Background: Since May 2, Russian drone and shelling attacks have targeted energy infrastructure across Ukraine, causing recurring power outages in frontline regions. On May 13, Russian attacks caused new power outages in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions, expanding the affected areas to include Poltava. Emergency repairs are underway where safety permits. Electricity consumption is 6.1% higher than the previous day due to cloudy weather reducing solar generation, and Ukrenergo urged conservation from 18:00 to 22:00. No scheduled rolling blackouts are planned for May 13.

On May 13, a Russian drone attack on Odesa injured two people, who were hospitalized. Debris from a downed UAV fell on a nine-storey residential building, causing several cars to catch fire in residential courtyards. Over 200 windows were damaged. Emergency and municipal services are responding, and an air-raid warning remains in effect.

Background: On the night of 1-2 May 2025, a Russian drone briefly violated Romanian airspace during a coordinated strike on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets near the Danube border, prompting Romania to scramble F-16 fighter jets. On May 13, Poland scrambled fighter jets and helicopters, activated ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems, and placed forces on heightened alert as a preventive measure during a large-scale Russian drone attack on Ukraine involving 139 UAVs. The attack caused casualties and infrastructure damage across multiple Ukrainian regions, including two killed and four injured in Rivne, eight killed and 11 injured in Dnipropetrovsk, and over 6,500 residents left without power in Poltava after a drone struck an electrical substation.

On 13 May, a Shahed-type drone used by Russia to attack Ukraine violated Moldova's airspace near Mohyliv-Podilskyi at 16:00, tracked over Bălți, Ungheni, and Hîncești districts before continuing south. Moldova's Defence Ministry confirmed the incursion and temporarily closed airspace over northern Moldova. This incident adds to a pattern of Russian drone spillovers into neighboring countries, including a similar incursion on 8 May, raising regional security concerns.

Russian forces have escalated attacks on Ukrainian Danube ports located just a few hundred meters from the Romanian border, alarming residents in the Danube Delta UNESCO biosphere reserve. The strikes occur as NATO's eastern flank countries convene in Bucharest for the B9 summit, highlighting the spillover effects of the war in Ukraine. The attacks have intensified, further raising fears among local residents as tensions from the conflict continue to mount.

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced on 12 May that his army will adopt a rotational mobilization model, calling up units in turns for intensive combat training to prepare for a potential ground operation, while stating 'we are all preparing for war.' The move formalizes a shift from periodic large-scale exercises to continuous readiness, maintaining pressure on Ukraine's northern border. Ukrainian officials, including Andrii Kovalenko of the Center for Countering Disinformation, dismissed the announcement as a Russian information operation, asserting that Ukraine's forces have the situation under control. The development follows months of observed border activity, including road construction and artillery positioning, and is part of a pattern of Belarusian military posturing that has not led to direct invasion but forces Kyiv to divert resources to the northern front.

Background: Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned after two Ukrainian drones struck an empty oil storage facility in Rēzekne on May 7. The resignation triggered the collapse of Latvia's three-party coalition government under Prime Minister Evika Siliņa after the left-wing Progressives withdrew support, citing Siliņa's handling of the drone incidents. The government now lacks a parliamentary majority, with elections scheduled for October 3. Siliņa plans to appoint Colonel Raivis Melnis as defense minister and form a transitional government. The Progressives will keep their ministers for now.

Ukraine imposed sanctions on companies involved in the production of Russian missiles, including suppliers to the Avangard plant (S-300/S-400 missiles), Perm Powder Plant, and Votkinsk Plant (Iskander missiles). The sanctions also target firms that help Russia circumvent international restrictions, such as RT-Komplektatsiya and Spetstekhnologiya, and the IT company Inforion. Ukraine will share the information with international partners to coordinate sanctions.

Ukrainian counterintelligence arrested a military deserter in Kyiv who allegedly registered Starlink satellite terminals for Russian forces using personal data provided by Russian intelligence handlers. The suspect was detained at a postal office while attempting to register another terminal. He faces life imprisonment for high treason. The case highlights Ukraine's efforts to prevent Russian exploitation of Starlink communications for drone operations.

