Ukraine war live ticker: +++ 21:15 Zelenskyy: "Russia not ready for anything" - "harsh reactions" against Kremlin missing so far +++

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on the US and EU to respond harshly to Russian shelling of Ukraine. "Russia is filling every day with grief and murder—it is simply prolonging the war," he said in his evening video address. "All of this requires a response—a harsh response from the United States of America, a response from Europe, a response from all people in the world who want an end to the war." Zelenskyy continued: "Putin has repeatedly refused to accept the ceasefire. This does him no good except take lives every day. Every day provides grounds for new sanctions against Russia; every day proves that the war will continue without pressure on Russia." Ukraine is ready for "any form of diplomacy" that "brings results," Zelenskyy said. "Russia itself is not ready for anything."

+++ 8:45 p.m. Expert: "Ukraine could become Trump's Afghanistan - or worse" +++ According to a report, European heads of state are toying with the idea of ​​buying weapons from US stocks and delivering them to Ukraine. The background is that Donald Trump could soon end aid and Vladimir Putin is likely planning a major summer offensive, reports Bloomberg . The purchase of weapons by EU states would increase pressure on the Kremlin. Experts assume that the arms deliveries approved and financed by former US President Joe Biden could expire this summer. Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, expects that Ukraine can only continue to hold out with US aid. If Trump opposes this, he believes it would have disastrous consequences, of which the US President is aware: "Ukraine could become Trump's Afghanistan, if not worse," says Kupchan.

+++ 8:05 PM Report: China Reduces Imports of Russian Energy +++ China is reducing its imports of Russian energy sources. The Ukrainian foreign intelligence service attributes this to changing energy priorities, the war in Ukraine, and the tightening of Western sanctions, according to a report . According to the report, oil purchases fell by 14 percent between January and April, resulting in a 23.9 percent drop in Russia's revenues. Liquefied natural gas imports fell by 27 percent, resulting in a 28 percent drop in revenues. In addition, Beijing's investments declined: From 2011 to 2018, $1.2 billion was invested annually in Moscow, but in 2022 and 2023, this figure fell to just around $400 million.

+++ 7:20 p.m. Major General: Bundeswehr and NATO "ready for action within hours" +++ Major General Andreas Henne, commander of the new Homeland Security Division, believes the Bundeswehr and NATO are quickly ready for action should the worst come to pass. "My goal is 'fight tonight': We must and we will be ready for action within hours," Henne told t-online. The Bundeswehr is capable of defending Germany if it is attacked tomorrow. And NATO is also ready: "NATO is powerful enough to deter Russia and capable enough to repel an attack. 400 million Europeans and 360 million Americans can defend themselves against 160 million Russians. We must not allow ourselves to be misled. We are more, we have more, and we are better."

+++ 6:50 p.m. US Intelligence: Putin Wants to "Exhaust Ukraine's Willpower" +++ The US Intelligence Agency (DIA) has prepared a Worldwide Threat Assessment for Congress. It speaks of a "strategy of attrition" by the Kremlin in Ukraine. "Putin is almost certainly committed to victory in Ukraine, and his goals have remained largely unchanged since the beginning of the war: Ukrainian neutrality and further division of the Ukrainian state," states the report , which, although dated May 11, was only recently made public. "Absent a negotiated settlement and massive Western aid, the battlefield outlook will likely continue to slowly shift in Russia's favor through the end of 2025, even as Russian battlefield gains slow and continue to be associated with heavy losses of personnel and equipment." It goes on to say that even though Putin would prefer a quick victory, he is satisfied with the current limited progress, as it "steadily depletes Ukraine's resources and willpower and can outlast Western support for Ukraine."

+++ 6:17 p.m. Croatian nobleman killed fighting for Ukraine +++ According to the "Balkan Observer," Croatian volunteer Antonio Herceg died in the war in Ukraine. He was reportedly killed on May 6 "on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine." Herceg served in the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Croat was previously a professional soldier in the French army and originally came from a noble Herzegovinian family that settled in Lyon, France, after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croat from Bosnia and Herzegovina will be buried on Tuesday, May 27, at the "Miroševac" cemetery in Zagreb.

