It has been the 1548th day of the Ukrainian resistance to the russian military aggression.
What happened in Ukraine today:
Here is operational information of the General Staff as of 4 pm:
On 21 May, the aggressor attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 76 times.
Artillery shelling of border areas continues. In Sumy oblast, the following settlements were affected: Iskryskivshchyna, Ryzhivka, Rohizne, Korenok, Sopych, Novovasylivka, Bachivsk, Ulanove, Neskuchne, Prohres, Topolia, Budky, Havrylova Sloboda, Yastrubshchyna, and Sumy. The settlements of Vilna Sloboda, Tovstodubove, and Marchyshyna Buda in Sumy oblast sustained airstrikes.
Towards Northern Sloboda and Kursk, the enemy carried out one airstrike using three guided bombs and conducted 44 attacks on settlements and positions of Ukrainian troops. There was one enemy assault.
Towards Southern Sloboda, the enemy tried five times to improve its position in the vicinity of Izbytske, Lyman, and Vilcha.
Towards Kupiansk, the enemy conducted three assault operations near Kurylivka, Kivsharivka, and Novoplatonivka. One of these attacks is still ongoing.
Towards Lyman, the adversary attacked twice near Zarichne and Lyman. Both of these attacks are still ongoing.
Towards Sloviansk, the occupiers tried once to improve their position in the vicinity of Riznykivka.
Towards Kramatorsk, the enemy attacked once in the vicinity of Minkivka. The attack is ongoing.
Towards Kostiantynivka, the invaders carried out 15 attacks in the vicinity of Kostiantynivka, Pleshchiivka, Illinivka, Ivanopillia, Rusyn Yar, Stepanivka, and Toretske.
Towards Pokrovsk, the occupiers tried 24 times to push Ukrainian warriors from their positions in the vicinity of Nove Shakhove, Zatyshok, Nykanorivka, Rodynske, Toretske, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne, Kotlyne, Kamianka, Serhiivka, Udachne, Molodetske, and Novopavlivka. One of these attacks is still ongoing.
Towards Oleksandrivka, the enemy tried three times to advance in the vicinity of Verbove and Ternove.
Towards Huilaipole, there were 19 attacks towards the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinity of Nove Zaporizhzhia, Dobropillia, Rybne, Zlahoda, Zaliznychne, Tsvitkove, Vozdvyzhivka, Verkhnia Tersa, Staroukrainka, Huilaipilske, and Charivne. One of these attacks is ongoing.
Towards Orikhiv, the enemy conducted one assault operation in the vicinity of Shcherbaky.
Towards Kherson, the enemy attacked once in the vicinity of the Antonivskyi Bridge.
In other directions, there are currently no significant changes in the situation. No enemy attempts to advance were recorded.
Recent war events in the east of Ukraine
Kharkiv oblast
Frontline
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, russian troops tried five times to improve their tactical position in the vicinity of Izbytske, Lyman, and Vilcha. Towards Kupiansk, the occupiers stormed three times towards Kurylivka, Kivsharivka, and Novoplatonivka. One combat engagement was ongoing.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there were 233 combat engagements in the oblast. Towards Southern Sloboda, russian troops attacked positions of the Defense Forces five times towards Izbytske and in the vicinity of Starytsia and Lyman. Towards Kupiansk, the russian army attacked seven times towards Kupiansk, Petropavlivka, Hlushkivka, and Novoosynove.
Shelling
Bohdan Hladkykh, Director of the Department of Emergency Situations, told Suspilne that since the morning of 21 May, at least four drone strikes were recorded in Kharkiv, including two on police vehicles. According to Viktor Levchenko, Chief of the Patrol Police of Kharkiv oblast, law enforcement officers arrived at the scene following a report of an FPV drone hitting a truck on the ring road, after which the russians launched a repeat strike on the service vehicle. The police officers managed to move to a safe distance and were not injured.
