What do Trump's team picks mean for Ukraine-Russia war?

2:30 AM  (Updated:  May 30, 2025 11:41 am)

Russians aren't happy about Putin's 'buffer zone,' intercepted call released by Ukraine's HUR suggests.

"Well, in short, it's clear that they're going to kick everyone out of the border areas and create a gray zone," a Belgorod Oblast resident says in a call intercepted by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).

11:23 AM

Over 89,000 Russian targets struck in May using drones, Ukraine's commander claims.

"Each drone means a destroyed enemy, and therefore a saved life of a Ukrainian serviceman. A special emphasis is placed on the destruction of enemy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) operators and their command centers," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

10:10 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 39 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 26 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty drones were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.

9:21 AM

NATO expansion 'fair' concern for Putin, Kellogg says.

"And that's one of the issues Russia will bring up... They're also talking about Georgia, they're talking about Moldova, they're talking — obviously — about Ukraine. And we're saying, 'Okay, let's address this comprehensively,'" U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.

8:11 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 986,080 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,140 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:57 AM

Officials from US, UK, France, Germany to attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Kellogg says.

Security advisors from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany will attend planned peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on June 2, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said

6:38 AM

'He was kidnapped' — Georgian opposition leader detained as ruling party continues crackdown on dissent.

Leader of the Georgian opposition party "Coalition for Change," Nika Melia, was detained on May 29, NewsGeorgia reported, citing Melia's associates.

4:51 AM  (Updated:  May 30, 2025 5:24 am)

9 injured in Kharkiv amid Russian drone attack.

Nine were injured in Kharkiv overnight on May 30, amid a Russian drone attack on the city.

3:56 PM  (Updated:  May 30, 2025 4:16 am)

'We only work for Serbia' — Vucic denies Moscow's claims of Serbian companies supplying ammunition to Ukraine.

"We have formed a working group, together with Russian partners, to establish the facts... we work only for Serbia," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

12:35 AM

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.

11:21 PM

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.

10:50 PM

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."

10:16 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia reports 2nd consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow

9:27 PM

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.

8:56 PM

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.

8:16 PM  (Updated:  May 29, 2025 8:47 pm)

'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.

7:56 PM

Religion

Detention, pressure, threats — US pastor in Ukraine tells the Kyiv Independent about his encounter with Russians

7:44 PM

Culture

When art meets blockchain: Ukraine’s new frontier in wartime cultural preservation

7:30 PM

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.

3:08 PM  (Updated:  May 29, 2025 6:56 pm)

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.

6:35 PM

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.

6:03 PM

documentary

'No God But Theirs' | Investigation into systemic terror against Ukrainian Christian churches under Russian occupation

5:43 PM

Europe

Infighting and national jockeying undermine Europe’s grand ambitions for rearming

5:26 PM

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.

5:15 PM

Opinion

Russia's persecution of Ukrainian clergy is part of an organized genocidal campaign