Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-05-2025

“Any nail in the coffin of the counter disinformation industry is a win for countries like Russia,” an American disinformation expert told Kyiv Post.

WASHINGTON DC – Key disinformation experts in the US are sounding the alarm after Russia has notably increased its attempts to beef up its false propaganda campaign inside and outside Ukraine following Washington’s recent decisions to “pull out from the information war,” as the experts put it.  

US President Donald Trump’s administration recently cut billions of dollars from US foreign assistance, including over $268 million allocated to support independent media and the free flow of information.

Why Zelensky is wise to prioritize asset ownership and American investment.

In geopolitics, ownership is power. History has repeatedly proven that assets – not signatures on paper – determine the fate of nations.

For Ukraine, this lesson was learned in the harshest way through the Budapest Memorandum. Despite security assurances from global powers, Ukraine was left vulnerable. Agreements were broken, promises unmet, and photo opportunities failed to save lives.

The UK kicked off its four-day celebratory program on Monday to commemorate the Allies’ victory in WWII via a parade through central London.

A Ukrainian military contingent joined British troops in a parade in central London commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Allies’ WWII Victory in Europe (VE Day).

The parade is part of the UK’s four-day program marking the end of WWII in Europe in 1945, which is celebrated by most European nations on May 8 whereas Russia celebrates the day on May 9 in line with the Soviet Union’s tradition.

Military issues websites, along with milbloggers, have been signposting this latest development for months, with its first confirmed use in strikes on Odesa over the last week.

Ukraine’s military intelligence has identified the development of a new Russian jet-powered kamikaze drone, believed to pose a growing threat to Ukrainian defenses as production ramps up and sightings increase near Odesa.

The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) first mentioned the development of the new jet-powered Russian unmanned kamikaze drone on its “War Sanctions” portal at the end of April.

Jarno Habicht, head of the WHO office in Ukraine, affirms the organization’s continuing supporting for Ukraine amid a crisis in healthcare following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Jarno Habicht is head of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) country office in Ukraine and is deeply familiar with the healthcare challenges faced in Europe, including those of eastern Europeans.

Habicht graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Tartu and holds a doctoral degree in public health. He has worked in Estonia’s public sector institutions and been with WHO since 2003. Before becoming Ukraine’s WHO representative, Habicht led WHO offices in Moldova and later in Central Asian states.

The Kremlin’s assaults are more costly than ever and even comparable to World War I – but Russia’s forces still are biting off chunks of Ukrainian territory almost every day.

Russian assaults across the Russo-Ukraine War’s 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front were at a record 2025 high on Saturday, with the Ukrainian Army General Staff (AGS) recording 253 enemy assaults somewhere on the fighting line on May 3.

Despite increasingly heavy casualties and shrinking ground gains, continued Kremlin assaults are probable, independent observers said.

Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash fled to France with help from Reporters Without Borders after facing 10 years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine.

A Russian reporter critical of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine said on Monday she had fled to France after Reporters Without Borders helped coordinate her escape.

Speaking in an interview with AFP at the media watchdog’s headquarters in Paris, Ekaterina Barabash, 64, said she even considered suicide to avoid going to prison.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the suspect was a resident of eastern Ukraine who was recruited after Russian intelligence noticed her online presence.

Ukraine has arrested a 43-year-old TikToker for allegedly spying on troop locations in eastern Ukraine at the behest of Russian intelligence.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in its Monday press release, said the female suspect was a “local employee of a coal mining enterprise” at Pokrovsk, one of the most contested areas on the eastern front in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Lithuania will spend €1.1B to fortify its border with Russia and Belarus, mainly on anti-tank mines, as part of a defense push in the face of Russian aggression.

NATO member Lithuania on Monday said it will spend €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) to fortify its border with Russia and Belarus, with the bulk of this sum used to buy anti-tank mines.

Lithuania, which is on NATO’s eastern flank, and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia – all bordering Russia – fear they could be next in Moscow’s crosshairs were it to win its war against Ukraine.

AFU’s Chief praised the nine-month-long campaign in Russia’s Kursk as a model of unconventional warfare.