On the ring road in Kharkiv district, a russian UAV hit a cargo truck. The driver was killed, and the truck caught fire. Due to the risk of repeated strikes, the body of the deceased could not be evacuated for some time, and at the site of the hit, russian troops launched two more strikes on patrol police vehicles: one car burned to the ground, while the other was successfully evacuated.
In the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv, a russian drone crashed on the grounds of a garage cooperative. According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, there were no casualties.
Halyna Minaieva, Mayor of Chuhuiv, reported that russian troops launched a missile strike on the territory of an agricultural enterprise in Velyka Babka, Chuhuiv community. An empty warehouse was destroyed; no people were injured.
Volodymyr Bielyi, Mayor of Bohodukhiv, reported that part of the Bohodukhiv community was left without electricity due to russian strikes on energy facilities.
Viktor Trehubov, Head of the Communications Department of the Joint Forces Task Force, stated that russian claims regarding the presence of russian troops in Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi and Borova do not correspond to reality. According to him, the occupiers are trying to create a local advantage by shifting troops, including from the occupied territories of Luhansk oblast.
Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reports that over the past day, 15 settlements in Kharkiv oblast came under enemy fire. Eight people were injured: a 53-year-old man in Hontarivka, Staryi Saltiv community; men aged 41 and 40, and a 44-year-old woman in Husynka, Kindrashivka community; a 25-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man suffered an acute stress reaction in Chuhuiv; and a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were injured in Zolochiv. Another 54-year-old man was injured in Izium due to the explosion of an unknown device.
Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reported that russian troops deployed MLRS, four Geran-2 UAVs, four Molniya UAVs, five FPV drones, and 10 unidentified drones across Kharkiv oblast. In Bohodukhiv, Kupiansk, Izium, Lozova, and Chuhuiv districts, residential buildings, power grids, outbuildings, cars, a grain elevator, a warehouse, a gas station, a post office, an administrative building, and a community center were damaged.
Other
Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reports that the transit evacuation point in Lozova received 182 people over the past day. Since the point began operating, 35,265 people have been registered there.
Donetsk oblast
Kateryna Myronchuk, Head of the Communications Section of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade, reported that the russian military does not stop its assaults towards Pokrovsk, massing forces, drawing more heavily on artillery, and deploying drones en masse, especially at night. According to her, russian troops intensified attacks near Serhiivka, attempting to widen their tactical wedge and put pressure on logistics. The number of night UAV flights has also increased: the occupiers search for hardware and positions using thermal signatures, while their infantry shifts to single-advance tactics and actively uses natural concealment. At the same time, units of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade destroyed and suppressed a significant number of russian drones tonight.
The State Emergency Service of Donetsk Region reported that in Druzhkivka, rescuers saved two people from an apartment building struck by a russian FPV drone. Following the hit, a fire broke out in the nine-story building, affecting three apartments on the first and fifth floors. On the fifth floor, firefighters discovered two people who could not escape on their own due to heavy smoke and led them to safety.
The Unmanned Systems Forces struck russian targets in Donetsk oblast. Among the targets were an S-300V radar system, a fuel tanker, a Uragan MLRS, command and observation posts, UAV command posts and workshops, logistics routes, and russian assault groups.
Maksym Bilousov, Head of the Communications Section of the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade, stated that towards Lyman, russian troops intensified their assaults using small groups and are deploying drones en masse—including FPVs, “zhduny” (reconnaissance/loitering drones), and Molniya strike UAVs. The occupiers’ main objective is Ukrainian logistics, which they try to strike increasingly deeper. According to him, a well-equipped unit named “Rubikon” entered the sector and is searching for new attack methods. At the same time, burnt forests, engineering barriers, and drone kill zones complicate the russian advance and leave them more vulnerable.
