Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russia continues to refuse to agree to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin instead prepared to negotiate a “memorandum regarding a potential future …
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Spies, Lies, and Algorithms
Amy B. Zegart
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After call with Trump, Putin still refuses full ceasefire, again cites Russia's 'root causes' of war in Ukraine
SBU strikes enemy TARGETS at sea — FRONT LINE is on fire | Front Line with @StarskyUA
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Ukraine’s mental health workers tackle war trauma and Soviet stigma in front-line regions
Editor’s note: In accordance with newsroom policy on reporting on children and the policies of organizations interviewed, the Kyiv Independent is not using the names of children under 18 or the last names of their parents who appear in this story. …
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Trump calls Putin after Istanbul Ukraine peace talks, Russian media reports
U.S. President Donald Trump is holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking their first known conversation in two months, Russia’s state-owned publication Ria-Novosti reported on May 19.
The call comes days after largely …
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'Need to put pressure on Russia to end the war,' Zelensky says hours before Trump-Putin call
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top officials on May 19 to evaluate the outcome of Ukraine-Russia negotiations held in Istanbul last week, the president announced on Telegram.
The Istanbul talks marked the first direct encounter between …
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EU coordinating next Russia sanctions with US, Germany says
The German government supports newly proposed European Union sanctions, which are being coordinated with the U.S. government, spokesperson Stefan Cornelius said on May 19, Tagesshau reported.
The proposed sanctions would involve measures targeting the …
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Ukraine 'not yet in worst-case scenario,' McCain Institute head says
In October of last year, just days before the U.S. presidential election, Head of the McCain Institute Evelyn Farkas told the Kyiv Independent that a Donald Trump victory would be the “worst-case scenario” for Ukraine.
In the months since, …
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'It is important that support for Ukraine continues' — Zelensky congratulates Romania's President-elect Dan after election
President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 19 called with Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan to congratulate him on his victory in the Romanian presidential election.
Dan, running on a centrist, pro-EU platform, won 53.6% of the vote in a presidential runoff on May …
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EU members preliminarily agree to launch 150-billion-euro defense fund, source says
Editor’s note: The article was updated with a confirmation from an EU official.
EU countries have agreed in principle to launch a common defense fund of 150 billion euros ($170 billion), an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on May 19.
The …
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Aestheticized aggression — why Gosha Rubchinskiy’s ‘Victory Day’ photo book is Russian propaganda
Russia’s war against Ukraine is waged not only with missiles and tanks, but with distorted myths — powerful narratives that romanticize empire, rewrite history, and embolden Russian soldiers to reduce once prosperous cities to rubble.
Those very …
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Ukrainian detained in Poland for allegedly smuggling migrants across Belarus border
A Ukrainian woman was detained in the northeastern village of Losinka near the Belarusian border on May 19 after she was found transporting five Afghan migrants who had illegally crossed into Poland, the Polish police said.
Poland has frequently …
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Russia declares Amnesty International an 'undesirable organization'
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated Amnesty International as an “undesirable organization,” effectively banning the global human rights group from operating in the country, according to a statement released on …
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Commander of Ukraine's 59th Brigade replaced, media reports
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk was dismissed as the commander of the 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces and replaced by Colonel Oleksandr Sak, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 18, citing its sources in the brigade.
The 59th Brigade, …
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Kremlin confirms Putin-Trump call on May 19 to discuss Istanbul peace talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19, the Kremlin said, confirming the plan announced by Trump over the weekend.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the conversation between the two …
59th Brigade has a new commander
The 59th Separate Assault Brigade of Unmanned Systems, currently fighting on one of the most difficult sections of the Pokrovsk front, has undergone a change in command — Colonel Oleksandr…
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Finland to send ammunition to Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets
Finland will supply heavy ammunition to Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets, the country’s Ministry of Defence said on May 19.
The move is part of a broader European Union initiative to channel profits from immobilized Russian assets …
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Russia detains 8 teenagers accused of plotting attacks on police during Victory Day
Russian authorities have detained nine residents of Stavropol Krai, accusing them of plotting an attack on police officers during May 9 celebrations on behalf of a “terrorist group,” the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on May 19.
Eight …
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France rejects Telegram CEO's accusations of Romanian election meddling
The French Foreign Ministry on May 18 refuted insinuations by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov that Paris sought to restrict “conservative voices” in Romania ahead of a key presidential vote.
Durov, the Russian-born founder of the Telegram …
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Russian attacks kill 2, injure 13 in Ukraine over past 24 hours
Russian forces launched attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing at least two civilians and injuring at least 13 others in multiple regions, local officials said on May 19.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 41 of the 112 Russian attack …
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Ukrainian drones destroy Russian radar, supply depots on Black Sea gas platforms, SBU says
Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has destroyed a Russian radar system and warehouse facilities located on gas production platforms in the Black Sea using a coordinated drone strike, the agency said …
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Thousands protest in Hungary against Russia-style bill targeting media, NGOs
Around 10,000 people rallied in Hungary’s capital on May 18 to protest a controversial bill that critics say would limit free expression and mimic Russia’s restrictive “foreign agent” law, the Associated Press reported.
The demonstration …
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US allows Australia to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine despite private objections, media reports
Australian authorities have begun loading the first of the 49 decommissioned Ukraine-bound Abrams tanks onto a cargo ship despite continued private objections from U.S. officials, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on May 19. …
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General Staff: Russia has lost 974,770 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost 974,770 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on May 19.
The number includes 1,040 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the …
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Zelensky, Albanese meet in Rome, discuss pressure on Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Rome on May 18 to discuss defense support for Ukraine, cooperation within the Coalition of the Willing, and increased pressure on Russia.
The two leaders discussed …
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Starmer, Western leaders call for unconditional Ukraine ceasefire ahead of Trump-Putin talks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a call on May 18 with the leaders of the U.S. France, Germany, and Italy to coordinate positions ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said …