+++ 5:25 PM "Black Forest" fighters destroy Russian air defenses on key front line +++ Fighters of the separate artillery reconnaissance brigade "Black Forest" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system with ammunition. "Reconnaissance troops of the 'Black Forest' reconnaissance brigade discovered and directed fire on the station of the latest enemy medium-range 'Buk-M3' anti-aircraft missile system with ammunition," the operational-strategic group " Khortytsia " reported on Telegram. A video shows the attack on the "Buk-M3." The device was reportedly located "in one of the key directions." However, the exact sector of the front was not disclosed. "Khortytsia" estimates the damage to be approximately 45 million euros.

+++ 4:58 p.m. Kriewald on prisoners: "You could see they were starving" +++ Russia and Ukraine are continuing the largest prisoner exchange since the outbreak of the war. A total of 1,000 prisoners each have been agreed upon between Moscow and Kyiv. NTV reporter Nadja Kriewald is on site and provides initial impressions of the released prisoners of war.

+++ 4:30 PM Ukrainian schools are being named after Russian "war heroes" +++ Schools are now being renamed in droves on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, human rights activists from the region report to the Krym.Realii portal. "The Russian occupation authorities in the Simferopol, Sudak, Dzhankoi, Kirovskyi, Rozdolne, and Chornomorskyi districts are most actively involved," one person said. According to the statements, 200 schools are to be renamed. The actually numbered educational institutions will then bear the names of "heroes of the special military operation," as the Crimean administration puts it. "Commemorative plaques, memory corners, historical exhibitions, and museums will be installed in the schools, and 'patriotic clubs' will be established," the activist continued. The goal is likely "a long-term ideological influence on schoolchildren, instilling Russian militaristic values, glorifying military aggression, and celebrating participants in the war against Ukraine."

+++ 4:10 PM Estonia: "Pressure on Russia not great enough" +++ Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna condemns last night's major Russian attack on Kyiv. "There is a simple explanation for Russia's continued aggression: the pressure on the country has not been great enough to stop it," he writes on X. "The power to change that lies with us." Tsahkna calls for increased military aid for Ukraine, tougher sanctions against the Kremlin, as well as tougher action against the Russian shadow fleet and the use of frozen assets. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also criticized the Kremlin's actions, calling it "another night of terror": "These are not the actions of a country striving for peace."

+++ 3:40 PM Kremlin plans to hand over memorandum to Ukraine "in the next few days" +++ Moscow plans to promptly send a document to Kyiv for a vote on the terms of a ceasefire in Ukraine. "Work on the memorandum is underway," Konstantin Kosachev, Vice Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, told the Zvezda television channel, as reported by the pro-Kremlin portal RBC . Work on the document is "in its final stages": "I expect Russia's proposals to be submitted to the Ukrainian side in the next few days," Kosachev said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out on Friday evening at the length of time the Kremlin was taking to develop its proposals. "If it takes the Russians a week to present a so-called 'memorandum' on a ceasefire, that's a mockery of the entire world," Zelenskyy said.

+++ 3:00 PM Kremlin upgrades Iskander missiles - Patriot system fails to defend +++ Ukraine sees new problems in defending against Russian attacks. Yurii Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, explained on state television that the Kremlin's Iskander-M missiles have been "improved and modernized." "They now have radar traps," said Ihnat. "These quasi-ballistic missiles follow a complex trajectory and maneuver mid-flight, rather than following a straight line and crashing. This makes it difficult for the Patriot system, which was designed to intercept ballistic missiles, to calculate the interception point." This could be one reason why Moscow was able to launch such a large-scale attack on Kyiv last night. According to Ukrainian sources, 14 ballistic missiles were launched, and only 6 of them were destroyed on approach.

+++ 2:34 PM Medvedev verbally attacks European politicians +++ Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian deputy chairman of the Security Council, once again spoke disparagingly about European politicians following the Kremlin's attacks on Kyiv. "Now the pathetic assholes who hide drug napkins on trains will once again scream about Russia's disproportionate attacks on military targets in Kyiv and demand a 30-day ceasefire and sanctions," he writes on X . "First, destroy the disgusting, bloodsucking nits on your filthy bodies!" Medvedev regularly attacks politicians from other nations on the short message platform.

