A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey conducted April 20-27, 2026 shows trust in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declined from 62% in March to 58%. Distrust rose from 32% to 36%. Among those who distrust him, 40% cite deep-rooted reasons dating to 2022 or earlier, while 32% say he has not ended the war. The poll also asked about Zelenskyy's post-war future: 28% want him to remain president, 30% believe he should leave politics, and 15% support criminal prosecution.

Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov, recently appointed Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, detailed the state of Ukraine's short-range air defense and drone warfare in an interview. He revealed that out of over 300 Air Force crews, only 66 had shot down more than 10 Shahed drones in the past year, while 170 had not downed a single one. Yelizarov described ongoing reforms to mobile fire groups, radar placement based on attack patterns, and the creation of a new command structure to address coordination and coverage gaps. He noted that Ukraine has lost its earlier drone advantage but is working to regain it through faster decision-making and better organization, emphasizing the importance of effective personnel over sheer numbers. His former unit, Lasar's Group, has destroyed over $13.8 billion in Russian equipment and remains top in all performance categories.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that 70 convicted collaborators have been transferred to Russia as part of the 'I Want to Go Home' project. The initiative allows convicted traitors and collaborators to move to Russia in exchange for the return of Ukrainian prisoners and civilians held in Russian captivity. The project's website currently lists 404 profiles of convicted collaborators willing to participate. This mechanism aims to secure the release of Ukrainian captives while removing convicted collaborators from Ukraine.

Russia is avoiding official mobilisation by using quotas on universities (2% of students), businesses (e.g., Ryazan Oblast requiring 2-5 employees per firm), debtors, migrants, and prisoners to fill a target of 409,000 contract soldiers for 2026. Recruitment has declined 20% year-on-year, forcing higher bonuses and tighter coercion. The system risks triggering public backlash or a shift to open mobilisation if battlefield or economic pressures increase.

Ukraine has deployed its Sky Map anti-drone system in the Gulf region, using acoustic sensors and interceptor drones to counter Iranian Shahed drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed defence agreements with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar to provide counter-drone expertise. The US military has deployed Sky Map at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, with Ukrainian officers training US personnel. The system is cost-effective, with interceptor drones costing $1,000-$3,000 compared to $4 million for Patriot missiles.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is negotiating with Russia to secure the return of Ukrainian prisoners held in Chechnya, where detention facilities operate outside Russian federal jurisdiction. The headquarters confirmed that Chechen units are no longer actively fighting, though some Chechen fighters are in Ukrainian captivity. The issue remains problematic due to jurisdictional differences, but officials express hope for a resolution soon.

Russian forces struck Kharkiv's Kholodnohirskyi district and the village of Bezliudivka with combat drones on May 4. Three residents in Bezliudivka—a 48-year-old woman, a 69-year-old man, and a 69-year-old woman—suffered acute stress reactions and received on-site medical aid. Private houses were damaged. This attack is part of ongoing Russian aerial assaults on civilian areas in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Defence Intelligence released an interactive 3D model and detailed component breakdown of the Russian Klin loitering munition, manufactured by Roboavia. The drone features a machine vision system using an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 module, a Chinese-made motor, and components from multiple countries including the US, Australia, and China. It can carry a 5 kg warhead and reach speeds of 300 km/h. The disclosure highlights the use of foreign components in Russian weapons and underscores Ukraine's efforts to track and expose enemy technology.

Background: Russia has been intensifying recruitment of foreign nationals, including from Africa, using financial incentives, citizenship promises, and coercive tactics. A New York Times investigation documents that African men are being recruited through fly-by-night companies posing as travel agencies or job placement firms, advertising on WhatsApp and Telegram with promises of civilian work such as bodyguard or line cook. Upon arrival in Russia, they are forced into military service and deployed to the front lines in Ukraine. Contracts are written in Russian, which recruits cannot read. Russia offers fast-track citizenship, sign-on bonuses up to $43,000, and high monthly pay. Ukraine's intelligence reports over 28,000 foreign nationals serving in Russia's army as of May 2026, plus 14,000 North Korean troops. The case of James Kamau Ndungu, a Kenyan recruit who died in Ukraine, illustrates the deadly consequences.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War reports that Russia has twice requested the exchange of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. The North Koreans have expressed a desire to be transferred to South Korea, but Ukraine is constrained by international humanitarian law, which holds Russia responsible as the party that involved them in the conflict. This development highlights Russia's selective approach to prisoner exchanges and raises legal and diplomatic questions about the fate of foreign fighters.

