Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-07-2025

The British Army veteran had also served in Ukraine since 2014 as a combat veteran, deminer, and founder of Prevail NGO before his death on Tuesday, caused by a Russian improvised explosive device.

British volunteer and veteran Chris Garrett, 40, was killed on Tuesday when clearing a Russian minefield in eastern Ukraine’s Izyum city in the Kharkiv region. 

The explosion killed another member of his ordnance disposal team and left another in critical condition.

Secretary Scott Bessent criticized the Biden administration’s “weak sanctions” on Russia, saying it only targeted lower-level oil companies with a price cap that failed.

WASHINGTON DC – US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” as lawmakers pressed him on the Trump administration’s policy to push Ukraine into dialogue with the Russian leader.

Bessent was specifically asked by Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee Task Force on Monetary Policy, during the Committee hearing, whether he would negotiate with a war criminal.

Yuri Abayev, the former commander of a Russian military unit implicated in the May 2024 murder of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners, has been given a government post in the autonomous Russian republic.

Yuri Abayev, a 34-year-old former Russian military officer and suspected war criminal, has been appointed as Minister of Labor and Social Development in the Russian republic of North Ossetia.

Sergey Menyailo, the head of the republic, announced the appointment on his official Telegram channel on Tuesday, May 6.

Germany’s new chancellor also said preparations are underway for a visit to Kyiv in the near future.

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s new chancellor, reiterated Berlin’s position that a ceasefire or peace deal in Ukraine needs to come before the subject of security guarantees can be discussed. 

Merz was sworn in as chancellor on Tuesday after a historic upset earlier the same day had seen him fail to secure the required number of votes during the first round of polling in the Bundestag. 

US Vice President JD Vance said that at least some direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are needed to end the war.

WASHINGTON DC – US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that the Russians are “asking for too much” in the US-mediated peace talks.

Vance suggested that it highlighted the need for both sides to agree on basic guidelines for direct negotiations, with Washington ready to mediate.

Norway’s state investment fund, Norfund, has started operations in Ukraine, focusing on sectors vital to recovery. It will invest $24.3M in energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and banking.

Norway’s state investment fund, Norfund, has begun operations in Ukraine and is preparing to deploy capital into sectors critical to the country’s economic recovery, the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance reported Tuesday, May 6. 

Norfund is now reportedly building its team and exploring potential investment opportunities. 

As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, security analyst Dr. Ivana Stradner warns that Moscow may stoke Balkan unrest to divide NATO, risking Europe’s worst security crisis since the Cold War.

Kashmir has been the flashpoint for multiple wars between the South Asian neighbours since their emergence from British colonial rule in 1947.

India and Pakistan exchanged intense artillery and missile fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir region, early Wednesday, May 7.

The clash followed Indian air strikes late on Tuesday night, May 6, targeting what New Delhi called terrorist camps inside Pakistan-controlled territory.

The Chechen leader has made similar public statements in the past about stepping down, but has always remained in power. Chechen opposition-in-exile says RF needs systemic change, not just leadership.

The Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has reportedly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to relieve him of his duties amid growing speculations about his health and political future.

Addressing the rumors of his resignation in an interview with the pro-government outlet Chechnya Today on Monday, May 5, Kadyrov said a new leader could bring “their own initiatives and their own vision,” and expressed hope that Putin would support his request.

Russia’s main naval base in the region was targeted, but the damage isn’t clear. Kyiv, for the past week, has launched massed drone strikes mostly at Russian air defense systems and airfields

Wave-hugging Ukrainian Neptune cruise missiles attacked the Russian naval port of Novorossiysk late on Tuesday, in the latest of more than a week of ambitious and sometimes punishing strikes against military targets in the central and eastern Black Sea region.

Russian official sources reported that a shore battery or batteries based in Ukraine’s Odesa region launched missiles initially flying south and passing west of the Crimea peninsula and then executing a dogleg turn to the east to take aim at the main base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF).

