Here is where things stand on Sunday, May 25:
Fighting
- As of Sunday, May 25, at least four people were killed and 16 others injured, including three children, after Russian forces targeted Kyiv and surrounding areas in a “massive night attack.” The strikes also caused damage to residential buildings and other infrastructure, as reported by officials.
- In the western Khmelnytskiy region of Ukraine, at least four people were confirmed dead, and five others were injured, according to Sergiy Tyurin, the deputy head of the regional military administration.
- During a Russian attack in Ukraine’s northwestern Zhytomyr region, three children aged eight, 12, and 17 were killed, while Moscow intensified overnight air attacks across the country. Emergency services also reported that 10 other individuals sustained injuries.
- A man was killed when a residential building was hit by a drone in Mykolaiv, a city located in southern Ukraine, as per emergency services.
- At least three people were injured in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv, where Russian drones struck three city districts. The explosions caused windows to shatter in high-rise apartment blocks, reported Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
- On May 25, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that 12 drones flying towards the Russian capital had been intercepted. Flight restrictions were imposed on at least four airports, including the primary Sheremetyevo airport, by the Russian civilian aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya.
- The Russian military claimed that Ukraine had launched at least 788 drones and missiles targeting Russian forces since Tuesday.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that its troops, advancing gradually on the eastern front, had captured two settlements in the Donetsk region and one in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region.
Politics and Diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia’s ongoing attacks signified Moscow’s intention to “prolong the war” and reiterated his appeal for increased sanctions.
- The Russian Defence Ministry announced the release of an additional 307 captured Ukrainian prisoners of war in exchange for Russian servicemen, who would be cared for in Belarus before their return to Russia.
- Russia is set to send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement once a “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner swap is completed, without revealing the details of those terms. Prisoner exchanges between the two countries took place on Friday and Saturday.
- Ukraine initiated investigations into the alleged executions of 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian troops since their February 2022 invasion. Ukraine’s prosecutor general reported the opening of 75 criminal proceedings in connection with these alleged killings.