Throughout May 20, police recorded 1,340 strikes by the russian army on the frontline and residential sector of Donetsk region. Twelve settlements were under fire: Bilozeriske, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Mykolaivka, Sviatohirsk, Sloviansk, Bilenke, Malotaranivka, Novodonetske, Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, Kindrativka, and Tetianivka. 41 civilian objects sustained damage, including 25 residential buildings.
In Kindrativka, Druzhkivka community, a russian FPV drone killed a civilian.
russian troops launched 14 strikes on Kramatorsk: four bomb strikes and 10 using various types of drones. Two civilians were injured; at least one apartment building and four private houses, a hospital, an administrative building, two civilian cars, and a state flag were damaged.
russian troops attacked Druzhkivka 10 times, primarily with FPV drones. Six people were injured, while two apartment buildings, four private houses, and a car were damaged.
In Malotaranivka, an FPV drone hit a civilian vehicle, injuring two residents. Another drone damaged a private house.
The russian army attacked Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka with a Smerch MLRS, injuring one person.
Three hits were recorded in Mykolaivka: four apartment buildings, one private house, an administrative building, and an educational institution were damaged. In Sviatohirsk, a private house was damaged, and a fire broke out in a forest area. In Tetianivka, four private houses were damaged.
An apartment building was damaged in Bilozeriske, and a private property was damaged in Novodonetske.
Police officers evacuated people from Druzhkivka under FPV drone attacks. The crew managed to extract several families from the frontline city; to allow the residents to reach the vehicle safely, the officers opened fire on the enemy targets. The police also evacuated four people who had walked out of Kostiantynivka: they traveled on foot for four hours, with relatives wheeling one woman in a wheelchair. Their home had been destroyed by the russian army, and the family miraculously survived.
Luhansk oblast
Towards Lyman, russian troops tried to advance 13 times in the vicinity of six settlements over the past day, according to Oleksii Kharchenko, Head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration. In the territory of Luhansk oblast, the occupiers struck four times with mortars, used automatic grenade launchers, and deployed 10 drones.
Oleksii Kharchenko, Head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration, reported that in temporarily occupied Luhansk oblast, around 95,000 teenagers have been involved in the russian “Movement of the First.” According to him, russia began actively deploying the network of this movement in the occupied territories after the full-scale invasion, when it became clear that the war could not be ended quickly. Through such structures, the occupiers impose russian “spiritual and moral values” on children and youth, effectively preparing them to participate in the war.
Oleksii Kharchenko, Head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration, reported that in occupied Luhansk oblast, the russians plan to repair 5,000 apartment buildings in 2026 at the expense of the residents themselves. People will pay a separate tariff for the repairs, while the occupation authorities will select contractors and determine the cost of work, effectively profiting from this scheme.
What is happening now in the north of Ukraine
Kyiv oblast
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has announced that, following a decision by the High Command, it has launched large-scale security operations in the northern oblasts bordering russia and Belarus, in conjunction with units of the Defence Forces. The National Police, the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service are also involved in the operation. The comprehensive measures cover the Chernihiv, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Volyn and Rivne oblasts and are aimed at: counter-intelligence protection; countering sabotage; preventing terrorist acts; and checking citizens and vehicles.
In Kyiv oblast, efforts to extinguish a fire in the Exclusion Zone caused by a russian attack are ongoing. On 14 May at 13:33, the duty officer at the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve reported a fire in the forest litter and fallen timber, caused by an enemy UAV attack. As of 15:00 on 20 May, firefighting operations are continuing at two locations. The fire has spread across more than 412 hectares. Dry weather and strong gusts of wind are contributing to the spread of the flames. The Kyiv Region State Emergency Service reported that the situation is fully under control.
On 21 May, the ‘Embroidered Ribbon of Remembrance’ event took place in Kyiv, being introduced in Ukraine for the first time as a tradition to honour the defenders who fell in the war. The event took place on the Alley of Remembrance for Defenders on Air Force Avenue.