Moscow will hold the Victory Day event on Red Square to mark 80 years of the defeat of Nazi Germany, an anniversary that comes more than three years into its Ukraine offensive.

The Kremlin was forced Wednesday to say it was taking “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of foreign leaders set to attend its flagship May 9 parade after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across the country, disrupting hundreds of flights.

Moscow and Kyiv traded a barrage of drone attacks ahead of the parade -- which has become a key event during Vladimir Putin’s 25 years in power -- as US talks pushing for an end to the conflict appeared to have stalled.

Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot canceled at least 106 flights to and from Moscow on Wednesday, May 7, with more than 140 others delayed.

Hundreds of flights across Russia were canceled or delayed after a wave of drone threats triggered major shutdowns at airports in Moscow and other cities overnight.

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport halted takeoffs and landings twice overnight – first from 1:00 to 4:07 a.m., and again from 4:25 to 5:30 a.m. – following reports of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Videos posted on Telegram of the new (old design) tanks departure by rail, was rife with symbolism as the consignment was “escorted” by a WWII-era T-34 decked out in the colors of the Soviet Union.

Timed to coincide with Russia’s 80th anniversary Victory Day celebration, the Uralvagonzavod tank factory in Nizhny Tagil posted videos on Telegram on Tuesday of what it said showed a fresh consignment of an unspecified number of T-72B3M and T-90M main battle tanks being dispatched to the front line.

A quick study of the video shows some obvious visual differences from the standard tanks as these new builds incorporate elements designed to increase protection from the swarms of Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) attack drones that have become a feature of the battlefield. These include a permanent “cope cage” fixed to the turret along with anti-drone netting and heavy-duty rubber matting screening critical areas around the turret rear and engine compartment.

A senior American diplomat reportedly delivered a proposal to Ukrainian officials to take on undocumented migrants, but Kyiv has not issued a public response yet.

In January 2025, the Trump administration asked Ukraine to accept an “unspecified number” of people from other countries who had been deported from the United States.

A senior American diplomat delivered the proposal to Ukrainian officials. The Ukrainian government has not issued a public response. A diplomat in Kyiv told the US Embassy that a formal reply would come once officials formed an official position on the request.

Fico will be one of just two European leaders attending Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

BRATISLAVA - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Slovak PM Robert Fico on May 9, during Fico’s visit to Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations, Putin’s advisor Yuri Ushakov announced on Tuesday.

According to Ushakov, the two leaders will discuss “bilateral issues and international topics, including the situation in Ukraine.” He also noted that a total of 29 foreign leaders will attend the Moscow military parade.

The intelligence report notes that Moscow also plans to expand Russia’s armed forces from one to 1.5 million soldiers.

The threat assessment revealed that Moscow is conducting provocations and demonstrations of force, including unauthorized violations of airspace borders, aggressive behavior towards aircraft and ships belonging to NATO member states, escalating the threat of accidental military incidents.

The intelligence report notes that Moscow also plans to expand Russia’s armed forces from one to 1.5 million soldiers. The most significant changes will take place in the Russian military bases adjacent to Latvia‘s border.

What international media are saying about Russia’s cynical manipulation of the VE Day anniversary.

This week the whole of Europe commemorates the end of the Second World War and liberation from National Socialism. Russia will celebrate the victory over Hitler’s Germany with its usual massive military parade on 9 May. The Kremlin’s efforts to place its current war of aggression in Ukraine in this historical context meet with opposition in the European press.

Moscow evoking old enemies

As a new pope is chosen in the upcoming conclave, one Ukrainian will have a vote that harkens back to some important figures in the 20th-century Catholic Church.

The election of the pope is more than a sacred ritual. It is a moment when history, politics, and faith converge. Every conclave is not just about who will don the white vestments – it’s about the message the world will receive.

How will the Vatican choose the new pope?

The election of a new pontiff begins between the 15th and 20th day after the death of the reigning pope.

