[Korrespondent] 22.55 Since the beginning of the day, 232 combat clashes have taken place on the front, more than a third of them in the Pokrovsky, Kostyantynivka and Hulyaipil directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on the evening of May 26. It is noted that the enemy launched one missile strike using one missile, carried out 53 air strikes, dropped 186 guided bombs. In addition, it involved 4,583 kamikaze drones for destruction and carried out 1,864 shelling of settlements and positions of our troops.
22.40 Russian business needs large-caliber weapons and the ability to call in reservists to protect enterprises from drone attacks. This was stated by Alexander Shokhin, the main lobbyist of big business and the head of the Russian Federation of Industrialists and Producers, the country's largest business association with Forbes billionaires on the board, at a meeting with Kremlin President Vladimir Putin on May 26. The Kremlin press service reported this.
"Large enterprises, undoubtedly, care about the protection of their facilities and the protection of the territories where the companies are present. But some issues need to be resolved," Shokhin addressed Putin. "They are related to the mechanisms for providing weapons - not only light weapons of 7.62 caliber, but also larger ones. These include various electronic warfare systems, laser installations, and other calibers."
In addition, as follows from Shokhin's statements, the business would like to assign reservists to its enterprises, whose use for the protection of facilities is permitted by the law adopted at the end of last year.
21.10 The Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, announced that there is a plan to launch a series of strikes on the territory of Belarus if it dares to enter the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation.
"A dog that barks doesn't bite. A bird of prey is not like that. The first 500 targets are already in pencil. Free and very practical advice: don't look Ukraine in the eye," he noted, commenting on Alexander Lukashenko's latest statements regarding Ukraine.
20.54 Soldiers of the Forpost brigade of the State Border Service of Ukraine captured four servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation using a drone. The State Border Service of Ukraine reported this and published a corresponding video.
"On the approaches to the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, as a result of fire suppression and coordinated actions of the border guards of the Forpost brigade, using a Matrice 4T UAV, 4 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces were taken prisoner," the report says.
The occupants left their shelter, laid down their weapons, and, following the commands of the Ukrainian drone operators, moved towards Ukrainian positions to surrender.
20.25 The village of Zapsilya, Sumy region, is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, despite information on Russian resources about its alleged capture. This was reported by the Kursk group of troops on May 26.
"The level of development of the imagination of the authors of Russian telegram-scumbags never ceases to amaze. We have already debunked fakes about the alleged "liberation" of the settlement of Myropylya in Sumy region by Russian occupiers. And then a new lie about the village of Zapsilya emerged. The same style, the same zeal, and the same nonsense. The Communications Center of the Kursk Group of Forces officially and responsibly declares: both of the indicated settlements were and continue to be under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine," the message says.
20.01 The Czech initiative for the procurement and logistics of artillery ammunition for Ukraine currently unites nine countries, although last year there were 18. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing Czech President Petr Pavel.
"The number of countries participating in the Czech-led initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine has halved since Prime Minister Andrej Babis returned to power in December, promising not to oblige Czech citizens to pay for Ukrainian weapons," the publication says.
According to former NATO commander and current Czech President Petr Pavel, only nine countries are currently funding the initiative, down from 18 last year.
"The initiative is still in place, but the new difficulty is that only about nine member states are making a financial contribution," the Czech president said.
19.26 In Snovsk, Chernihiv region, Russian troops used drones to strike a cemetery, injuring a woman and damaging the Alley of Heroes. This was reported by the head of the Koryukiv district military administration, Pavlo Miroshnychenko, on May 26.
"For an hour, from 12:40 to 1:40 p.m., the Russians shelled the city of Snovsk using drones. Three arrivals were recorded. The strikes hit transport infrastructure and the local cemetery," he noted.
According to Miroshnychenko, there is damage to graves and monuments in the cemetery. A local 40-year-old woman who was there was injured. She was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and will be sent to a regional medical facility for treatment.
18.41 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov arrived on a visit to Berlin and has already discussed defense cooperation with the German Chancellor's advisor on Ukraine, Gunther Sautter. This was stated by Umerov's spokeswoman Diana Davityan, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
17.49 In the Donetsk region, a law enforcement officer was exposed who, while performing combat missions, was selling weapons via messenger. He was informed of the suspicion. The State Bureau of Investigation reported this on May 26. According to the investigation, the defendant put up for sale two illegally obtained anti-tank grenade launchers, 10 cumulative anti-tank grenades with fuses for them. He was looking for customers by placing ads in one of the messengers, and stored the "goods" in the garage. When the buyer was found, the law enforcement officer arranged a meeting with him in Kramatorsk and sold the weapons and ammunition for 30 thousand hryvnias. The State Bureau of Investigation employees seized grenade launchers and grenades with powder charges. During a search of the defendant's place of residence, two more grenades were also found.
17.07 In the morning, Russian troops targeted a UN humanitarian compound in Dnipro with an Iskander ballistic missile. The organization's press service reported this.