Russian state media and officials have launched a coordinated propaganda campaign ahead of Victory Day, linking Ukraine to Nazi Germany, blaming NATO for the war, and threatening nuclear escalation. Tactics include discredited narratives, leaflet drops by drones, and a Tucker Carlson interview with a former Zelensky aide making unsubstantiated claims. The campaign aims to bolster domestic support and undermine Western aid for Ukraine.

A 17-year-old boy was wounded by shrapnel in a Russian drone attack on the Bilopillia community in Sumy region and hospitalized in non-critical condition. Separately, a 13-year-old boy injured in a previous attack remains in stable but critical condition after surgery; his family had returned to plant a garden after evacuating.

Background: A self-declared ceasefire from 9-11 May 2025 reduced but did not halt combat, with both sides continuing limited operations. Today: Analysts argue that temporary truces in the Russia-Ukraine war have become performative tools for media management rather than steps toward lasting peace. A recent three-day cease-fire announced by President Trump was violated by continued Russian drone and missile strikes, and experts note a broader trend of cease-fires being decoupled from substantive peace processes, also seen in the Middle East. The latest truce lacked independent oversight and a substantive political foundation, according to peace process research.

Russian forces used a guided aerial bomb to strike an agricultural company in the Zaporizhzhia district on 13 May, killing a 76-year-old man. The blast wave and shrapnel damaged buildings on the premises, continuing the pattern of Russian aerial bombardment targeting civilian infrastructure in the region.

A nine-month-old girl in Kryvyi Rih had her leg saved by doctors after a Russian strike on a residential building in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on 12 May. Her mother and three other women were also injured. The incident underscores the ongoing civilian toll of Russian attacks on residential areas in Ukraine.

Russian forces struck the city of Hlukhiv in Sumy region on the morning of April 13, destroying an educational institution. State Emergency Service extinguished fires; no injuries reported. Over 335 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed in the region since the war began, with at least 32 beyond repair.

Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol have added nearly 900 apartments to a 'compensatory housing' list for redistribution, seizing property from Ukrainian residents forced to flee during the 2022 siege. The move follows a 2025 Putin decree allowing seizure of 'abandoned' housing in occupied territories. The apartments are being reassigned to Russian citizens, including military and officials, as part of Moscow's efforts to consolidate control and Russify the city.

Russian forces launched drone strikes on Kharkiv's Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts early Wednesday, hitting an infrastructure facility in Kholodnohirskyi and causing a fire, with debris falling on a road in Shevchenkivskyi. No casualties were immediately reported. The attack is part of ongoing Russian aerial assaults on civilian areas in Ukraine, following a previous strike on Friday that injured nine people and damaged 38 homes in the Novobavarskyi district.

Ukrainian drone operators acting as instructors in a NATO-linked military exercise on the Swedish island of Gotland repeatedly 'destroyed' Swedish units using combat-developed drone tactics, forcing the exercise to pause three times for adjustments. The drill simulated an adversary attack on NATO's eastern flank. Swedish and US military officials acknowledged the need to rapidly adapt drone and counter-drone tactics based on Ukrainian experience, highlighting Gotland's strategic importance in the Baltic Sea near Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office is investigating 24 cases of businesses cooperating with Russia despite sanctions. Five individuals have been charged with aiding the aggressor state, including a director who supplied electrical equipment to Russia via a CIS country and the owner of a cardboard plant who attempted to transfer funds to a Russian entity. The cases also involve re-registering enterprises under Russian law in occupied territories. This crackdown highlights ongoing efforts to enforce sanctions and prosecute wartime collaboration.

Ivan Andrushchak, a representative of Ukrainian drone manufacturer Chaklun, reported that its UAVs achieve 88-100% mission effectiveness based on frontline feedback. The company presented three systems at the SAHA 2026 exhibition in Istanbul: a reconnaissance drone and two interceptors, including a jet-powered model. International partners show strong interest, but export is currently blocked due to lack of political mechanism. The company highlights real combat experience as a competitive advantage.

Ukraine's government launched a retraining program for workers aged 50 and older on 11 May, targeting construction and defense sectors hit by labor shortages. The workforce aged 15-70 has shrunk by a quarter since 2021 due to war and emigration, with 6-7 million Ukrainians abroad. The pilot aims to place 2,000 trainees by October 2026, but faces barriers including digital skills gaps and age stereotypes.