Zhytomyr oblast
A commission set up by Olevsk City Council has completed its survey of buildings damaged by russian UAV attack on 13 May 2026. The strike caused damage to warehouses and a general store covering a total area of over 1,200 square metres, as well as to nearby residential buildings. Business owners whose property was damaged by the strike were provided with municipal equipment for cleaning up. This was announced by Vasyl Kovalchuk, head of the commission for inspecting facilities damaged and destroyed as a result of russian military actions in the Olevsk community.
In Korosten, work is being completed on the Avenue of Heroes, which is scheduled to be officially opened on City Day, 30 May. Work has already begun on landscaping and planting 438 plants, including grasses and perennial herbs. The avenue is being developed by municipal services and local businesses.
Sumy oblast
Liudmyla Biriukova, Head of Velyka Pysarivka community, reported that on 21 May, russian troops struck a social bus operating a route from Velyka Pysarivka community by an FPV drone. Windows were shattered in the vehicle, and its body and headlights were damaged. According to her, russian troops attack civilian cars in Velyka Pysarivka community by FPV drones almost every day. The passengers and driver were not injured in the bus strike.
In Sumy, six people were injured as a result of artillery shelling, including a child with an acute stress reaction. The enemy attacked the city’s residential sector and industrial zone on 21 May, approximately from 9:50am to 10:30am. Hits were recorded at five addresses in Kovpakivskyi district of Sumy.
Sumy City Military Administration informed that as a result of the enemy attack on Sumy, two men aged 70 and 71 are in hospital in serious condition. Another 30-year-old man has been hospitalised in moderate condition. An 81-year-old woman was also injured. In addition, a man, whose details are being clarified, and a 71-year-old woman received medical assistance at the scene.
According to the City Council, private cars, residential houses and outbuildings were damaged and destroyed in Vorozhba community as a result of an enemy attack involving FPV drones and attack UAVs. Power lines and internet cables were also damaged.
The RMA reported that a two-storey house was destroyed in Berezivka community, Shostka region. russian military forces struck the community by a UAV during the day on 20 May. There were no casualties. The owners of the house managed to escape.
Olha Harkavenko, Head of Novoslobidske community, said that power supply had been restored in a border settlement of Nova Slobidka community. Residents of the community had spent five days without electricity due to russian shelling.
Police reported that one person was killed and 15 others were injured in Sumy oblast over the past day, 20 May, due to russian shelling. One person was killed in Konotop and 12 were injured. Two civilians were injured in Buryn community and one in Shostka community.
Sumy Regional Military Administration informed that two people had sought medical assistance in healthcare facilities of the oblast following previous russian attacks. A 39-year-old man was injured in a UAV attack on Hlukhiv community on 19 May. A 53-year-old man was injured after a car drove over an explosive device in Seredyna-Buda community on 17 May.
Over the day, from the morning of 20 May to the morning of 21 May, russian troops carried out almost 50 attacks on 31 settlements in 17 territorial communities of the oblast. The highest number of attacks was recorded in Sumy and Shostka regions. The enemy used mortars, FPV drones, UAVs and guided aerial bombs. Over the day, the air raid alert in the oblast lasted 22 hours and 54 minutes.
Civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged and destroyed:
▪️in Sumy community, a private residential house was damaged;
▪️in Kyrykivka community, a private residential house was damaged;
▪️in Vorozhba community, private residential houses, cars and a civilian infrastructure facility were damaged;
▪️in Buryn community, a private residential house and cars were damaged;
▪️in Mykolaivka rural community, a civilian infrastructure facility was damaged;
▪️in Berezivka community, a private residential house was destroyed, while a civilian infrastructure facility and non-residential premises were damaged;
▪️in Esman community, a private residential house, garages, a non-residential building and a civilian infrastructure facility were damaged;
▪️in Nova Sloboda community, a private residential house was damaged;
▪️in Shostka community, private residential houses were destroyed, while a private residential house and a civilian infrastructure facility were damaged;
▪️in Hlukhiv community, residential houses and an administrative premises were damaged;
▪️in Seredyna-Buda community, a civilian infrastructure facility was damaged;
▪️in Znob-Novhorodske community, administrative and non-residential premises were damaged.