The Ukrainian military’s operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast has achieved most of its objectives, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky.

“This operation, which has been going on for nine months, has achieved most of its goals,” Syrsky wrote on Facebook. “Thanks to our active actions in Kursk Oblast, we managed to prevent an offensive campaign by the enemy in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.”

Julie S. Davis has arrived in Kyiv to begin her role as Chargé d’Affaires. Her arrival follows a major reconstruction agreement and signals a sharper American focus on ending the war.

Julie S. Davis, the US Ambassador to Cyprus and newly appointed Chargé d’Affaires to Ukraine, has arrived in Kyiv, the US Embassy confirmed on Monday.

Davis’s arrival comes as the Trump administration pushes for diplomatic end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and strengthens bilateral ties after last week’s signing of the landmark Ukraine Reconstruction Fund Agreement.

The agreement links Ukraine’s national mental health program, “How Are You?”, with the Czech Republic’s National Institute of Mental Health.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic signed a memorandum on Sunday, May 4, to expand cooperation on mental health services, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska reported on X.

The agreement, signed by Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko and his Czech counterpart, Vlastimil Válek, links Ukraine’s national mental health program, “How Are You?”, with the Czech Republic’s National Institute of Mental Health.

The initiative aims to strengthen trauma care, research, and mental health resilience in the face of war-related challenges.

The EU is considering replacing Russian gas with supplies from the US, Qatar, Canada, and African producers, but it will take time.

The European Union is preparing a proposal to completely ban imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, with a gradual phase-out of purchases.

The final version of the plan is set to be announced on Tuesday, May 6, Bloomberg reported Monday.  

Russia’s war in Ukraine has already had global ramifications and is felt in the pockets of everyday Americans – hesitate now in supporting Ukraine’s victory and the US will suffer long term.

Imagine an oil-, gas-, and rare-mineral-rich war-torn country that is ready to become a key component of American wealth. Ukraine is battling not only to survive but also to access a bounty of resources that the US has now claimed. With a historic agreement reached on May 1, Ukraine’s prosperity will determine America’s economic future, with a joint fund receiving half of the country’s natural wealth income.

The problem is that this fantastic chance can pass by if the US does not provide strong military backing to stop Russian aggression. Arming Ukraine is a strategic decision to put an end to the conflict, protect our investment, and change the world order; it is not a humanitarian gesture.

The Serebryansky forest in Luhansk has become a key battleground, where dense trees limit heavy vehicles, and most of the fighting is done on foot.

Ukrainian border guards are repelling near-daily Russian infantry assaults in the dense Serebryansky forest, where limited visibility and rugged terrain have constrained the use of heavy equipment, according to video released by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The fighters featured in the video are part of the Commandant’s Office of Rapid Response “Shkval” – or “Squall” – a frontline unit engaged in intense close-quarters combat as Russian forces attempt to gain ground.

Ukraine’s National Guard released footage of Russian troops attempting to storm Ukrainian positions on motorcycles, waving flags before being obliterated by drone rebuff of the motorized meat assault.

The National Guard of Ukraine has released a video showing their defeat of a Russian motorcycle onslaught in which Kremlin troops tried to plant their flag on the ruins of a building, instead getting obliterated by drones rebuffing the motorized meat assault

“Another attempt by the occupiers to break through the battle formations of the Defense Forces at any cost. The main actors are infantry on motorcycles and many means of their elimination,” wrote National Guard Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko, who shared the footage via Telegram.

The EU is afraid the US will blackmail it with gas, so it wants to diversify supply with Russia. What’s wrong with this idea?

Amid trade wars and strained US-EU relations, the voices calling for a ramp-up of Russian gas imports have grown louder, echoing earlier demands to “make gas cheap again.” 

Those pushing for a return to Russian gas have added a new talking point to their pitch – energy security. According to them, increasing purchases from Russia will help to diversify sources and routes of supply, and in so doing, reduce exposure to unpredictable American trade policies. 

Ukraine currently has eight Patriot systems in its arsenal, though only six are currently operational and in use.The newly signed mineral agreement may expedite US approval of transfer.

