Ukraine has strengthened its battlefield positions through drone operations, long-range strikes and technological innovations.
He added that Ukraine’s claims have been indirectly confirmed by criticism and complaints from Russian military bloggers.
“It is especially pleasing when this is clearly confirmed even by the whining of the so-called Russian ‘war correspondents,’” Zelensky said.
We are working with all our partners on air defense for Ukraine – this is the first priority. Anti-ballistic capabilities are now in short supply globally because of the war with Iran, but we must look for solutions.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2026
We are trying to accelerate work in Europe on producing our… pic.twitter.com/O1XA8Ggujk
EU says not leaving Kyiv in response to Russia's bombing threat
Tuesday 26 May 2026 04:11 , Arpan Rai
The head of the EU mission in Kyiv said the 27-nation bloc was "not going anywhere” after Russia issued a warning message, asking foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital.
Russia has threatened to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, on a phone call with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, also pressured the US to evacuate staff from its embassy.
Katarina Mathernova, the head of the EU mission, said the Russian warning sought to sow panic.
"Russia wants fear. Panic. Isolation of Ukraine. It will not work," she said on social media. "The EU is not going anywhere. We are staying in Kyiv. We are staying with Ukraine,” she said.
Watch: Dozens injured in Russian attack on Kyiv
Tuesday 26 May 2026 04:00 , Harriette Boucher
Putin wants new Ukraine war recruits, offers debt relief in exchange
Tuesday 26 May 2026 03:53 , Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a decree providing debt relief to new Ukraine war recruits and their families, the Kremlin said late on Monday, as Moscow seeks to boost its army.
People who signed a contract with the Russian defence ministry from 1 May and/or their spouses are free from their debts of up to 10 million roubles (£103,791) if a legal claim to collect those debts was in force before that date, the decree posted on the Kremlin's website said.
The recruits will have to join the military to fight against Ukraine in Putin's “special military operation” for at least one year, it added.
The law adds to a variety of support measures for Russian fighters in the war, from big payouts to preferable admissions for higher education, as the Kremlin seeks to boost its forces.
Putin also signed a decree indefinitely extending rental rights for state land for those fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
Lavrov tells Rubio of Russian decision to strike Kyiv sites linked to military
Tuesday 26 May 2026 03:51 , Arpan Rai
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has advised US secretary of state Marco Rubio of Moscow's decision to launch strikes on sites in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Moscow has warned it will launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, and urged foreigners to leave, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.
A statement on the ministry's website said Lavrov told Rubio by telephone that the move was initiated "in response to the continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime against the peaceful population and civilian sites on Russian territory”.
It said Russia's armed forces "are starting systematic strikes on facilities located in Kyiv that are used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on centres where the corresponding decisions are being made”.
How Ukraine and Russia’s drone war spread into Europe as Putin ‘hijacks’ Kyiv’s weapons in mid-air
Tuesday 26 May 2026 03:00 , Harriette Boucher
Ukraine has developed unprecedented drone technology after being invaded by the Russian superpower, but now Moscow appears to be using the aircraft against Kyiv, threatening to cause chaos in Europe, reports Maira Butt:
How Ukraine and Russia’s drone war spread to Europe as Putin ‘hijacks’ Kyiv’s weapons
Russia hits Ukraine with hypersonic missile in massive Kyiv assault
Tuesday 26 May 2026 02:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russia's Syzran oil refinery halted by drone attack, sources say
Tuesday 26 May 2026 01:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russia's Syzran oil refinery on the Volga river has halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attack last Thursday.
Industry sources told Reuters that the attack damaged a primary processing unit.
The local governor said that two people were killed by a drone attack on the town of Syzran in Russia's Samara region while Ukraine said it had struck the area's refinery.
The sources said the refinery's CDU-6 crude distillation unit, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the plant's capacity, was shut down after the attack and that repairs could take more than a month.
Rosneft, which owns the plant, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
British soldier fighting for Ukraine killed in war
Tuesday 26 May 2026 00:00 , Harriette Boucher
A 23-year-old British man, Ayrton Redfearn, was killed in action in Ukraine's Donetsk region. He died on 9 May.
From Devon, Mr Redfearn had joined a specialist unit supporting the Ukrainian army in 2025, his mother, Natasha, told the BBC, adding she “lived in fear of the police coming to my door with bad news”.
“This fear became reality on the evening of 11 May, and the world of myself, and Ayrton’s 10-year-old brother, then fell apart,” she said.
Mr Redfearn was a Torquay Air Cadet as a child, joining the RAF at 17 before travelling overseas.
His mother stated: "We are trying to have just 1 per cent of the strength, bravery and courage of Ayrton, and if we can do this, it will help us to eventually come to terms with our life without him.