On May 4, 2025, at approximately 4:40 a.m., a Russian Lancet drone struck near a civilian bakery van on the Kyiv-Kharkiv-Dovzhanskyi highway near Kam’yana Yaruga in the Chuhuiv district, injuring two men. The driver sustained a closed-head injury and concussion; the freight forwarder experienced an acute stress reaction. The vehicle was empty at the time and was damaged. Ukrainian authorities have launched a pre-trial investigation for war crimes. This attack marks the first recorded drone strike on that road, highlighting the expanding threat to civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv region.

Russian forces shelled the Chernihiv region 56 times over the past 24 hours, causing 108 explosions. A 30-year-old civilian man was injured in Semenivka, and attacks damaged residential areas, a critical infrastructure facility, an administrative building, and a car in Novhorod-Siverskyi and Ripky communities. Additionally, nearly 5 hectares of dry grass caught fire due to FPV drone attacks. The incident highlights ongoing Russian attacks on border areas of Ukraine.

On World Press Freedom Day, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned Russia's targeting of journalists, reporting at least 149 media workers killed since the full-scale invasion, including 21 while on duty. The ministry called for the immediate release of approximately 30 Ukrainian journalists held in Russian captivity and urged international organizations to document press freedom violations in occupied territories. The statement underscores Ukraine's commitment to press freedom amid war and highlights the dual fight against terror and propaganda.

Russian soldiers are deserting the army in growing numbers, with many recruited under false pretenses or coerced into signing contracts. The group Idite Lesom has helped at least 3,000 deserters flee, while Ukraine faces an even larger desertion crisis with over 200,000 soldiers going AWOL. The article highlights systemic issues in both armies, including mistreatment, poor conditions, and corruption in conscription.

Belarus has requested the exchange of Inna Kardash, a suspected Belarusian spy detained in Ukraine. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the request but said no practical steps have been taken. Kardash was arrested in Kyiv in January 2025 after being lured into a fake workplace set up by Ukrainian security services to gather evidence of her espionage activities for the Belarusian KGB.

An article by Mykhailo Andreichyn and Serhii Demediuk argues that modern state sovereignty is undermined by two structural vulnerabilities: the ambiguity of international law regarding cyber operations below the threshold of armed attack, and critical dependence on private tech corporations like SpaceX/Starlink. Drawing on Ukraine's wartime experience, the authors detail how Russia exploited the 'gray zone' to conduct preparatory cyber operations, and how a private company's geofencing decision during Ukraine's 2022 counteroffensive caused military casualties. They call for reclassifying destructive cyber operations as armed attacks and establishing legal frameworks to ensure private sector continuity of service during conflicts.

Russian and Russia-controlled media launched a coordinated disinformation campaign falsely claiming that Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov's wife purchased a yacht in France. The SPRAVDI Center confirmed the information is false, with the registration number being fictitious. The campaign originated from the Telegram channel ORD Criminal Forum, linked to a network blocked by Ukraine's Security Service in 2025, and was amplified by pro-Russian bloggers and media. This operation is part of ongoing Russian information warfare targeting Ukrainian officials.

Background: Ukraine's push for rapid EU membership has caused tensions with European capitals, with France and Germany proposing a phased approach taking at least 10 years, which Kyiv rejects. A new analysis draws parallels between Ukraine's EU accession frustration and Turkey's decades-long experience, highlighting that despite Ukraine's accelerated candidate status granted in 2022, no concrete membership timeline has been offered. The piece notes that EU enlargement has stalled since Croatia joined in 2013, reflecting 'enlargement fatigue' and internal political complexities. It emphasizes that Ukraine's strategic need for EU membership as a security guarantee clashes with the EU's institutional reluctance and the need for treaty changes, which could require referendums. The analysis also points out that the EU's approach to enlargement has shifted from a normative project to a geopolitical necessity since Russia's invasion, but internal divisions remain.