A US-made Patriot missile system based in Israel is expected to be sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported Sunday, May 4, citing American and Israeli officials. The move, aimed at boosting Ukraine’s air defenses, still requires approval from Washington.

The US Department of Defense confirmed it continues to supply Ukraine with equipment from previously authorized packages, but declined to comment on the reported Israeli transfer.

Mayor Artem Semenikhin said the strikes were timed to maximize destruction and endanger emergency crews.

Russian forces attacked the northern Ukrainian city of Konotop, in the Sumy region, bordering Russia, with Shahed drones and ballistic missiles overnight, destroying a major infrastructure facility.

Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin reported the first explosion on Telegram at 00:36 on Monday, May 5. A series of blasts followed as the city came under attack.

The attempted attack comes just days before Russia is staging a military parade on Red Square as part of its World War II anniversary celebrations.

Russian authorities on Monday said defence forces had repelled four drones heading towards Moscow, days before foreign leaders are due to gather for a military parade on the capital’s Red Square.

Defence forces in the district of Podolsk “repelled an attack of four drones flying towards Moscow”, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on Telegram.

The statue’s hands are often painted red to symbolize Lenin’s legacy of bloodshed. Despite removal efforts, it remains a controversial fixture in the community.

Right around the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Fremont’s controversial statue of Vladimir Lenin was once again vandalized – this time defaced with orange and yellow paint.

The Fremont neighborhood of Seattle is home to a 16-foot-tall (5 meters) statue of Lenin that was erected in the 1990s with the help of Lewis Carpenter, an English teacher from Issaquah, Washington, who mortgaged his home to rescue the statue from Poprad in Slovakia. The Lenin monument stands on private property and has been the subject of numerous calls for removal, but it remains in place to this day.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico were among the few European leaders who had planned to attend the May 9 event on Red Square.

Less than a week before Russia’s Victory Day Parade in Moscow, the attendance of two key European leaders remains uncertain, as both Serbia’s president and Slovakia’s prime minister face health issues.

Russia is staging a military parade on Red Square and an address by President Vladimir Putin on May 9 as part of its World War II anniversary celebrations.

Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine could not be held responsible for the safety of events on Russian territory during the holiday, including a military parade on Red Square.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Sunday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for warning that Ukraine cannot ensure the safety of foreign leaders attending Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian drones have hit several targets in the capital and elsewhere in Russia, which are hundreds of miles from the frontline.

With 99 percent of ballots counted, nationalist AUR party leader Simion - a fan of US President Donald Trump - was leading with 40.5 percent of the vote.

Romania’s far-right candidate George Simion took a comfortable lead in Sunday’s first round of presidential elections, near-final results for the rerun of last year’s annulled ballot showed.

The closely watched rerun could potentially herald a foreign policy shift in the EU country of 19 million, which has become a key pillar of NATO since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia maintains its initial objectives of its war in Ukraine, which are tantamount to Ukraine’s surrender, despite ongoing negotiations with the United States.
• Putin highlighted domestic support for the war and promoted the ideal of sacrifice on the frontline and the home front, likely in an effort to prepare Russian society for a longer war in Ukraine and potential future confrontations with the West.
• Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov provided new details on May 4 about the report that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian fixed-wing aircraft with a surface-to-air missile (SAM) attached to a naval drone on May 2.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk and Toretsk.

Meeting with Zelensky in Prague, Czech leader and former NATO general says that “Putin could end the war with a single decision, but he has not shown any willingness so far.”

On a state visit to Prague on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had no faith in Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s claim that he would adhere to a three-day truce coinciding with Moscow’s Victory Day parade on May 9.

About a week before Putin is slated to be accompanied by several world leaders at a celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Kremlin leader ordered a three-day truce starting then, calling it a test of Ukraine’s readiness for a long-term ceasefire.

China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in the three-year conflict, although Western governments say its close ties to Russia have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia on May 7-10 and join his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at commemorations of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

The visit coincides with heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington over swinging US trade tariffs and Putin’s order for a three-day truce in Ukraine, to coincide with Russia’s World War II Victory Day on May 9.