18.05.2025

The Guardian: Calls to step up and coordinate the interdiction of the unflagged Russian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in the Baltic Sea were made this weekend before the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, which is expected to impose sanctions on 180 ships, taking the total number of ships sanctioned by the EU to 350.

ERR: Russian authorities on Sunday detained a Greek oil tanker after it left an Estonian port while sailing on a pre-agreed route in Russia's territorial waters. The incident comes several days after Estonia attempted to stop a Russian shadow fleet vessel.

Reuters: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration on Sunday. It was the first meeting between Zelenskiy and Vance since they clashed during talks at the White House in February over the future of the war in Ukraine.

Reuters: Pope Leo will have a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later on Sunday following the pope's inaugural Mass, the Vatican said. Leo spoke with Zelenskiy on Monday in the first known conversation between the newly-elected pontiff and a foreign leader, underscoring his concern for the war in Ukraine.

Reuters: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that he, along with the leaders of Britain, France and Poland, aimed to speak with Trump ahead of the U.S. president's planned call with Russia's Putin on Monday.

The Kyiv Independent: Putin said on March 27 that Moscow has "enough forces and means" to bring its war against Ukraine to a "logical conclusion" without making any meaningful concessions, it has been revealed in new clips from a documentary released on May 18.

Reuters: Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Sunday Russia planned to conduct a "training and combat" launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile to intimidate Ukraine and the West.

The Kyiv Independent: Denmark has prepared its 26th military aid package for Ukraine, worth 4 billion Danish kroner (approximately $598 million), the Danish Defense Ministry announced on May 17. The package includes additional artillery and shells via the Czech ammunition initiative as well as equipment for fighter jets.

17.05.2025

Reuters: Europe is a long way from talking about deploying troops in Ukraine as all its efforts are currently focused on securing an unconditional ceasefire from Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's Security Service has launched preparatory steps for a large-scale prisoner exchange with Russia involving 1,000 detainees from each side, the agency announced on May 17.

Reuters: A senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks said Russian negotiators demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire.

France 24: Rock star Bono made an impassioned plea for the West to stand by Ukraine at the Cannes film festival, saying it was keeping Europe free from fascism.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian security service drones struck an ammunition depot used by Russia's 126th Coastal Defense Brigade near the village of Perevalne in occupied Crimea, causing a large explosion and fire.

Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Saturday for stronger sanctions on Moscow after a Russian drone killed nine bus passengers in northeastern Ukraine just hours after the two countries held their first peace talks in three years of war.

ISW: Russia is unlikely to have sufficient manpower, materiel, and operational planning capabilities to conduct both an envelopment of Pokrovsk and a significant offensive operation toward Kostyantynivka in the coming months.

16.05.2025

Reuters: A colonel general dubbed "General Breakthrough" for distinguishing himself in key battles in Moscow's more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been appointed head of Russia's land forces.

The Moscow Times: The Kremlin’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine on Friday cited the Great Northern War of 1700-1721 as evidence that Russia is ready to continue its war against Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Reuters: Syria plans to print a newly-designed currency in the UAE and Germany instead of Russia, reflecting rapidly improving ties with Gulf Arab and Western states as a move to loosen U.S. sanctions offers Damascus new opportunities.

The Moscow Times: Russia’s largest agricultural machinery maker Rostselmash said Friday it will place all 15,000 of its employees on leave for the month of June due to collapsing exports and continued market contraction.

AFP: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday blamed "a group of Russian hackers" for a cyberattack that knocked his ruling party's website offline ahead of a presidential vote this weekend.

Reuters: The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who resigned from the role in April, has said that she quit the post because she disagreed with Trump's foreign policy.

ABC: Russia has sentenced Australian Oscar Jenkins to 13 years in a maximum-security prison for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

The Guardian: Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

RSF: Russia is targeting Ukrainian hotels to discourage journalists, report says. Russia claims the hotels have housed military targets, but Reporters Without Borders says the attacks are aimed at reducing coverage of the war.

Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here.

Here are my: Telegram & Socials

Please consider supporting my work