This week, a drone flew into a high-rise building in Romania, injuring people there, while the EU approved the seventh tranche of aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian units struck targets in the Russian Federation.
Babel has compiled the main events of the week so that you can stay up to date with the news.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv for the first time
On the morning of May 25, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived on her first official visit to Kyiv.
Emergency and restoration work completed in Shevchenkivsky district after the attack in Kyiv
On the evening of May 25, emergency and recovery work in the Shevchenkivsky district of Kyiv was completed after a combined strike carried out by the Russians on the night of May 24. In total, two people were killed and 92 others were injured in the attack. Three children were among the injured.
Пресслужба ДСНС
The Mayor of Kiliya in the Odesa region detained on suspicion of bribery during construction of power plant
On May 26, the mayor of one of the cities in the Odesa region was detained on suspicion of bribery during the construction of a power plant. Babelʼs sources in law enforcement agencies confirmed at the time that this was the mayor of Kiliya Vyacheslav Chernyavsky. According to the investigation, he demanded $35 000 from a Ukrainian company and an investor from Britain for a construction permit.
Zelensky sent an urgent letter to Trump about the critical shortage of air defense in Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky sent an urgent letter to US President Donald Trump and Congress on May 27 about Ukraine’s critical air defense shortage. He asked for “help to secure this vital tool of defense against Russian terror — “Patriot” PAC-3 missiles and additional systems to stop Russian ballistic missiles and other Russian missile attacks”.
The Verkhovna Rada ratified a loan agreement with the European Union worth €90 billion.
On May 28, the Verkhovna Rada ratified an agreement with the European Union on a €90 billion loan. The Verkhovna Rada also ratified a memorandum of understanding with the EU on the loan. These documents were submitted by President Zelensky in the morning in draft law No. 0376.
It was supported by 298 MPs from all factions, with no one voting against. The memorandum refers to an €8.35 billion macro-financial assistance loan to Ukraine from the EU — in three tranches.
The EU Council approved the seventh tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine for €2.8 billion
On the same day, the EU Council approved the seventh tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine for €2.8 billion under the Ukraine Facility program.
The European Union reported that Ukraine had fulfilled 11 of the 20 necessary steps to receive the new tranche. The EU also credited several previously unfulfilled obligations — one condition for the fifth tranche and two for the sixth.
During the Russian attack on Ukraine, a drone hit a high-rise building in Romania
During the Russian attack on Ukraine on the night of May 29, a drone flew into Romanian territory and crashed into a high-rise building in the city of Galati, near the border with the Odesa region. Two people were injured.
At the same time, Romanian President Nicos Dan reported that the Russian Consul General in Constanta would be declared persona non grata and the Russian consulate in the city would be closed. Nicos Dan also stated that the drone had changed its trajectory because it had been shot down in Ukraine. In turn, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with him and said that Ukraine would support Romania in protecting the skies.
SBS destroyed two Russian Tu-142 aircraft and hit a tanker and oil depots
Unmanned systems forces destroyed two Tu-142 aircraft and an Iskander missile system at a military airfield in Taganrog, Russia, on the night of May 30. Drones also struck a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet and two oil depots in Taganrog and Feodosia.
Ukrainian forces attacked Saratov refinery, important pumping station and fuel storage in Russia
On the night of May 31, Ukrainian troops attacked the Saratov refinery, which is part of the “Rosneft” oil company. Its design processing capacity is approximately 7 million tons of oil per year.
In addition, a fuel and lubricants warehouse in the village of Matveyev Kurgan (Rostov region), and the “Lazarevo” linear production and dispatching station in the Kirov region of the Russian Federation were under attack by Ukrainian troops that night.
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