Three years on: Ukraine remembers Bucha's retaking
A ceremony was held to mark three years since Ukrainian forces retook Bucha, remembering the atrocities committed during Russia's occupation in the early weeks of the 2022 invasion.
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Russia steps up offensives in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Sumy oblasts, Syrskyi says
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 31 that Russian forces have ramped up assault operations across key fronts in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Sumy oblasts. "(Russian troops) have notably increased activity in the Zaporizhzhia direction, where they are conducting active offensive actions," Syrskyi said following a strategic meeting assessing military operations in May. According to Syrskyi, Ukraine's Armed Forces are inflicting substantial losses on Russian troops, claiming over 34,000 Russian personnel were killed in May alone. Ukrainian artillery, aviation, and drone systems have been targeting enemy units "even before they reach our positions," he said. While Russia's main efforts remain concentrated on the Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman fronts in Donetsk Oblast, as well as in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast bordering Russia, Zaporizhzhia has seen an uptick in escalation, Syrskyi noted. He added that Ukrainian forces are reinforcing high-risk areas with reserves and intensifying firepower to repel attacks. In the Sumy Oblast, Russian forces have continued cross-border raids, shelling, and attempted sabotage missions. Ukrainian officials and military analysts warn of a possible new Russian offensive targeting the region. On May 29, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said Russia had amassed "sufficient forces" in neighboring Kursk Oblast to potentially launch an incursion into Sumy. Syrskyi also highlighted Ukrainian cross-border operations, stating that in May, Ukraine struck 58 military targets deep inside Russian territory using long-range DeepStrike systems. These included defense industry facilities producing explosive materials and combat drones. Fighting continues on the Kursk front, where Russia has deployed elite units initially intended for operations in eastern Ukraine. On May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly visited Kursk Oblast after Moscow declared on April 26 that it had completed a military operation to liberate the territory from Ukrainian incursions. The Ukrainian military said on April 26 some of the areas were still under their control. Read also: Ukrainian drones hit Russian cruise missile factory, SBU source says, in one of largest reported strikes of full-scale war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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Sweden will step up insurance checks on foreign ships as worries about Russia rise
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden said Saturday it will step up insurance checks on foreign ships in a move aimed at tightening controls on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet ' of aging ships. The government in Stockholm said that, starting July 1, the coast guard and the Swedish Maritime Administration will be tasked with collecting insurance information not just from ships that call at Swedish ports, but also those that pass through the country's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. 'This underlines Sweden's clear presence in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,' Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement. 'It also provides Sweden and our allies with important information about vessels that can be used as a basis for sanctions listings of more vessels in the shadow fleet.' Russia uses its shadow fleet to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The European Union has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total in sanctions packages, most recently on May 20. Kristersson said that 'we are seeing more and more problematic events in the Baltic Sea and this requires us not only to hope for the best, but also to plan for the worst.' The average age of the vessels is around 18 years, meaning they're near the end of their lifespan and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they're not well-maintained.
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Russia's drone ‘safaris' haunt Ukrainians in front-line city
KHERSON, Ukraine – The new Kherson municipal offices are located a few floors belowground, one of the more glaring signs that civilians here are routinely hunted by drones operated by Russian forces about 3 miles away, on the far side of the Dnieper River. Ukrainian forces liberated 30 percent of the region in November 2022, nine months after Russia's full-scale invasion. Since then, the front line has been at a stalemate; that doesn't mean it's been inactive. Kherson suffers near-daily attacks from all manner of Russian weapons, artillery and missiles. But armed drones, and their targeting of civilians, are drawing increased attention and horror. On Wednesday, a United Nations commission released a report calling the Russian drone attacks crimes against humanity. 'They are killing ordinary civilian people, just elderly people, children, those who are waiting at the bus stop — they are killing them, they are taking videos of that and they are putting them online on their Telegram channels,' said Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration. 