United 24 Media:
❗️President Zelenskyy on the strike on Moscow: our responses to the prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are fully justified
“This time, Ukrainian long-range measures reached the Moscow region. We are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end this war. Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturers continue their work,” the president said.
The distance from Ukraine’s state border is more than 500 km. The Moscow region has the highest concentration of Russian air defense systems, yet Ukrainian drones continue to overcome these defenses.
💥 The capital of the Russian Federation is no longer out of reach for Ukrainian drones, Robert ‘Magyar’ Brovdi said, commenting on the strike on Moscow and the surrounding region.
“Moscow never sleeps now. Version 17.05: the chances have evened out — the one-way ticket to a quiet life in Patriky and the surrounding area has been canceled,” said the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces, publishing a photo of a UAV fragment bearing the inscription “Moscow never sleeps.”
🔷 The Ministry of Defense named the facilities reportedly hit during the attack on Moscow and the surrounding region on May 17.
“Moscow and the region experienced the largest attack since the start of the full-scale invasion. The war is returning to where it came from. Defense forces struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, the Solnechnogorsk oil depot, and several microelectronics factories,” the statement said.
🔶 The United States has not extended the sanctions exemption for Russian oil, despite the difficult market situation and the ongoing war with Iran, Bloomberg reports.
The exemption concerns Russian oil already loaded onto tankers.
The Donald Trump administration first announced the easing of sanctions on Russian oil in March, and the exemption was extended again in April.
According to Bloomberg, India, Indonesia, and several other countries heavily dependent on oil imports lobbied for the sanctions relief.
In April, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent initially said the United States would not extend the exemption, but reversed the decision two days later.
Speaking before a Senate committee, Bessent explained that he changed course after appeals from “more than a dozen of the most vulnerable and energy-poor countries.”
Journalists suggest that lobbying from Asian partners and further escalation in the oil market could once again push Washington to reconsider its decision later.
🇺🇦 “War is predictably returning to its ‘home turf,’ and this is a clear signal that Ukraine is not to be messed with,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“As I said yesterday, the Russians should be thinking about their refineries, oil facilities, and enterprises — not about how to ruin the lives of people in Ukraine, Moldova, or any other neighboring country,” the president noted.
He also emphasized that Ukraine will continue increasing supplies for its army, including drones, missile systems, ammunition, and all resources necessary to maintain effective defense and frontline operations.
💥 A drone attacked the UAE’s only nuclear power plant, Ukraine condemns the strike
The attack caused a fire in a power generator located outside the plant’s perimeter. No injuries were reported, radiation levels remain normal, and all power units continue to operate as usual.
The IAEA said it is monitoring the situation, while agency head Rafael Grossi stressed that any attacks threatening nuclear safety are unacceptable.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also stated that such attacks are completely unacceptable and pose risks to global security.
🔷 “Europe must be part of the negotiations. It is important that it has a strong voice and presence in this process, and that it determines who will represent it,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a conversation with President of the European Council António Costa.
“We discussed in detail the prospects of the negotiation process for peace for Ukraine and all of Europe. I informed him about our recent contacts with various European leaders and with the American side.
We share the same understanding that Europe must participate in the negotiations.
Of course, we also discussed Ukraine’s European integration. We are ready to open negotiation clusters — we talked about the timeline and the necessary coordination regarding this. I am grateful to everyone who supports us,” Zelenskyy said.
🔶 This week, Russia launched more than 3,170 strike drones, over 1,300 guided aerial bombs, and 74 missiles of various types against Ukraine, most of them ballistic, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“There were numerous strikes on residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Tragically, 52 people were killed during the week as a result of the shelling. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Another 346 people were injured, including 22 children.
Our people need greater protection, and everything that strengthens Ukrainian air defense ultimately helps save lives. That is why PURL and additional contributions for anti-ballistic missiles are so important.
It is equally important for Europe to work on joint ballistic missile defense. We must become self-sufficient in defense so that Russian air terror cannot threaten either Ukraine or any other country on the continent.
I am grateful to all partners who support our defense with concrete actions,” Zelenskyy said.
🔷 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte plans to pressure European arms manufacturers to accelerate production, the Financial Times reports.
According to the publication, Rutte will urge companies including Rheinmetall, Safran, Airbus, Saab, MBDA, and Leonardo to invest more rapidly in expanding their own production capacities without waiting for major new government contracts.
Ahead of the meeting, the companies were asked to provide data on investments and their ability to scale up production, particularly in the areas of air defense and long-range missiles.
The meeting will take place before NATO’s annual summit scheduled for July in Ankara. Rutte’s goal is to demonstrate to Donald Trump that the alliance’s decision to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, adopted last year, is being implemented not only on paper but also in practice.
According to NATO estimates, if European member states meet the 5% target, annual defense spending by 2035 will increase by a combined $1 trillion compared to 2024 levels.
❗️Russian forces attacked Dnipro overnight with UAVs and missiles, hitting civilian infrastructure and a pyrotechnics warehouse, the regional administration reported.
Following the drone strikes, fires broke out at the pyrotechnics warehouse and on the roof of a high-rise building. At that stage, no casualties had been reported.
Later, the enemy launched a missile strike on a residential area of the city. People were found trapped in one of the buildings.
The number of injured in Dnipro has risen to 18, including two children. Eight people were hospitalized in moderate condition.
🔶 Russia has begun losing territory in Ukraine for the first time since 2023, according to The Economist. (2x Photos Below)
Citing its own military tracker, the publication reports that Russia’s spring offensive has effectively stalled, while Ukrainian forces have gradually regained ground in recent months.
According to the magazine, since the beginning of 2026, Russian forces have captured only about 220 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory — roughly 0.04% of Ukraine’s total area. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have reportedly recaptured around 189 square kilometers.
The Economist estimates Russian losses at between 280,000 and 518,000 killed, with total casualties, including the wounded, reaching up to 1.5 million. Analysts cited by the publication believe the war has already affected around 3% of Russia’s entire pre-war male population of conscription age.
The magazine also notes that Russia’s battlefield gains are becoming increasingly limited, while Ukrainian drones continue to complicate Russian troop movements and logistics.
🇺🇦🇭🇺 Ukraine and Hungary are preparing for a new stage in bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
According to him, a new round of Ukrainian-Hungarian consultations will take place this week to find practical and reliable solutions regarding the Hungarian minority in the Zakarpattia region.
“Ukraine is ready to open a new, mutually beneficial chapter in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations without delay. We are prepared to work with the new Hungarian government on all issues of our bilateral agenda, including national minorities, in order to restore trust and good-neighborly relations between our countries,” the minister noted.
The parties also discussed Ukraine’s path toward EU membership. Sybiha confirmed Ukraine’s readiness to open negotiation clusters as soon as possible.