Ukroboronprom signed a cooperation memorandum with KNDS Belgium SA to jointly produce medium-caliber ammo for automatic cannons targeting infantry, light armor & low-flying aerial threats. CEO Oleg Hulyak highlights this partnership boosts Ukraine’s integration into NATO’s defense industry.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that a second round of negotiations with Ukraine is planned, with Moscow advancing the memorandum’s development, but dismissed the possibility of talks at the Vatican as unrealistic. He also said that “the question of Zelensky’s legitimacy will be crucial when it comes to signing a peace agreement.”

💥 A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter has crashed in Oryol region. Preliminary reports: no survivors.

A new Ukrainian strike drone “Batyar” has entered production — capable of flying over 800 km.

This 160-kg UAV with a gasoline engine carries an 18-kg warhead in its long-range version.

⚡️ The U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Fund has officially launched, Ukraine’s First Deputy PM Svyrydenko announced—all formalities with the U.S. side have been completed.

🇺🇦 "390 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity today under the Istanbul agreements. Military and civilians, men and women — each one of them is ours. The only goal in forming the lists was to save lives. We expect new exchanges in the coming days." — Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

🇪🇺 Behind closed doors this weekend, the EU will hold “confessional meetings” to hash out its 18th sanctions package against Russia — per RFE/RL’s Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak. Talks are slated for May 24–25.

Around midday, Russian troops suddenly sealed off the Rozdolne–Chornomorske road in occupied Crimea — reportedly after a Ukrainian drone was either downed or jammed. Locals say the area was locked down tight, no one allowed through. About an hour later, traffic resumed.

Meanwhile, FIRMS detected fire hotspots nearby, and in the villages of Slavne and Steryhusche, residents reported shattered windows.

Russia is employing a “triple chokehold” tactic on the battlefield—ground assaults pin Ukrainian forces, drones block retreats, and glide bombs wipe out defenses—forcing defenders to choose between high losses or exposure to drone strikes, reports The Telegraph.