Chernihiv oblast
Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on the morning of 21 May that one person was killed and two others were injured in Novhorod-Siverskyi region as a result of a UAV attack. The strike caused fires involving a car and a warehouse building on the territory of an agricultural enterprise. Rescuers extinguished the fires.
According to the Regional Military Administration, the attack took place on the evening of 20 May.
Vyacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, said that russian military forces attacked Chernihiv region on 20 May. In a village of Horodnia community, a 33-year-old man working in a field was injured in a UAV strike. A tractor was also damaged. In another village of the region, the enemy struck the territory of an enterprise.
Chernihiv Border Detachment informed that on 20 May, russian troops attacked four border communities of Chernihiv oblast: Novhorod-Siverskyi, Semenivka, Horodnia and Snovsk. The enemy carried out shelling by a mortar, causing one explosion, and tube artillery, causing 13 explosions; struck by a Herbera-type UAV, causing one explosion; used FPV drones, causing 12 explosions; and dropped explosive devices from UAVs, causing three explosions. Eleven settlements came under enemy fire.
Pavlo Miroshnychenko, Head of Koriukivka Regional Military Administration, reported that as a result of a large-scale forest fire that broke out in two forestry areas of Chernihiv oblast on 5 May due to russian military aggression, approximately 9,000 hectares of forest and meadows were damaged, according to preliminary data. According to him, it is not possible to accurately assess the consequences of the fire due to the proximity to the russian border and constant shelling.
Vyacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, annonced that since the launch of the eVidnovlennia programme, residents of Chernihiv oblast had submitted almost 9,500 applications for all types of compensation for damaged and destroyed housing, 71% of which had been approved. The total amount of accrued payments is UAH 2.9b. According to him, people whose homes were completely destroyed received housing certificates and have already purchased 873 homes.
Recent events in the central regions of Ukraine
Dnipropetrovsk oblast
Mykola Lukashuk, Head of Dnipropetrovsk RMA, reported that in Chervonohryhorivka community, a 42-year-old man was injured due to a Grad multiple launch rocket system strike. The occupiers also attacked the regional centre, Myrove, Marhanets and Pokrovske rural communities by drones and artillery. Infrastructure, solar panels and a gas pipeline were damaged. As a result of a UAV attack in Dnipro, women aged 58 and 35 were injured. An apartment caught fire and buildings were damaged. As a result of a UAV attack in Kryvyi Rih, an enterprise was damaged. A 34-year-old man was injured. Pokrovska community was struck by guided aerial bombs. A private house was damaged. Ukrainka community was attacked by UAVs. Due to a UAV strike in Troitske community, a truck caught fire.
The occupiers attacked the regional centre, Myrove, Marhanets and Pokrovske rural communities by drones and artillery. A man was injured and infrastructure was damaged. According to updated information, 15 people were injured in Dnipro. Fires broke out and residential buildings were damaged. As a result of a UAV attack in Vasylkivka community, a private house was damaged. Slovianka community was attacked by FPV drones. An administrative building was damaged. Pokrovske community was attacked by UAVs. A summer kitchen caught fire. In Kryvyi Rih, a man was injured as a result of a UAV strike. An enterprise was damaged.
Vinnytsia oblast
On Independence Square in Vinnytsia, an exhibition of vyshyvankas belonging to fallen defenders of Ukraine titled They Were Worn by Heroes took place. The exhibition featured 60 embroidered shirts from the personal belongings of soldiers who were killed at the front.
Poltava oblast
On Vyshyvanka Day, the nationwide campaign Embroidered Ribbon of Memory took place in Poltava. Residents tied ribbons on the Alley of Heroes in memory of fallen servicemen.