+++ 2:01 PM Russian ship under fire off Mozambique +++ Mozambican authorities are investigating the firing of a Russian research vessel off the Mozambican coast. The 62-meter-long vessel came under fire on its way to the port of Maputo. According to media reports, the shots came from two unidentified speedboats. The perpetrators of the attack are believed to have been Islamist terrorists. Russia has not yet officially reported the attack to local authorities.

+++ 1:12 p.m. Ukraine under pressure in Donetsk near Toretsk +++ Russian troops have intensified their attacks in the Donetsk Oblast in recent weeks. According to a report by the "Kyiv Independent," a threatening situation is developing south of the town of Kostiantynivka, long considered a relatively safe logistics hub for Ukrainian troops.

According to the report, Russian troops are pushing toward Kostiantynivka from two directions and are slowly approaching the Ukrainian pocket west of Toretsk. "If the pressure increases at this rate, the Russians will threaten the supply routes to Kostiantynivka in just a few months," the media outlet quoted Finnish military expert Emil Kastehelmi as saying.

+++ 12:46 Russia and Ukraine exchange more prisoners +++ According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia and Ukraine are continuing their largest prisoner exchange to date. Both countries have released another 307 people each, the ministry announced. A total of 1,000 prisoners each had been agreed upon between Moscow and Kyiv.

+++ 12:36 Russia announces "liberation" of three villages +++ According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian troops have "liberated" three Ukrainian villages. These are Stupochki and Otradne in the Donetsk region, as well as Loknia in the Sumy region, the ministry announced, according to a report by the state agency Tass.

+++ 12:10 Large Russian airstrike shakes Kyiv +++ Kyiv is experiencing one of its largest airstrikes since the outbreak of the war. A swarm of drones and several missiles illuminate the night sky, and many residents seek shelter in subway stations. Cell phone videos show large explosions in the city.

+++ 11:41 Inspector General considers return to old conscription unnecessary +++ The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, does not believe a reactivation of the old conscription is necessary: ​​"I don't believe we need it at all," Breuer told Deutschlandfunk. He relies on the "voluntariness principle, which means that we can interest a wide range of people in actually serving in the Bundeswehr." If that isn't enough, there are further gradations: "If this personnel is insufficient and the threat continues to increase, then another political decision will have to be made."

+++ 11:20 Ukraine denies Russian capture of border town of Yunakivka +++ The Ukrainian military has denied Russian reports of a Russian capture of the town of Yunakivka in the Sumy Oblast. This was reported by the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne, citing the Ukrainian military command in Kursk. The Russian news agency Tass had reported that Russian forces had entered the border town of Yunakivka. The Institute for the Study of War, however, maintains that the village remains under Ukrainian control in its latest update .

+++ 10:49 Russia killing prisoners of war with increasing frequency +++ According to Ukrainian sources, Russia has executed more than 150 Ukrainian prisoners of war, reports the news site RBC-Ukraine, citing Ukrainian military intelligence. According to the report, the number of such war crimes is increasing. In many cases, there were direct orders to shoot prisoners. These are not isolated incidents, "but rather indicate a targeted policy of the leadership of the aggressor state, Russia."

A UN report published on March 19 also describes this practice. Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, told CNN that these are serious violations of international law. Without the order or at least the approval of the president, such a thing would not happen with such frequency.

+++ 10:27 Report: EU wants to exclude 20 Russian banks from the Swift system +++ In its 18th package of sanctions, the EU Commission is targeting not only the Nord Stream pipeline but also the Russian financial system. The business and finance portal Bloomberg reports that more than 20 Russian banks are to be excluded from the international payment system Swift. According to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, a ban on the operation of the Nord Stream pipeline is also planned. Furthermore, the price cap for Russian oil is to be reduced. The package must be coordinated with the EU member states. During the week, the EU enacted its 17th package of sanctions to date. It primarily provides for tougher action against the Russian shadow fleet for the transport of oil and oil products.

+++ 10:01 Zelensky calls for new sanctions after massive attacks +++ Ukrainian President Zelensky sees the Russian nighttime attack on Ukraine as further proof that Russia is blocking a ceasefire. "It was a tough night for all of Ukraine," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "Only additional sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire."

