Russia has been accused of deliberately targeting a UN humanitarian convoy in Kherson as drones struck a clearly marked UN vehicle twice.
“The Russians could not have failed to know which vehicle they were targeting,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher alleged that the strikes on the convoy were possibly a “targeted attack”.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president said Russia is planning to target around two dozen “decision-making centres”, including government buildings and military command posts.
“They have been nursing this plan for a long time, and now, after Iran, have become active again – trying to locate us and track our movements,” he said.
This comes after Russia launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles in attacks across Ukraine this week, over two consecutive days, killing dozens of people, Ukrainian officials said.
On the Russian side, a huge fire broke out at an oil refinery after strikes from Ukrainian drones in Russia’s central city of Ryazan, some 120 miles southeast of Moscow.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Friday to have downed 355 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions through the night.
Zelensky accuses Moscow of planning to target Ukrainian government officials
The Ukrainian president accused Russia of planning to target political and military facilities where army leadership and government officials were located.
“We have Russian documents outlining targets for strikes in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities,” Zelensky said.
“They have been nursing this plan for a long time, and now, after Iran, have become active again – trying to locate us and track our movements,” he said in a post on X.
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 06:24
A new prime minister in Latvia
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has proposed opposition legislator Andris Kulbergs as the next prime minister after Evika Silina resigned.
Ms Silina said on Thursday she was stepping down, triggering the collapse of her coalition just months before an election due in October.
Mr Kulbergs, from the United List of smaller parties – the largest opposition bloc in parliament – will take office if MPs approve him and his cabinet.
“Considering recent events, I think the new prime minister should come from opposition parties,” Mr Rinkevics told a press conference.
Ms Silina dismissed Defence Minister Andris Spruds last weekend after two Ukrainian drones strayed into Latvia from Russia and exploded at an oil storage facility, the latest in a series of such incidents in Nato members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The Latvian army said it failed to detect the drones as they crossed from Russia. Ms Silina blamed MrSpruds for not developing anti-drone systems quickly enough.
In response, Mr Spruds’ Progressives party withdrew support from Ms Silina’s government on Wednesday, leaving her without a parliamentary majority and exposed to a no-confidence vote.
Chris Stevenson16 May 2026 16:10
Corruption court arrests Zelensky’s former right-hand man
Ukraine’s anti-corruption court on Thursday ordered the arrest of Andriy Yermak, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky and former head of his administration, on money-laundering charges.
The court also set bail at 140 million hryvnias ($3.19 million), which would allow Yermak, who has denied the allegations against him, to be released pending a final ruling in his case.
“I don’t have that kind of money, and my lawyer will now work with friends and acquaintances (to raise the money for bail),” Yermak told reporters after the court’s decision.
“My legal team will file an appeal. We will use every legal avenue to seek justice and the truth.”
Ukrainian authorities on Monday named Yermak as a suspect in a major corruption probe. His arrest was the closest that anti-corruption officials have come to the president’s inner circle.
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 16:07
ICYMI: Zelensky says Russia plans to strike his office
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 15:00
UN accuses Russia of deliberately targeting its humanitarian convoy
Russian drones struck a clearly marked UN humanitarian convoy twice in Kherson, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ukraine said.
The attack has prompted condemnation from both Kyiv and the UN.
“The Russians could not have failed to know which vehicle they were targeting,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the incident could have been a possible “targeted attack”.
“Our people were very, very lucky to escape with their lives,” Fletcher said, demanding “full investigations and accountability”.
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 14:00
At least 3 killed across Ukraine in Russian attacks over past day
At least 3 people were killed, and over 60 were injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, Ukraine’s Air Force said today.
Russia launched about 300 drones overnight, according to Ukrainian local news.
Nearly 270 of them were shot down, but 20 drones caused direct hits at 15 locations, leading to 63 people getting injured.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was killed, and 21 others were injured, the region’s governor said.
Another person was killed in the Donetsk Oblast, one in Kherson, reports say.
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 13:00
In video: Russian drone attacks kill 24 in Kyiv
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 12:00
Space agency warns Russian rocket part may fall over Poland
Part of a Russian rocket weighing nearly a ton could re-enter the atmosphere over Poland today or tomorrow, the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) said.
The rocket part in question, is the upper stage of the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle, launched in March from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
It is currently in orbit and could re-enter the atmosphere soon, with its projected trajectory covering large part of Europe.
Experts are unsure whether the object would fully burn up during re-entry due to the lack of complete data.
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 11:00
In Video: Ukraine and Russia exchange over 200 prisoners
Vishwam Sankaran16 May 2026 10:00
Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 09:59
