Ukraine-Russia war latest: Fighting escalates around key Ukrainian city as Putin’s troops push for new foothold
Ukraine's military commander has confirmed that Russian troops are inching towards the city of Kostiantynivka in the eastern region of Donetsk and trying to establish a foothold close to a heavily defended area.
Kostiantynivka forms a part of the so-called "fortress belt", a network of cities and towns fortified by the Ukrainian military in the east.
“We are repelling the Russian occupiers' persistent attempts to gain a foothold in the outskirts of Kostiantynivka using infiltration tactics. Counter-sabotage measures are going on in the city," Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram app.
Russian troops are currently about 1km from the city's southern outskirts, according to the Ukrainian battlefield mapper DeepState.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said his forces had observed unusual activity along the border with Belarus.
“Yesterday, there was rather unusual activity along sections of the Ukraine–Belarus border, on the Belarusian side. We are closely documenting everything and keeping the situation under control,” he said, without sharing details.
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Ukraine is hitting oil facilities deep inside Russia. Soaring fuel prices could blunt the impact
Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia to strike oil facilities, sending up plumes of smoke that can be seen from space and bringing toxic rain to tourist destinations on the Black Sea.
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for its grinding invasion of Ukraine. But the economic impact is so far unclear, as the rise in oil prices from the Iran war, and a related easing of U.S. sanctions, have helped replenish the Kremlin’s coffers.
Still, the range of the attacks and their environmental impact is bringing the war home to ordinary Russians far from the front lines.
Ukraine is hitting Russian oil sites but rising fuel prices may blunt the impact
Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia to strike oil facilitiesArpan Rai3 May 2026 08:23Ukraine hits two shadow fleet tankers near Russia's Novorossiysk port
Ukrainian forces attacked two shadow fleet tankers in waters at the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said this morning.
"These tankers had been actively used to transport oil – not anymore," Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.
"Ukraine's long-range capabilities will continue to be developed comprehensively – at sea, in the air, and on land."
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 07:53Ukrainian drones attack Russia's Primorsk port, governor says
Ukrainian drones attacked Russia's Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on Sunday, setting it on fire, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
He said more than 60 drones were downed overnight over Russia's northwestern Leningrad region. There was no oil spill following the attack on Primorsk, a major oil exporting outlet, and the fire was extinguished, he added.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 07:27Zelensky sanctions his former chief of staff
Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed sanctions on his former chief of staff Andriy Bohdan, who headed his presidential office before the war in Ukraine erupted in 2022.
No official reason was given to explain the sanctions.
Bohdan said on Facebook that the move may be linked to recent media reports alleging possible involvement by Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, in corrupt dealings.
The former official suggested that the president suspects a connection between the publications and Bohdan’s work as a lawyer.
Under the sanction, Bohdan’s state honours will be revoked, his assets will be frozen and his commercial transactions will be banned.
The sanctions will remain in force for 10 years.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 07:00Drone kills two in Kherson minibus strike
Two people were killed after a Russian drone attacked a minibus in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, local officials said Saturday, in the latest barrage of civilian areas, a hallmark of Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
Seven people were also wounded in the attack, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said. Hours later Russia attacked another minibus in Kherson, wounding the driver, he said.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 06:44Ukraine reports fighting reaches outskirts of Kostiantynivka
Russian troops are inching towards the city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, trying to establish a foothold close to a heavily defended area, Ukraine's top army official said yesterday.
Kostiantynivka, along with other cities, forms a so-called fortress belt in the country's east - an area well fortified by the Ukrainian military.
"We are repelling the Russian occupiers' persistent attempts to gain a foothold in the outskirts of Kostiantynivka using infiltration tactics. Counter-sabotage measures are going on in the city," Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's army chief, said on the Telegram app.
A Ukrainian battlefield mapping project called DeepState shows that Russian troops control an area around only one kilometre (0.6 mile) from the city's southern outskirts.
Small chunks of Kostiantynivka, in southeast Ukraine, are marked as a grey zone, meaning neither Ukraine nor Russia has full control over them.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 06:13Zelensky flags 'unusual' activity along Ukraine-Belarus border
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces observed an unusual activity along the country’s border with Belarus.
“Yesterday, there was rather unusual activity along sections of the Ukraine–Belarus border – on the Belarusian side. We are closely documenting everything and keeping the situation under control,” Zelensky said, without sharing the details of the movement.
“If necessary, we will react. Ukraine is ready to defend its people and its sovereignty. Everyone who is being drawn into any aggressive actions against Ukraine must understand this,” he said.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 06:09Ukraine is hitting oil facilities deep inside Russia. Soaring fuel prices could blunt the impact
Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia to strike oil facilities, sending up plumes of smoke that can be seen from space and bringing toxic rain to tourist destinations on the Black Sea.
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for its grinding invasion of Ukraine. But the economic impact is so far unclear, as the rise in oil prices from the Iran war, and a related easing of U.S. sanctions, have helped replenish the Kremlin’s coffers.
Still, the range of the attacks and their environmental impact is bringing the war home to ordinary Russians far from the front lines.
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Ukraine is hitting Russian oil sites but rising fuel prices may blunt the impact
Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia to strike oil facilitiesHolly Evans3 May 2026 02:00Russian forces capture village in Ukraine's Sumy region, defence ministry says
Russian troops took control of the village of Myropillia in Ukraine's Sumy region, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield report.
The ministry also said its air defence forces shot down 505 drones overnight.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2026 01:00Fibre-optic drones reshaped the war in Ukraine. Hezbollah are now adopting the deadly weapon
Hezbollah has introduced a new, difficult-to-detect weapon against northern Israel: small drones controlled by fibre-optic cables. These devices, with cables the width of dental floss, are designed to evade electronic detection, posing a fresh challenge to air defences.
Unlike many drones vulnerable to electronic jamming, which can cause them to crash, these fibre-optic variants are directly connected to an operator.
This direct link makes them impossible to jam electronically, a characteristic widely seen in the war in Ukraine. Though not infallible – wind or other drones can tangle their cables – their lethality is high.
Fibre-optic drones reshaped the war in Ukraine. Hezbollah are now adopting the weapon
In Ukraine, some fields are coated with drone cablesMaryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2026 00:00NewerOlderJoin our commenting forum
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