+++ 09:42 Ukraine says it has shot down six of 14 missiles +++ The Ukrainian military has quantified the extent of the latest airstrike on the country: Russia used a total of 250 long-range drones and 14 ballistic missiles, the air force reports. Six missiles and 128 drones were shot down, and another 117 drones were disabled by electronic systems or disappeared from radar, according to the air force. The focus of the nighttime attack was Kyiv.

+++ 09:05 Russian death threats: "If they say it on state television, maybe you should believe them" +++ Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov wished death on the Europeans and Ukrainians on his talk show. "You want a ceasefire, and I want you dead," he said. Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves commented on the clip on X, saying: "If they tell you directly on the tightly controlled main state television channel, maybe you should believe them."

+++ 08:41 Masala: "That was another crazy idea from Trump" +++ Military expert Carlo Masala assumes that the US has effectively already ended its mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia. "Ultimately, the United States, as an active mediator, has withdrawn from this conflict," Masala told t-online, referring to the phone call between Trump and Putin. The US president declared that Moscow and Kyiv should resolve the problem. "That means the Americans are out. And Trump has made it clear that he actually wants to lift sanctions in order to resume business with Russia."

Negotiations mediated by the Pope were "another crazy idea from Donald Trump." Russia, he said, primarily wanted to keep the US out of the talks. "As long as Putin negotiates, the Americans will most likely not actively interfere again," Masala said. "Putin always throws crumbs at Trump's feet, which he then picks up and sells as a major success."

+++ 08:20 At least 14 injured in major Russian attack on Kyiv +++ According to authorities, at least 14 people were injured in Russia's latest attack on Kyiv. Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the capital overnight, the military administration announced on Telegram. It was one of the largest combined drone and missile attacks on the capital to date.

+++ 7:54 a.m. Trump fires dozens of employees from the US National Security Council +++ Dozens of employees of the National Security Council (NSC) have been fired, according to insiders. Five people familiar with the matter told Reuters that among those fired were employees who dealt with key foreign policy issues, such as the war in Ukraine. Some NSC departments will also be merged or dissolved. Among other things, the directorate responsible for international organizations such as NATO will no longer be an independent body. At the end of the restructuring, the workforce is expected to be reduced to around 50 employees. Most recently, there were fewer than 150, compared to around 300 under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

There have long been calls to downsize the NSC, arguing that many positions have dual functions in other areas of government. Democrats and some Republicans, however, fear that this would reduce Trump's policymaking based on expert advice.

+++ 07:32 Russia continues to seek regime change in Ukraine +++ The Institute for the Study of War points to a demand by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He demands that any future peace agreement with Ukraine must include conditions to prevent the election and installation of future pro-Western governments in Ukraine. On Friday, Lavrov said any peace agreement must include conditions to "prevent a repeat of what brought putschists to power through a bloody revolution." He was referring to the 2014 Euromaidan protests. Lavrov also repeated the Russian propaganda lie that Ukrainian President Zelensky is not the legitimate head of state of Ukraine, claiming that Russia could negotiate with the leadership of the Ukrainian parliament instead of Zelensky. Russian government officials often deliberately misinterpret the Ukrainian constitution.

According to ISW, Lavrov's statement is an explicit demand for regime change in Ukraine as a prerequisite for a future peace agreement – ​​a demand that Russian officials routinely make under the guise of "denazifying" Ukraine. Lavrov also rejected Trump's suggestion that the Vatican could host negotiations on Russia's war against Ukraine, saying negotiations in the Vatican were "unrealistic."

+++ 07:02 Economic slowdown: Russian exporters cut rail transport +++ Major Russian exporters are cutting their rail transport of metals and oil products, signaling weakening demand and a slowdown in the country's war-torn economy. According to Reuters, companies such as Rusal and Gazpromneft plan to reduce their rail transport by 2025. As a result, Russian Railways will have to cut its spending by a further 32.5 billion rubles ($408 million), about 3.5 percent less than originally forecast.

+++ 06:26 Expert Gady: Imminent ceasefire unlikely +++ Military expert Franz-Stefan Gady believes an imminent ceasefire is unlikely. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, it is "far more difficult to find peace" than in past military conflicts, he said in an interview with ntv.de. "The reason for this is that there are no guarantor powers that actually want to secure peace. Things were different during the Cold War, for example, in Korea. There it was the USA. If such a guarantor power disappears—and it is currently happening—it is even more difficult to maintain peace. Indeed, it is almost impossible without security guarantees that allow both warring parties to silence their weapons. The USA is not available in Ukraine, and Europe is apparently divided on whether it could take on this role." Given the military situation, he also does not see Russia willing to cease hostilities.