Cherkasy oblast
Ihor Taburets, Head of Cherkasy RMA, stated that during the night, air defence forces shot down 2 russian UAVs in Cherkasy oblast.
Latest news from the front of the southern regions of Ukraine
Zaporizhzhia oblast
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on 20 May, the Defence Forces of Ukraine repelled 31 russian attacks in Huliaipole and Orikhiv regions. In particular, combat clashes took place in the areas of Shcherbaky, Stepnohirsk and toward Nove Zaporizhzhia, Vozdvyzhivka, Tsvitkove, Staroukrainka, Dobropillia, Zaliznychne, Huliaipilske, Olenokostiantynivka and Charivne.
Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia RMA, reported that 2 people were injured as a result of russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia oblast. On 20 May, russian forces carried out more than 830 strikes on 53 settlements of Zaporizhzhia oblast. The occupiers most frequently attacked by drones, mainly FPV drones.
Mykolaiv oblast
Referring to Mykolaiv RMA, during 20 May, the russian military attacked Ochakiv community 3 times by FPV drones. There were no casualties reported.
Kherson oblast
According to Kherson RMA, at approximately 10am, russian forces carried out an airstrike on Bilozirka. The occupiers dropped 3 guided aerial bombs on apartment buildings in the settlement. Currently, 2 injured people are known. Medical assistance was required for a 27-year-old man who sustained a blast injury and concussion. A 63-year-old man also sought medical help and was diagnosed with a mine-blast injury and concussion.
Latest news for today in the western regions of Ukraine
Volyn oblast
The RMA reported that a meeting of the international platform operating under the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was held in Volyn.
Zakarpattia oblast
Uzhhorod received another bus from its Czech sister city, Brno . The vehicle was transferred as part of a partnership between communities, and it is planned to be used on city bus routes.
Ivano-Frankivsk oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk received 6 powerful Italian boilers Unical with burners for free. The cost is over UAH 11m.
Lviv oblast
A training event was held at one of the regional training grounds, organized by Lviv Region Defense Company and the Omega-West National Guard special unit. The event was held for representatives of communities, RMAs and universities to establish cooperation in the field of civil defense. Participants were shown how to work with UAVs and robotic complexes, locations for rifle and engineering training, mine safety, communications and tactical medicine.
Rivne oblast
The RMA reported that the III degree For Courage Order was awarded to Ivan Tkachuk, participant in hostilities, deputy commander of the volunteer formation of Rivne community.
Ternopil oblast
The RMA held a working meeting with representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany. The meeting was dedicated to supporting food security and implementing a large-scale medical and social project.
Khmelnytskyi oblast
Khmelnytskyi City Council provided material assistance to 25 families of prisoners of war and missing persons. The total amount of assistance is over UAH 1.5m.
Chernivtsi oblast
During the enemy attack, 3 russian UAVs violated the airspace over Bukovina. Thanks to the coordinated and professional work of the Air Defense Forces, 2 enemy drones were destroyed. Another 1 UAV went beyond the borders of the oblast. No damage or casualties were recorded as a result of the attack.
International support of Ukraine in the russian-Ukrainian war (russia’s invasion of Ukraine)
Andrzej Domanski, Polish Minister of Finance and Economy, arrived in Kyiv on a visit. The Polish minister stated that he would hold meetings with Ukrainian government officials and business and discuss preparations for the URC conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which will be held in Gdansk at the end of June. According to him, this year a separate section of the conference will be devoted to security and cooperation between defense companies, in particular in the field of drone production.
Materials compiled by Tetyana Pidgorna, Olena Reka, Yana Hushchyna, Tamara Moshkovska, Sofia Ratynska, Ioanna Kryvenko, Helena Albahachiieva, Kristina Maknynia
Translated by Tetyana Pidgorna, Yana Hushchyna, Alla Litrovnyk, Liudmyla Stadnykova, Ilona Korolevska, Tetiana Moiseienko, Marharyta Koval, Tetiana Kurbatova
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