All articles tagged with #russia ukraine war
AP News reports that Russia attacked Kyiv with drones and a hypersonic missile, with a photo gallery capturing scenes from the strike and its aftermath; photographers EFREM LUKATSKY and EVGENIY MALOLETKA document the event within ongoing coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia reportedly used its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Kyiv Oblast, including Bila Tserkva, during a broader attack on Kyiv. The weapon reportedly releases up to six independent warheads, and about 16 missiles were fired, marking what Kyiv officials describe as the third known Oreshnik strike after Dnipro (Nov 2024) and Lviv (Jan 2026).
ISW says Russia’s top commander Gerasimov presented an inflated battlefield picture, claiming advances west of Kupyansk and gains around Borova, Lyman, and related towns that ground evidence shows did not occur; milbloggers criticize these “beautiful reports” as driving flawed planning, while Ukrainian forces maintain defensive lines and counterattacks limit Russian progress. Russia’s next objective appears to be Shevchenkove, but Kupyansk would have to be secured first, something Moscow has not achieved. Concurrently, the Kremlin expands passportization in Transnistria and Ukraine conducts long‑range strikes against Russian infrastructure in Stavropol; overall, the front remains contested and Russian claims are not borne out on the ground.
A 12‑year‑old Anatolii Prokhorenko in Chernihiv disabled a Russian fiber‑optic drone heading toward children after being taught by a soldier, highlighting the civilian toll of Russia’s drone campaign and the UN‑labeled war crimes of such attacks.
In the 24 hours after a three-day ceasefire began, Russia said Ukraine violated the truce more than 1,000 times and carried out attacks that killed at least three Ukrainians in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson, including a 58-year-old woman in Nezlamne. Kyiv’s authorities reported drone and artillery strikes with several injuries. Russia claimed to have downed 57 Ukrainian drones, while Ukraine said it faced 27 long-range drone launches and logged 147 battlefield clashes. The fighting continuing around Russian-occupied Kherson and across multiple regions underscores a fragile truce in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war for May 9–11, paired with a 1,000-prisoner swap from each side, with Zelenskyy and the Kremlin confirming the move as peace talks continue amid ongoing fighting.
Russia held subdued Victory Day observances amid ongoing fighting in Ukraine, suggesting a cautious Kremlin approach and a recalibrated narrative from Putin as the war drags on.
Amid intensified Ukrainian drone strikes, Moscow is scaling back its Victory Day parade for the first time in nearly 20 years, removing tanks and missiles and limiting the display to a foot procession by military academies while keeping the aerial show; security has been tightened and authorities cite the ongoing war and potential drone threats as the reason for a more restrained ceremony.
ISW reports Russian forces lost about 116 square kilometers in April 2026, the first net territorial loss since the 2024 invasion, with momentum slowing as Ukrainian counterattacks, mid-range strikes, and logistical constraints bite; gains from late 2025 to April 2026 fell far short of the year-ago period, and Moscow increasingly relies on infiltration tactics rather than holding territory, while seasonal mud and air campaign strains compound battlefield constraints.
Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, hitting a key Black Sea refinery in Tuapse and triggering a days-long, carcinogenic blaze that environmentalists say could be one of Russia’s worst ecological disasters since the Soviet era, prompting appeals for accountability and scrutiny of the government’s response.
A bomb in Russia’s remote Khabarovsk region killed one person and injured several, with Russian and Ukrainian media saying the strike may have targeted Major General Azatbek Omurbekov, commander of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade linked to civilian killings in Kyiv. If confirmed, it would mark another high-ranking Russian figure being targeted. A court remanded three suspects in the bombing; Kyiv has not commented. Western allies have previously sanctioned Omurbekov for alleged rights abuses in Ukraine.
ISW notes Dmitry Medvedev framed the war as an existential conflict with the West shortly after a Putin–Trump call, while the US released $400 million in Ukraine aid and Kyiv began using mobile F-16 flight simulators. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces advanced in the Slovyansk and Kostyantynivka directions amid ongoing Russian offensives; Russia launched 206 drones overnight targeting Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine continues long‑range strikes against Russian oil facilities (Perm and Tuapse), while Russian forces press across multiple axes with limited gains. The analysis emphasizes Moscow’s persistent war aims, mixed battlefield momentum, and sustained Western support for Ukraine.
Russian President Putin faces rising discontent as the war in Ukraine grinds on, sanctions bite deeper, and internet restrictions fuel public frustration, with inflation fears and a shaky economy contributing to a broader mood of despair and questions about Russia’s future.
Ukrainian drones hit the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai overnight—the second strike there in a week—causing a major fire at the tank farm; Russia’s governor said one person was killed and another injured. Kyiv described the attack as a joint operation by Ukraine’s USF, Special Operations Forces, and HUR, part of a broader effort to disrupt Moscow’s oil revenue, with additional strikes reported on Crimea oil facilities; verification of damage remains limited as the situation develops.
ISW says four platoon-sized or smaller Russian mechanized/motorized assaults over the last 48 hours are unlikely to bolster the main spring-summer offensive, with most attacks failing to cross the line of contact and likely serving reconnaissance-in-force or opportunistic aims. Ukraine’s USF reports intercepting a Shahed drone with a USV-launched interceptor and is forming naval drone battalions. Russia faces domestic economic critique and dipping approval while Ukrainian strikes hit the Atlant Aero drone plant in Taganrog and the Yeysk seaport, as Moscow maintains a multi-axis show of pressure that remains largely inconsequential to the main Donbas effort.