+++ 05:42 Prisoner exchange to continue today +++ Russia and Ukraine plan to continue the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war today and on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in his video message. The Moscow Defense Ministry made a similar statement: The agreed-upon exchange of 1,000 prisoners each will continue in the coming days, it said. "There is no greater joy," wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Platform X. "Such humanitarian confidence-building measures are crucial to our ongoing work to restore peace."

+++ 04:49 After drone attacks on Moscow: Is Kyiv an act of revenge? +++ Following the Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight, several fires broke out in buildings due to falling debris. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, at least eight people were injured, two of whom had to be treated in hospital. According to Klitschko, Kyiv's air defense units were deployed. Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said that a fire had also broken out on two floors of an apartment building in the Dniprovskyi district. Falling debris is also said to have sparked a fire in Obolon in the northern suburbs of the city and in a shopping center in the same area. The air raid siren was sounded continuously for more than two hours after the attack began, authorities said. The nighttime attacks apparently followed several days of Ukrainian drone strikes on targets in Russia, including the capital Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Friday that Russia would respond to these attacks.

+++ 03:10 Report: EU sanctions against Nord Stream imminent +++ The EU is poised to impose new sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as part of a new round of sanctions, as Russia rejects a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine, reports the Bloomberg news agency. "It's a political move aimed at cementing the EU's plan to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027," says Florence Schmit, an energy strategist in London. The decision to sanction the non-operational Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline takes into account the lack of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

+++ 1:50 a.m. Groups of combat drones attack Kyiv - Injured +++ At least two people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its surroundings overnight. They were hit by falling debris from downed drones. After the first groups of combat drones flew in, Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned the residents of the metropolis of further attacks. "Take cover," he urged Kyiv residents on the Telegram platform. Military administrator Timur Tkachenko reported on Telegram damage caused by falling drone debris. Fires broke out in residential buildings in two districts. Emergency services are on duty.

+++ 00:36 Russian attack: Number of dead in Odessa rises +++ The number of dead in a Russian attack with two ballistic missiles on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa has risen to two. One was a port worker, the second a 71-year-old, regional governor Oleh Kiper announced on Telegram. Previously, there had been talk of one dead and eight injured, including four seriously. Another Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Chuhuiv also claimed victims. A woman was killed, the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synyehubov, announced on Telegram. Two men were also injured.

+++ 11:16 PM Zelensky: Russia mocks the entire world +++ In his evening address, Ukrainian President Zelensky sharply condemned Russia's delay in presenting a peace proposal. "If it takes the Russians a week to present a so-called 'memorandum' on a ceasefire, it is a mockery of the entire world," he said. While Ukraine and its partners are working on an immediate ceasefire, Moscow is blocking any further rapprochement. Kremlin spokesman Peskov had previously stated that there was no timeline for the proposal. Foreign Minister Lavrov announced that a draft would not be presented until after the ongoing prisoner exchange (see live ticker entry from 9:08 PM).

+++ 10:12 PM Ukraine wants summit with Putin – and "very happy" with Trump +++ Ukraine is seeking a direct meeting between President Zelensky and Kremlin leader Putin – ideally with the participation of US President Trump. Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha told journalists this, according to "Ukrainska Pravda." According to the report, an expanded format with international partners is desirable. "We would very much like to see President Trump participate in such a meeting," Sybiha said. According to Kyiv's position, Europe must also be at the negotiating table. However, the Kremlin recently stated that no trip for Putin to attend possible negotiations is currently planned.

+++ 9:33 PM Two Russian military aircraft allegedly violate Finnish airspace +++ Two Russian military aircraft allegedly violated Finnish airspace. According to the Finnish Ministry of Defense, the incident occurred off the coast of Porvoo in the south of the country, about 50 kilometers from the capital, Helsinki. "We are taking the alleged violation of territory seriously, and an investigation is ongoing," said Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen. The Finnish Border Guard is investigating the incident and will provide further information, the ministry added.

You can read all previous developments here.