“I am very grateful for all the tributes, messages and support from those who knew Ayrton and from strangers."
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Ukraine, and are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”
British man, 23, killed in Ukraine after joining specialist unit supporting army
Leaders keep a wary eye on Belarus after Russia’s biggest missile attack of the year on Ukraine
Monday 25 May 2026 23:00 , Harriette Boucher
Belarus' exiled opposition leader visited Kyiv on Monday as the Ukrainian capital cleaned up after Russia’s biggest missile attack of the year, and world leaders kept a close eye on how much support the Belarusian government is ready to provide for Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived by train in Kyiv for her first visit to the city, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with President Alexander Lukashenko, who has governed Belarus with an iron fist for more than three decades.
The French leader “underscored the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be dragged into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” according to a presidential aide in Macron’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the presidential palace’s practices.
Macron also spoke Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who in recent days has increasingly warned that Belarus could provide a launchpad for Russia to open a new front in northern Ukraine.
With the full-scale invasion more than four years old, the Russian army is locked in a hard and costly slog on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line that mostly snakes through eastern and southern Ukraine. With American-made air defence missiles in short supply because of the Iran war, Russian missiles are harder for Ukraine to stop.
Leaders keep a wary eye on Belarus after Russia’s biggest missile attack of the year on Ukraine
In pictures: Ukrainians deal with aftermath of Russia's deadly attacks in Kyiv
Monday 25 May 2026 22:00 , Harriette Boucher
Ukrainians flee Kyiv after latest deadly Russian attack
Monday 25 May 2026 21:00 , Harriette Boucher
Some locals said they had no choice but to flee Kyiv after Sunday's attack, one of the worst so far on the capital since the war began.
“It was a terrible night, and there had never been anything like it in the entire war," said Kyiv resident Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who had worked for 22 years in the market that was damaged.
“I am very sorry that I have to say goodbye to Kyiv now, I am not staying there anymore, there is no possibility," she added.
“My job is gone, everything is gone, everything has burned down.”
Yevhen Zosin, 74, a Kyiv resident who witnessed the attack, said the moment he heard the explosion he rushed to grab his dog.
“Then there was another explosion and she and I were thrown back like a pin by the shock wave. We both survived, she and I. My apartment was blown to pieces,” he said.
In Kyiv’s Shevchenko district, a five-story residential building was hit, which caused a fire, and one person was killed, Ukraine's state emergency service reported.
A school building was damaged by an attack while people sheltered inside, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Fires continued to rage into the morning, complicating rescue efforts as buildings collapsed from the blasts.
Usyk says his daughter texted him from bomb shelter minutes before Verhoeven fight
Monday 25 May 2026 20:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russia says Armenia could lose cheap gas if it turns away from Moscow
Monday 25 May 2026 19:00 , Harriette Boucher
Moscow has warned Armenia that it could lose the “very attractive” price it pays for gas if it turns away from integration with Russia.
Armenia is a member of a Russian-led economic union and heavily dependent on Russia for energy supplies, but in recent years it has sought deeper ties with the European Union, including adopting a law last year to launch its accession process to the bloc.
“There is a very, very attractive and more than preferential price for Russian gas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked about relations with Armenia.
“But, of course, such terms are not available to participants in other integration frameworks. There, the pricing structure is entirely different. It is market-based.”
Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia had no interest in severing political and economic ties with Russia.
“We want and will strive to preserve and deepen our normal relations,” Russian news agency Interfax quoted him as telling reporters in Yerevan on Monday.
Czech government proposes tighter rules for Ukrainian refugees
Monday 25 May 2026 18:00 , Harriette Boucher
The Czech government is looking to tighten its rules for Ukrainian refugees over what it says is an abuse of aid and the perception that refugees had some advantages over locals.
A legal amendment was approved on Monday by the populist coalition government, which includes an anti-Ukrainian far-right party.
It faces a balancing act between the demands of the anti-immigration far-right, providing aid, and the needs of businesses that are keen to employ Ukrainians key to sectors such as services and construction.
Russia hits Ukraine with hypersonic missile in massive Kyiv assault
Monday 25 May 2026 17:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russia tells foreign citizens to get out of Kyiv as it prepares more strikes
Monday 25 May 2026 14:48 , Harriette Boucher
Russia has told foreign citizens to leave Kyiv as it threatens more revenge attacks against the capital.
It said it was starting a series against Ukrainian defence industry facilities, Tass news agency reported.
Strikes will be directed at both decision-making centres and command posts.
It comes after Moscow vowed to continue its strikes on Kyiv in response to the attack on a student dormitory on Friday.
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