'They are calling it a 'safari,' and they are just laughing at it and there is nothing we can do to combat the drones.' Prokudin spoke to The Hill from the basement of one of Kherson's new municipal workspaces, part of a new city plan to move all essential services — hospitals, schools, government offices — underground. Nine hospitals are underground at the moment, with plans to build another 12. Kherson is one of five regions Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the United States — and the broader international community — to recognize as sovereign Russian territory as part of any peace deal. President Trump's top envoy for negotiations, Steve Witkoff, has not rejected the possibility outright. There's a growing recognition in Ukraine that liberating the occupied territories by force is not achievable. While 82 percent of Ukrainians said in 2022 that Ukraine should not give up any of its territories even if it prolongs the war, in March of this year, that number fell to 50 percent. For Kherson, Russian forces on the other side of the Dnieper River outnumber Ukrainian forces by three times, Prokudin said, speaking through a translator. 'But at the same time, they don't have the strength and ability to turn this manpower into action and retake these territories,' he continued. 'But still, we don't have the manpower and ability to kick them off from our territory.' Asked about Trump's efforts to achieve a ceasefire, Prokudin said any pause must be used to prepare for a resumption of the war. 'If it happens, we prepare to war,' he said in English. The population of Kherson has plummeted amid the war. About 150,000 people live in the de-occupied region, down from a prewar level of 500,000. Other measures the city is taking to protect remaining residents include bomb shelters spread out among the sidewalks, particularly at gathering points such as bus stops and around the train station. Zarina Zabrisky is an American journalist working in Ukraine, who moved to Kherson to report and produce a documentary on the drone attacks. Zabrisky spoke to The Hill over Zoom from the U.S., but she said she spends about 70 percent of her time in Kherson. She said she fell in love with the city while reporting there after Ukrainian forces liberated the right bank of the river. 'The people are unbelievable, they are very down to earth,' she said, describing locals as passionate, artistic, and blunt. 'If they don't like something, they tell you right to your face. If they like you or love you, they suffocate you in an embrace.' Writing for the Byline Times and the Euromaidan Press, Zabrisky said when she first started reporting the drone attacks in July 2024, editors were in disbelief. 'At that point, only the publication I worked for would believe me. Other editors would say, 'That's not possible.' It took me until October to get it out to other publications.' Stories about the 'human safaris' appeared in The Kyiv Independent at that time, and in December, the Financial Times reported on the civilian 'target practice.' Prokudin said that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 drone attacks per week across the region under Ukrainian control, an area of roughly 390 square miles. The U.N. commission documented drone attacks against civilians in the city of Kherson and 16 other localities stretching over 60 miles in riverfront areas under Ukrainian control. Almost 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured, the commission wrote. Radio and electrical defense systems help to combat about 80 percent of the drones, but Russia is constantly innovating, changing the frequencies to bypass the defenses, Prokudin said. Other defense measures include shooting at the drones with small guns and shotguns, and putting up netting to try to disrupt their flight. Some of the drones drop explosives, while others fly kamikaze missions, crashing into their target and exploding. The daily terror makes Kherson one of the most difficult places to live, which the commission report said is Russia's intention. Prokudin said most of the people who stay in the region are elderly, with no desire to move or start a new life as a refugee. Any young people are likely working for the government. Among them is 23-year-old Victoria Maryshchuk, who works in the press office for the military administration of the city. She spent nearly nine months under Russian occupation following Putin's initial full-scale invasion in February 2022. She's had to move apartments five times over nearly two years because of Russian shelling. But she decided it was important to stick around. 'After the liberation, I realized something important: A city only lives if its people stay,' she said. 'If everyone leaves, Kherson will become an empty target — even a ghost. And I understand that's exactly what the Russians want as they shell us, to make us run so they can try to come back.' Maryshchuk can relate to those still living under Russian occupation, and she hopes they can eventually feel the joy of being liberated. 'It's just really difficult to explain to people how was it, but it's just a feeling that you are not free,' she said of life under Russia's control. In September 2022, when Russia carried out a referendum in the occupied territories — that was dismissed internationally as illegal and carried out under duress — Maryshchuk said she and her family hid in their home to avoid being forced to vote. 'I remember very well that feeling of fear,' she said. 'We knew their referendum was illegal, and we believed that Ukraine would liberate us anyway — so we simply waited.' Two months later, Ukrainian forces retook the territory. But the threat of Russia remains at the doorstep. 'If they stay on the left bank of Kherson region, one day or another they will shell Kherson again,' she said. 'So of course we want to be liberated, all our region be liberated, developed, and we will celebrate our victory.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
