THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1190 of the full scale invasion
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. In June 2023 I began providing a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 70 sources daily, which formed the basis of the script. While the Podcast no longer exists I have continued to make this Brief available for my followers here on Substack for those who wish to keep up with the news from the war.
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ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
For: May 28, 2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on May 28 stated that day 1190 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine had begun.
The situation on the line of combat remains tense in some sectors. Ukrainian defenders continue to actively counteract the Russian aggressor, causing them significant losses in personnel, equipment and technology. Exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continuing to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deeper into the territory of Ukraine.
During the past day,216 combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 1 missile strike, 95 air strikes, used 2.672 attack drones and fired approximately 4,500 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
71 ENEMY UAVS DESTROYED
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On the night of May 28 (from 20:00 on May 27), the enemy used 5 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, a Kh-59/69 guided aircraft missile from the Kursk and Voronezh regions of the Russian Federation and from the Crimean Autonomous Region, and also attacked with 88 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the directions: Millerovo, Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk of the Russian Federation.
The air attack was repelled by anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 09:00, air defenses have neutralized 71 enemy Shahed UAVs (and other types of UAVs) in the east, north, and south of the country. 34 were shot down by fire weapons, 37 were lost/suppressed by electronic warfare.
Enemy air attack targets were recorded in 8 locations.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kharkiv Sector: Russian forces recently advanced northeast of Kharkiv City.
Geolocated footage published on May 26 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City).
Kupyansk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced north of Kamyanka (northeast of Kupyansk near the international border).
Additional geolocated footage published on May 27 indicates that Russian forces recently crossed the international border into northeastern Stroivka (northeast of Kamyanske just across the border) and northwest of the settlement.
ISW assesses that a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group likely crossed the border at Stroivka, and it is unclear if Russian forces maintain enduring positions in the area.
Chasiv Yar Sector: Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Chasiv Yar direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 23 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced northeast of Zaliznyanske (northeast of Chasiv Yar).
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk Sector : Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to western Malynivka (east of Pokrovsk).
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Dnipro Sector: Russian forces continued limited offensive operations northeast of Kherson City near the Antonivka Roadway Bridge on May 27 but did not advance.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing major to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure 46 over past day.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least one civilian and injured 46, including children, over the past day, regional authorities reported on May 28.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, two women aged 51 and 64 were injured during Russian artillery and drone attacks against the Nikopol district, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Russian attacks against Donetsk Oblast injured eight civilians – four in Pokrovsk, two in Novovodiane, and one each in Sloviansk and Zarichne, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian strikes killed an 85-year-old man and injured nine others, including a 4-year-old girl, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Over 70 houses were damaged, as well as 12 apartment buildings, a school, shops, warehouses, and more.
Thirteen people were injured in Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin.
In Kirovohrad Oblast, at least three people were injured in a Russian aerial strike, Governor Andrii Raikovych reported. Seventy-six houses and a multi-story residential building were damaged. A fire broke out after an attack against an industrial enterprise in Svitlovodsk, the governor said.
In Mykolaiv Oblast, a 7-year-old girl was injured during a Russian drone attack, Governor Vitalii Kim said. Houses and a recreational facility were damaged in missile and drone attacks elsewhere in the region.
Nine people were injured in Russian attacks against Sumy Oblast, including a child, the regional military administration reported.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a 17-year-old boy was injured during a Russian attack on the Polohy district, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Ukraine allegedly launches almost 300 drones at Russia; UAV facility near Moscow reportedly targeted.
Drones attacked the Kronstadt drone enterprise in the town of Dubna in Moscow Oblast overnight on May 28, independent news channel Astra reported, as local authorities reported a Ukrainian attack against the region.
Astra published videos of residents showing a drone flying over the city. The videos also show smoke rising above the area where the enterprise is located.
Russian air defenses claim to have shot down 296 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed, potentially marking one of the heaviest drone attacks against Russia during the full-scale war.
Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defense shot down over 30 Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow. A total of 33 Ukrainian drones have been shot down so far, according to Russian officials.
Writing on Telegram at 12:29 a.m. local time, Sobyanin initially claimed that Russian air defense shot down four drones flying toward Moscow. Emergency services were working at the wreckage site.
Since then, dozens of Ukrainian drones have been allegedly shot down near Moscow.
Russian officials also announced that operations were suspended at Vnukovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo airports.
A fire also broke out in Zelenograd (Moscow), near the Elma Technopark allegedly connected to the drone strikes.
Russian officials have claimed that there are no casualties or serious damage to report.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify any of the Russian officials' claims regarding drone strikes. Ukraine rarely comments on reports of drone strikes on Russian soil.
The latest drone attacks on Moscow follow a three-day wave of aerial attacks from May 24 to May 26, in which Russia fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine.
On May 26, Russian forces launched the most extensive drone attack of the full-scale war, reportedly involving 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.
As Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and the war drags on, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory. In particular, drone attacks in Russia have forced airport closures for several nights in a row.
Ukraine's recent drone strategy has been aimed at disrupting airport operations, overwhelming air defenses, and making the war more visible to ordinary Russians.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Zelenskyy arrives in Germany for talks with Merz amid Taurus missile speculation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on May 28 for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as Germany seeks to project continued support for Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression, the Kyiv Independent reports.
The two leaders will discuss Germany's military assistance and ceasefire efforts, a German government spokesperson said. Zelenskyy is also expected to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Zelenskyy was welcomed by Merz shortly after his arrival, with the Ukrainian delegation also including Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and other aides.
The visit comes amid renewed speculation of a potential delivery of Taurus missiles, Germany's cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles).
