This week, battles continued to rage along the front lines. Russia has resumed drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns deep in the rear.
Early in the week, after the May 9-11 ceasefire expired, Ukraine expected to swap 1,000 prisoners with Russia. The exchange was backed by the U.S. Ukraine has completed its part of preparations for the exchange, while Russia protracts the swap, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets said on national television on Tuesday. Russia and Ukraine swapped 205 prisoners of war each on Friday as the first stage of a bigger swap.
Battles continue to rage on the front lines, but Russia’s tempo of advance has slowed. It would take Russia more than three decades to seize full control of Donbas, the New York Times said. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has sought to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that his troops are marching toward inevitable victory in Ukraine, but the situation on the battlefield tells a different story, the same article reads.
Russia launched 216 drones at Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, hours after a ceasefire expired. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or otherwise neutralized 192 drones. Russia unleashed a major daytime drone attack on Ukraine on Wednesday that lasted for hours. Ukraine’s critical infrastructure was among the targets. A Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv overnight on Thursday killed 24 people and injured 48 others. Kyiv city authorities have declared a day of mourning on Friday, May 15.
Russian Kh-101 missile that hit apartment building in Kyiv was built this year, Zelenskyi says.
A Russian Kh-101 missile that hit an apartment building in Kyiv overnight on Thursday had been manufactured in the second quarter of 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in a nightly address Thursday.
“We are carefully establishing exactly what weapons — which missiles and drones — the Russians used this time. It was a Kh-101 missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv, according to preliminary data.
“The missile was manufactured in the second quarter of this year. This means Russia is still importing the components, resources, and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions. Stopping Russia’s sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners.
“We are preparing steps that can intensify our joint counteraction – sanctions must be more painful for Russia,” Zelenskyi said.
Russia launched more than 1,500 drones and 56 missiles of various types at Ukraine in two days of almost incessant attacks, Zelenskyi added.
