Satellite images show damage at Russia’s FSB base on the Arabat Spit after a mass drone strike on May 17. The attack used drones with enlarged 150-170 kg warheads and reportedly killed or wounded around 100 occupation personnel.
❗️The EU Council approved nearly €2.8B for Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility after the Commission positively assessed Kyiv’s Q4 2025 reform plan. Since 2024, Ukraine has received €26.8B from the program, out of €50B planned through 2027.
Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russia is slowing the agreed “1000 for 1000” prisoner exchange through delays and manipulation. He said Ukraine has completed all required steps in advance and is ready to conduct the swaps quickly.
Naval drones attacked 3 Russia-linked shadow fleet tankers near Kilyos, 2-3 km off Turkey’s coast. Two drones hit Velora but did not explode, a third hit nearby James II, and Altura was also damaged. Explosions were felt in Istanbul’s Rumelifeneri district.
A Storm Shadow/SCALP strike hit a building used by Russia’s FSB in occupied Melitopol overnight into May 24, Dossier Shpiona says. Two British-French air-launched cruise missiles partially destroyed the site, killing 2 FSB staff and wounding 2 more. Access, photo and video recording were banned, while FSB personnel spent two days clearing rubble and searching for sensitive documents.
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Zelensky said Ukraine will receive Swedish Gripen fighters with weapons, not just aircraft, including Meteor missiles able to destroy targets at 200 km. He said Gripen can help push Russian aircraft back and prevent mass use of glide bombs.
Sweden announced a $2.7B support package for Ukraine, Zelensky said, including nearly $400M for drone production. He called Gripen the key element and said Ukraine expects to receive its first Swedish fighters within 10 months.
❗️BREAKING: Sweden aims to donate 16 JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighters to Ukraine and enable Kyiv to procure up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft with €2.5B from the EU Ukraine Support Loan. Deliveries of the first Gripen C/D jets are planned for early 2027, while Gripen E deliveries are expected from 2030. Sweden will also provide maintenance and training support under a major defense deal.
😉Gripen fighters escorted Zelensky’s aircraft during his visit to Sweden, a visible signal as Stockholm prepares support for Ukraine’s combat aviation. Zelensky published a video from the visit and said there is important progress on Gripen, which should significantly strengthen the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air force and deepen Swedish-Ukrainian defense cooperation.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces received an M142 HIMARS system for its 147th Separate Artillery Brigade. The unit has already used it in combat, destroying several Russian guns during counterbattery fire.
❗️Zelensky arrived in Sweden for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pål Jonson. SVT says a joint press conference on “international aviation cooperation” is scheduled at Uppsala’s Uppland Air Wing, with Gripen support for Ukraine expected to dominate alongside Russia’s war and Swedish-Ukrainian defense cooperation.
The US Embassy in Kyiv denied Kaja Kallas’s claim that Washington emptied its mission after Russian threats to bomb the capital again. SVT cites the embassy saying it remains open, with no operational changes, and reports to the contrary are false.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the US Embassy left Kyiv after Russia threatened “systematic strikes” on the capital, while European missions stayed. She said Ukraine told the EU all embassies remained except one, and that the US had gone.
Russia has begun placing air defense systems on multi-story office buildings in Moscow, using a Mi-26T heavy transport helicopter for installation.