Before becoming chancellor, Merz, elected for the CDU/CSU conservative alliance, signaled he would overturn his predecessor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz's, ban on delivering the missiles to Ukraine.
Kyiv has called upon Germany to provide the weapons to be able to strike targets deep inside the Russian rear, while Scholz has ruled out the move due to fears of escalation.
Merz is yet to greenlight the deliveries, as a change of policy on Taurus missiles has become a point of contention between the CDU/CSU and their Social Democratic (SPD) coalition partners.
Adding to the confusion, the German chancellor declared earlier this week that Berlin and other Western partners have lifted all range restrictions on arms provided to Ukraine, which some saw as a signal of an incoming change of policy on Taurus missiles.
Merz later clarified he was referring to a step made months ago, and German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil confirmed that the new government has made no new decision in this regard.
Earlier in May, the German government announced that it would no longer publish arms it had delivered to Ukraine, meaning that a potential supply of Taurus missiles may not be announced to the public.
Speaking to journalists in Kyiv on May 27, Zelenskyy said he would discuss the issue of long-range arms for Ukraine with Merz, adding he has not heard any signals about a change in policy.
Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from the U.S., the U.K., and France — including ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP — but was initially permitted to deploy them only against Russian military forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets on Russian territory.
Germany has been Ukraine's leading military donor on the continent, and its support is even more crucial for Kyiv now as U.S. backing grows increasingly uncertain under President Donald Trump.
Merz has repeatedly called for a united European response to unrelenting Russian aggression in Ukraine and pledged to impose tougher sanctions if Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire.
MILITARY & TECH
Germany to Fund Production of Cruise Missiles in Ukraine with Range up to 2,500 km
Germany intends to allocate funding to Ukraine to develop and serially produce cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, German media outlet Bild reported.
According to the report, the financial support amounts to millions of euros to bolster Ukraine’s defense industry.
Politico also reports that a new military aid package for Ukraine will be announced during today’s meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
The package, expected to be worth billions of euros, will include air defense systems, other weapons, and technical components to enable Ukraine to produce cruise missiles.
Details regarding the missile models and their components have not been disclosed. Establishing mass production of such long-range weapons will allow the Ukrainian Defense Forces to strike strategic targets deeper within Russian territory.
During a speech in Berlin on May 28 Censor.net reported German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced that Germany will finance the production of Ukrainian long-range weapons systems and will not impose any restrictions on their range of use.
In March, Zelensky announced that Ukraine had increased the range of its domestically produced Neptune cruise missile to 1,000 kilometers.
“Today, there were also reports on our missile program. We have achieved significant results. The new Ukrainian missile delivers a precise strike with a range of one thousand kilometers. I thank our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers, and military,” the President said.
It should be noted that the Defense Forces have been using the cruise missiles of the “Neptune” system for some time to strike important targets of the Russian occupiers.
In 2024, these cruise missiles hit ammunition depots both in temporarily occupied territories and within Russia. Additionally, fuel depots of the aggressor country have also been targeted.
The adaptation of the Neptune anti-ship missile for striking ground targets was first reported in April 2023. At that time, a representative of the Ukrainian defense ministry announced that engineers were working on modifying the missile to engage land-based targets.
The ‘Long Neptune’ can be launched from the same launcher as the original anti-ship version of the R-360 Neptune cruise missile. The missile has been equipped with a new guidance system and a satellite positioning system to control it during the cruise phase of flight. In the final stage of flight, guidance is carried out using an infrared homing system.
Russia masses over 50,000 troops for an offensive on northeastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy says.
Russia has massed more than 50,000 troops, including some of its best forces, near Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, but Kyiv has taken steps to prevent them from conducting a large-scale offensive, Reuters reports citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The build-up comes as Russia appears to be gearing up for a summer offensive in Ukraine while Kyiv waits for Moscow to present a memorandum laying out its conditions to proceed with ceasefire talks.
Sumy lies across the border from Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine previously seized and held a pocket of land for months, before being almost fully pushed out last month, although it says it still holds some small areas there.
"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front," Zelenskyy told reporters on Tuesday. "To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region."
Putin has said he wants a "buffer zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he believed Russia wants to carve out an area of Ukrainian territory about 10 km (6 miles) deep.
Russia has captured at least four border villages in the region recently, and has been creeping slowly forwards over the past several weeks on parts of the frontline in eastern Ukraine near the city of Kostiantynivka.
However, the Ukrainian leader said that the Russians had been pushed back in that area by 4 km (2.5 miles) over two days.
Zelenskyy told reporters in a briefing that his government was ready for further peace talks in any format. He said he expected the next round to be at a technical level, but said he would be ready for a three-way meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said he did not want the United States to leave the Ukraine peace process, as Washington has threatened to do if progress is not made.
Ukraine and Russia swapped 1,000 captives each after a meeting of the two countries' delegations in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago which failed to produce a ceasefire sought by Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe.
Zelenskyy said he viewed Turkey, the Vatican and Switzerland as the most realistic venues for further negotiations with Russia. He said interest in hosting talks had also been expressed by Malta, as well as unspecified African nations.
Reuters previously reported that Moscow does not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks.
Zelenskyy said Russia had signalled that it wanted talks to take place in Belarus, a suggestion Kyiv regarded as unserious and impossible given Russian troops used the country as a launchpad to invade Ukraine in 2022.
He also said that he will attend the next G7 summit after being invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency. He added that he will likely take part in the next EU summit.
Speaking about Ukraine's domestic arms production, Zelenskyy said he wanted $30 billion for Ukraine this year to fully fund the available capacity of the rapidly expanding sector.
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