The warehouse was storing food supplies intended for humanitarian operations in areas near the front line. The aid would be enough to support about 130,000 people. Its estimated value was $1.4 million.
The press service noted that all staff were in shelters. Currently, representatives of the organization are on the ground assessing the extent of the destruction, including damage to buildings, transport and humanitarian supplies.
16.58 From the beginning of the day and as of 16:00, Russian aggressors attacked Ukrainian army positions 47 times in eight directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational summary.
16.47 A Russian unmanned boat attacked the Druzhba training sailing frigate in the Odessa Commercial Sea Port on Monday, according to Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhiy Flesh Beskrestnov.
"I understand why Oreshnik ended up in the garage, it was still a "decision-making center". But why did a Russian naval drone heroically attack a sailing frigate yesterday??? The entire strategic supply of rum was taken from there a long time ago," he noted.
15.59 Russian troops launched two of their latest Oreshnik ballistic missiles at Kyiv during a massive attack on May 24, but one of them may have malfunctioned and fallen in the occupied Donetsk region. This was reported by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The alleged failure of the Oreshnik was recorded by a camera in Donetsk, directed to the north. The video shows the fall of six submunitions characteristic of this missile in the area of ​​occupied Avdiivka or Yasynuvata - approximately 40 kilometers from the front line, where Russian troops could be positioned.
15.34 The European Union has summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires after Moscow's statements about possible massive strikes on Kyiv, which could pose risks to Western diplomats in the Ukrainian capital. This was stated by European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, Ukrinform reports.
"We see that Russia is trying to sow panic with these threats. They want fear and isolation in Ukraine and elsewhere. But we have a clear signal: this will not work. The EU maintains its presence in Kyiv," the spokeswoman said. She added that Russia's actions once again prove that it "has absolutely no interest in peace and is completely ignoring all peace efforts."
On April 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Belarusian opposition leader Svitlana Tikhanovskaya in Kyiv. The head of state announced this on Facebook.
14.32 The Belarusian authorities have announced alleged numerous violations of their airspace by drones from Ukraine.
"Every day, our air defense systems record regular crossings of the border of Belarus and Ukraine by combat UAVs and their landing on our territories. In some cases, these are not random attacks, but attempts to hit elements of border infrastructure, disguised as supposedly random flights. In the last week alone, there were 116 of them. On-duty forces were used against them 59 times," said State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine noted that this is another attempt by Belarus to accuse Ukraine of something and shift responsibility, writes Ukrainska Pravda.
"A lot of absurd words about the situation in Ukraine and that every day they record regular border crossings with our state by combat UAVs using air defense means. In the last week alone, they "counted" 116. My question is how much they had to restrain themselves to remain silent about such "provocations" by Ukrainians. And besides, their air defense can probably only record Ukrainian means, because for some reason they do not record what flies into Ukraine from Belarus," said the spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko.
14.19 China called for restraint from escalating hostilities in Ukraine. This was stated by the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning at a briefing. At the same time, she did not comment on the question of whether China will evacuate diplomats from its embassy in Kyiv.
14.02 The Security Service and the National Police blocked five new schemes for evading mobilization and detained ten organizers of the deals in various regions of Ukraine. For amounts ranging from $6,000 to $25,000, the dealers offered conscripts to avoid conscription through forged documents or helped them escape abroad beyond checkpoints.
13.59 Russian defense concern Rostec has introduced a new anti-aircraft artillery system ZAK-30 Citadel, which is positioned as a means of protecting stationary objects from drones. This is reported by analysts of Defense Express.
According to the declared characteristics, the complex is equipped with a 30-mm cannon in a stationary turret and can use guided explosive and shrapnel ammunition. The system is designed to engage helicopter and aircraft-type UAVs.
However, experts doubt the claimed effectiveness of the Russian development due to unknown guidance parameters and production of munitions with programmable detonation.
13.10 Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia with drones. Three people were injured as a result of the enemy attack. Among the injured are two women aged 27 and 40, as well as a 36-year-old man. All are being provided with the necessary assistance.
A non-residential building was damaged by the blast wave and debris. Cars parked nearby were also damaged, some of them caught fire.
12.57 Ukrainian military denied information about the alleged capture of the village of Ryasne in Sumy region by Russians. This was reported by the 14th Army Corps.
12.16 Russian troops carried out artillery shelling of the Korabelny district of Kherson. A 75-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man were taken to the hospital in moderate condition. They received contusions, explosive and closed head injuries, and the Kherson resident also received shrapnel wounds to the chest and arm.
The ambulance crew also provided medical assistance to a 63-year-old woman at the scene. She suffered shrapnel wounds to her leg, contusion, explosive and closed head injuries.
11.39 Ukrainian military on May 25 and on the night of May 26 struck important targets of the Russian invaders. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the details.
11.27 In Bashkortostan, fuel tanks at the IntekHim oil depot caught fire overnight. One person was injured in the fire.
A fire broke out at a petroleum storage facility in the village of Kandry, Tuymazyn district, late on the evening of May 25. A fire engine was involved in extinguishing the fire. A man born in 1974 was injured in the fire, but he refused to be hospitalized.
