KYIV, UKRAINE – MAY 4: Cars lie burned out near residential buildings in the Obolonskyi district … More after a Russian drone strike on May 4, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia attacks the Ukrainian capital every night with Shahed-type combat drones. On the night of May 4, falling fragments of intercepted drones resulted in damage to residential buildings, stores, a kindergarten building, and cars in three districts of Kyiv – Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Svyatoshynskyi.
At least 11 people were injured, including two children. (Photo by Ihor Kuznietsov/Novyny LIVE/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,168.
Russian Attacks on Ukraine Donetsk region. Russian shelling of Ukraine's southeastern oblast, or region, on May 4 killed six civilians and injured six others, including two children, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin. Kharkiv region.
Russian drone strikes on May 4 resulted in the death of one civilian, alongside extensive damage to infrastructure in towns across the northeastern province. Kherson region. On May 5, Russian forces launched ballistic missiles, drones, and artillery shells on 38 towns and villages in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson, damaging residential areas and killing one resident, as well as injuring seven others.
Sumy region. Russian artillery and glide-bomb attacks on Sumy oblast in the country’s north killed three residents and injured five others on May 5, according to regional prosecutors. Immediate evacuations have been ordered for Bilopillia and Vorozhba, two cities near the Russian border with a combined pre-war population of nearly 10,000.
Ukrainian intelligence destroyed two Russian Su-30 fighter jets, each valued at around $50 million, using a Ukrainian-designed Magura unmanned naval craft on May 2. This novel maritime attack, near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, was the first instance of a combat aircraft being struck down by a drone ship anywhere in the world. Russia seized about 65 square miles of Ukrainian territory in April, marking the slowest pace of advancement since July 2024.
Although the pace of the Kremlin's territorial gains has slowed significantly since its peak last November, when it captured 280 square miles in a single month, its current pace remains the fastest since the spring of 2022. The vast majority of Russian advances have been concentrated in the Ukraine’s southeast, where its troops, facing manpower shortages, continue to slowly retreat. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine hopes to receive three million artillery shells from its allies in 2025.
More than 1.8 million is expected to be provided under the "Czech Initiative," an effort by European allies to purchase ammunition on Ukraine’s behalf that was launched in 2024 to relieve acute ammunition shortages amid delays in U.S. military aid to Ukraine last year. “There is not only the ‘Czech initiative’—we are grateful for it—but the Russians should know that we are counting on three million artillery shells,” Zelenskyy said during a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague on May 4. He further stressed that Ukrainian military strength is key to ending the war.
Ukraine is reportedly set to receive additional American Patriot air-defense systems as it struggles to protect itself against Russia’s aerial attacks. A Patriot system previously stationed in Israel will be refurbished and sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported on May 4, while NATO allies are discussing the logistics of securing another system from Germany or Greece. However, Greek officials have since ruled out being able to spare a Patriot system for Ukraine.
This latest development comes amid intensifying Russian missile strikes, with an April 24 attack on Kyiv being the deadliest in months. While Ukraine is currently in possession of eight Patriot systems, only six are operational, and the country has long sought to expand its air-defense capabilities to shield its major cities, especially the capital, Kyiv. With the addition of refurbished systems, Ukraine could soon possess as many as 10 operational Patriots, each valued at least $1 billion, to counter Russia's rapidly intensifying drone and missile attacks.
The U.S. first delivered Patriot systems to Ukraine in April 2023. But six months later, officials in Kyiv started to report persistent missile shortages, lamenting that the country’s defense needs exceed the current supply. UNITED24, Ukraine’s state-led fundraising platform, has raised more than $1.4 billion in donations since its launch in May 2022.
More than 91% of contributions were allocated to the nation’s defense sector, with the remainder funding demining operations, medical aid, and infrastructure restoration. The platform has delivered thousands of critical assets, from drones to medical vehicles, and facilitated the rebuilding of schools, hospitals, and bridges in war-torn regions. Backed by 26 international ambassadors, including American pop rock band Imagine Dragons and actor Mark Hamill, UNITED24 continues to rally global solidarity.
Its latest campaign seeks to raise $1.5 million for demining efforts in the heavily contaminated regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson. The European Union is planning to propose a complete ban on Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. The plan entails halting purchases under new contracts and spot purchases by the end of this year, with a gradual phase-out of long-term agreements and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
In parallel, the transition includes measures to reduce dependence on Russian nuclear materials and oil supplies, targeting a full phase-out by 2027. The stakes are substantial. In 2024, the EU spent more than $25 billion on Russian energy purchases, far surpassing its military aid to Ukraine.
Despite sanctions and reduced pipeline flows, nearly one fifth of the EU’s gas supply came from Russia in 2024, driven in part by record LNG shipments. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
