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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 05-24-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
Addressing army cadets and citing the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump emphasized the need for military adaptability in the face of rapid change and no more “spreading democracy” at “the point of a gun.”
US President Donald Trump on Saturday promised Military Academy graduates that he would cow enemies into diplomatic capitulation while refocusing the US military on protecting their country.
Speaking during a commencement address at the academy, Trump emphasized the need for adaptability, telling the 1,002 graduating cadets that they are “in a business profession where things change… rapidly,” and drew on Russia’s war in Ukraine as a case in point.
From shaky peace proposals to deadly new drone strikes, this week in Ukraine saw high-stakes diplomacy, chilling war crime revelations, and escalating front-line tensions.
“Now, more than ever, it is crucial for the international community to act decisively — by giving Ukraine more support, increasing sanctions, and isolating Russia at all levels,” Shmyhal said.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized that the international community must act decisively by increasing aid to Ukraine, stepping up sanctions pressure, and isolating Russia at all levels.
As reported by Ukrinform, Shmyhal made the statement via Telegram.
Ukrainian Air Force says new radar-decoy systems in Russian Iskander-M missiles complicate interception by Patriot systems during missile approach.
Russia has modernized its ballistic missiles used to strike Ukraine, making it more difficult for the Patriot missile defense systems to intercept them, according to the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat.
“We and our partners have information that the enemy’s missiles flying a ballistic trajectory - specifically the Iskander-M - have been improved and modernized,” Ihnat said during a national telethon.
How soft rhetoric and false neutrality betray Ukraine and democracy itself.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a troubling pattern has emerged in Western public discourse. Some voices, across the political spectrum, aren’t waving Russian flags, but they’re also not standing with Ukraine. Instead, they are dressing up moral evasion in polished, academic language that subtly undermines Ukraine’s right to exist and defend itself. Let’s be clear: this is not neutrality. It is surrender dressed up as complexity. And it is dangerous.
These arguments often appear reasonable on the surface. They suggest that Russia was provoked by NATO. They frame Ukraine as too corrupt or chaotic to support. They downplay Ukrainian resistance by calling it a proxy war. Or they advocate “peace” without demanding accountability or withdrawal. These positions are not harmless debates. They are rhetorical cover for aggression.
Zelensky confirmed that 307 Ukrainian POWs were returned home on Saturday, marking the second day of a major 1,000-for-1,000 exchange deal brokered in Turkey.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 307 more Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) have returned home as part of an ongoing large-scale exchange agreement with Russia.
“307 more Ukrainian defenders at home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange, which was agreed upon in Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
With Trump more interested in a future trade deal with Russia than saving Ukraine, Europe must step up now or risk an emboldened Kremlin ready to take on NATO.
The Biden Administration’s strategy of “just enough” for Ukraine – i.e., not enough to win – is now being adopted in a similar form by Europe. Kyiv is burning, yet again. On Friday evening into the early hours of Saturday, Russia unleashed a massive drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital.
“Just enough” is not only a losing strategy. It is also immoral and leading to further senseless Ukrainian civilian deaths.
“We need a ceasefire, and the killing needs to stop,” Kellogg added.
U.S. Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has responded to the recent prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia that took place on Friday.
As reported by Ukrinform, Kellogg posted this on the social media platform X.
Kyiv came under a massive air assault, as Russian forces launched waves of Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. Authorities report casualties and significant damage.
Russian forces launched a massive combined air attack on Kyiv, from the evening of May 23 into the early morning of May 24, targeting the capital with waves of Shahed kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles, officials reported.
The assault came in multiple phases. Drones were first launched late on May 23, followed by a barrage of ballistic missiles and additional Shaheds in the early hours of May 24. The all-clear signal in Kyiv was only given at 05:10.
Russian forces targeted the Odesa region’s port infrastructure for the second time in 24 hours. Prosecutors have opened a war crimes case.
The Russian army attacked the Odesa region early Saturday morning, May 24, striking port infrastructure with combat drones.
According to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the strike targeted port facilities and is currently being investigated as a war crime.
Kyiv Art Sessions began a year ago born from the urgent need to showcase contemporary Ukrainian art as a powerful participant of global cultural dialogue.
The 2025 SABRE Award in the category of Educational and Cultural Institutions was jointly awarded to the Dom Master Klass cultural center, the Art Shield foundation, and Paradox PR for the creation and curation of the Kyiv Art Sessions festival.
The SABRE (Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation, and Engagement) Award is one of the world’s most prestigious accolades in brand experience and communication. Projects are evaluated based on creativity, strategic vision, innovation, ethical standards, and their ability to build strong reputations.
This is an edited version of the author’s presentation to the International Democracy Union in which he spoke about how President Trump’s second term is currently viewed at home and abroad.
As the honorary Chairman of the International Democracy Union (IDU), I spoke at the 2025 IDU Forum in Brussels on May 15 during which I reported on my extensive research into how US President Donald Trump’s second term is viewed by those with a wide range of political views.
A full version of my presentation and detailed breakdown of my polling data can be found here.
In one of the largest air assaults to date, Russian forces launched 14 ballistic missiles and around 250 Shahed drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Russian forces launched a massive overnight air attack on Ukraine, firing 14 ballistic missiles and deploying around 250 Shahed strike UAVs and drone decoys, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
As per the report, shared on Telegram, beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23, Russia targeted the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia regions with 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. Simultaneously, waves of drones and drone simulators approached from multiple directions.
In particular, the Fund will invest the funding contributed by the United States and Ukraine in natural resources, oil and gas, ports, and related infrastructure projects in Ukraine.
Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has received a diplomatic note from Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Julie S. Davis, confirming the completion of internal procedures for the establishment of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Economy Ministry, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Both sides exchanged 390 people each on Friday in the first part of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap staggered over three days.
Russia said Friday it would send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement once a major prisoner swap between the two was complete, without saying what those terms would be.
Both sides exchanged 390 people each on Friday in the first part of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap staggered over three days.
Despite its appearance, DeepStrikeTech’s “Batyar” drone is not a Shahed clone but a multi-drone which can be modified as operationally required.
In the fall of 2024, a group of Ukrainian engineers decided to pool their expertise and develop a new type of drone to support their country’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion. The initial concept was to build a long-range strike drone modeled on Moscow’s Shahed/Geran kamikaze drones, which partially explains its passing resemblance to the infamous Iranian designed weapon.
However, as the engineers embarked on the development and construction cycle, they realized that, with minor modifications, the drone had the potential to carry out a range of tasks. The military issues website Militarni cites a spokesperson for DeepStrikeTech, who said: “We can use the same airframe as a decoy, a bomber, or a frontline kamikaze drone. It all depends on the payload and software.”
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
The US president escalated his trade war with Europe on Friday by threatening to increase tariffs on the European Union from 30% to 50%.
US President Donald Trump threatened to increase tariffs to 50% on imports from the European Union next month, amid ongoing trade talks between the US and the bloc.
“Our discussions with [the EU] are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning.