"Upon arrival, eight above-ground horizontal tanks were burning openly, followed by a spill. The fire has now been extinguished... The cause of the fire is being determined," the rescuers said.
It is noted that there were no reports of drone and missile threats in Bashkortostan on May 25.
The IntekChem oil depot supplies over 100 types of products throughout the Russian Federation and the CIS countries and ships at least 500 tons of various products daily.
11.15 In the Transcarpathian region, RTCC and SP officials were exposed for entering fictitious data into the Oberig system to artificially improve mobilization indicators. This concerns 270 people, the National Police reported.
10.52 EU countries have diverged in their views on the idea of ​​appointing a single negotiator with Russia: some consider it a trap, others a necessary step while the US retreats from the role of mediator in resolving the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
The countries that most actively support Ukraine oppose the idea of ​​a negotiator. They believe that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not serious about a ceasefire and that appointing an envoy could undermine sanctions pressure on Russia.
The publication named the names of possible candidates for the role of EU negotiator with Russia:
- President of the European Council António Costa;
- President of Finland Alexander Stubb;
- former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi;
- former President of Finland Sauli Niinisto;
- former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
10.47 In the Donetsk region, a Russian FSB agent was exposed and detained, who was coordinating the shelling of Kramatorsk and Malotaranivka. The SBU reported this. The woman was covertly asking store visitors for information about the locations of the Defense Forces in front-line settlements. She also tried to clarify the information received from her son, a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10.33 On Tuesday morning, six regions of Ukraine experienced new power outages due to attacks by Russian aggressors. Ukrenergo reported this. Emergency restoration work has already begun wherever security conditions currently allow.
10.27 Russia continues its policy of ethnocide in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is manifested in low birth rates, high mortality rates, and changes in the ethno-national composition of the population.
Currently, Moscow continues to actively increase the share of the non-Ukrainian population, populating the enslaved territories with immigrants from the Russian Federation and citizens of other states - primarily from Central Asia, Africa, and the Caucasus.
The genocidal war and the targeted criminal policy of the aggressor state of Russia are leading to the gradual displacement of the local population and changes in the demographic and ethno-national composition of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
9.22 On the night of May 26, Russia attacked Ukraine with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 122 Shahed, Gerber, Italmas attack UAVs and Parodia-type simulator drones. Air defense forces neutralized 111 drones.
Nine strike UAVs and missiles were recorded hitting 11 locations, as well as the fall of downed UAVs (fragments of UAVs) at three locations.
9.04 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered to President Donald Trump a message from Kremlin President Vladimir Putin, which he heard during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"Rubio just told reporters that Lavrov delivered a message from Putin to Trump, which he said Rubio delivered," RFE/RL journalist Alex Raufoglou reported.
According to him, the US Secretary of State also downplayed suggestions that Russia specifically called on Washington to withdraw embassy personnel from Kyiv because Moscow had announced strikes.
"The danger of all these wars, as they continue and then continue, is that they always have the threat of escalation," Rubio said.
8.33 Fragments of a human body were found under the rubble of a destroyed entrance to a house in the Shevchenko district, bringing the number of people killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv on May 24 to three.
The woman is considered missing. A DNA test will be scheduled for final identification.
8.24 Over the past 24 hours, 267 combat clashes have been recorded on the front. The Russian army has intensified assault operations in the Pokrovsky direction.
Aviation, missile troops, and artillery of the Defense Forces struck two drone control points, three personnel concentration areas, an artillery system, a material and technical equipment storage warehouse, and one other important facility of the Russian troops.
7.54 Any attacks on Polish diplomatic missions will be considered as deliberate and intentional actions, the Polish Foreign Ministry said in response to Russia's threats to strike Kyiv.
"Since Russia, as it claims, is not waging a war, but a so-called 'special military operation', which by definition should be limited to military facilities, any attacks on other infrastructure, including diplomatic missions, should be considered unfriendly actions. Therefore, any attack on Polish diplomatic missions will be considered as deliberate and intentional," the message says.
The Polish Foreign Ministry stated that Russia's actions entail serious legal and international consequences and once again undermine its role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council: "We call on Russia to immediately cease its unjustified and illegal aggression and respect its international obligations and treaties."
7.26 From February 24, 2022 to May 26, 2026, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,357,950 people (+1,010 per day).
5.08 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has allowed participants in the war against Ukraine and their families not to repay overdue loans, The Moscow Times reports on its Telegram channel.
1.59 In early 2026, Russian citizens began to receive "mobilization orders" more often when they visited military registration and enlistment offices, where they were summoned to "clarify information" or by electronic summonses. This is evidenced by search query statistics on Google and Yandex and information from lawyers, The Moscow Times writes.
00.59 Russian drones fell without detonation in the Nemyshlyansky and Novobavarsky districts of Kharkiv. This was reported by Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov on Telegram.