Drones hit key Russian defense plants in Saransk and Tula and struck two airbases hosting bombers, missiles, and fighter jets used in the war against Ukraine.

Drones struck several Russian strategic defense industry facilities, including enterprises developing advanced weapons and military technology, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.

Two Russian airfields were also targeted. The Shaikovka airbase in Kaluga region, home to Tu-22M3 bombers and storage for missiles like the Kh-22, was hit. Another strike hit the Kubinka airbase near Moscow, which hosts Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets.

The visit occurs amid rising China-US tensions due to stringent US trade tariffs, while President Donald Trump has also reached out to Putin in an attempt to mediate the war in Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping headed to Moscow on Wednesday for a key three-day visit including a grand Victory Day parade and a show of support for Vladimir Putin.

Moscow and Beijing declared a “no limits partnership” weeks before Putin ordered Russia’s Ukraine offensive in February 2022. The expanded military and trade ties since have troubled the West.

The attacks come just hours after the Kremlin reiterated on Tuesday that it would stick to a three-day truce it proposed to coincide with World War II commemorations.

Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region early Wednesday, May 7, killing two people and injuring seven others, including four children, according to Ukrainian officials.

Explosions were reported across the capital around 1 a.m. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the ballistic strike attacks and warned that more attacks could follow.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukrainian forces continued limited attacks across the international border near Tetkino and Novyi Put, Kursk Oblast.
• Ukrainian forces also continued drone, air, and artillery strikes aimed at isolating Russian units in and near Tetkino.
• Kremlin officials are continuing to leverage the mythos of the Soviet Union’s role in the Second World War to form the basis of a new state ideology that will span generations and that Russia intends to leverage to justify a future military conflict against the West.
• The Kremlin appears to be consolidating around an informal state ideology predicated on perpetuating the belief that the West is determined to encircle and defeat Russia.
• Russian officials also appear to be leveraging the story of the Second World War (referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia) to dismiss Russia’s early failures in the war in Ukraine and present the false image that Russian victory in Ukraine is as inevitable as the Soviet triumph over Germany became at the end of World War II.
• Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov expressed his desire to resign from his post but acknowledged that only Russian President Vladimir Putin can approve this request. Kadyrov has helped stabilize interethnic tensions in the North Caucasus, and leaving his post without a suitable successor could threaten the stability of Putin’s regime.
• It remains unclear who might succeed Kadyrov in the event of his resignation or death.
• Ukraine and Russia conducted a 205-for-205 prisoner of war (POW) exchange on May 6.
• Russian forces advanced near Kupyansk, Toretsk, Novopavlivka, and Velyka Novosilka.

Bipartisan US congressional body, the Helsinki Commission, expresses alarm about the Kremlin’s plan to transfer 50,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.

Bipartisan leaders of the US Congressional body known as the Helsinki Commission, on Tuesday, expressed alarm about Russian officials’ announcements that the Kremlin would transfer 50,000 Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine to camps or Russian schools for “summer vacation.”

“This would mark a concerning escalation in Russia’s campaign to abduct and Russify Ukrainian children,” said Commission leaders Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), as well as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) in a joint statement.

The Ukrainian legislature (Verkhovna Rada) is expected to hold a full vote on the US-Ukraine deal on natural resources on May 8.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s legislature, approved the long-discussed minerals deal with the US, sending it to the full legislative body for an up-and-down vote expected on Thursday, May 8. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal expressed hope that the Rada would ratify it in short order.

Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the deal in Washington on May 1, establishing a joint fund to manage proceeds from the extraction, on Ukrainian soil and with American companies assisting in development, of natural resources ranging from fossil fuels to some rare-earth metals.

“Our commitment is not one that is fainting. It is not one that was brief,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce tells Kyiv Post’s correspondent.

The United States on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to Kyiv and its efforts to end the Russian war against Ukraine.

“Our commitment is not one that is fainting. It is not one that was brief,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a daily briefing in response to Kyiv Post’s questions, emphasizing that the US remains Ukraine’s “largest supporter”.