May 29, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Sarah Dean, Christian Edwards, Schams Elwazer, Aditi Sangal, Mike Hayes, Maureen Chowdhury and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 12:02 a.m. ET, May 30, 2023
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1:36 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Russia will not go into a negotiation without winning the war in Ukraine, EU's top diplomat says

From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel 

European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday that he was “not optimistic” about how the Russia-Ukraine conflict will play out this summer.

Borrell added that he believes Russia will only negotiate if it wins the war.

“I am not optimistic about what will happen in Ukraine this summer. I see a concentration of troops on both sides, I see Russia's clear intent to win the war, (Russia) will not go into a negotiation if it doesn't win the war,” he said, speaking in Barcelona, Spain.  

Borrell's remarks come as Moscow hit Kyiv with an array of missile fire Monday in a surprise daytime attack, hours after an overnight barrage of the Ukrainian capital and across the country.

1:16 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Russia hit Kyiv with a daytime attack Monday after a barrage of overnight strikes. Catch up here on the latest

From CNN staff

A Ukrainian police officer guards a fragment of a Russian rocket in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday.
A Ukrainian police officer guards a fragment of a Russian rocket in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Russia launched a wave of attacks on Kyiv Sunday night into Monday, including a surprise daytime attack. More than 70 drones and missiles have been fired by Moscow since Sunday night, Ukrainian officials say, and many of the drones were shot down by the country's defenses.

The Kyiv city military administration said the daytime barrage was the 16th attack on the capital since the beginning of the month. Ukrainian authorities are promising swift retaliation as the country's counteroffensive looms.

Here's what to know about the strikes on Kyiv and other top headlines:

  • Overnight attacks: Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 67 out of 75 "air targets" launched overnight on Kyiv, the commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Monday. Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said 37 cruise missiles, 29 Shahed drones and one reconnaissance drone were shot down. Police confirmed that “almost all enemy targets were destroyed,” but some buildings were damaged.
  • Rare daytime attacks: Just hours later, Kyiv came under an unusual daytime attack. Serhii Popko, the head of Kyiv city military administration, said this attack shows "the enemy changed its tactics – after prolonged, nighttime attacks only, it struck a peaceful city during the day when most residents were at work and outside.” Kyiv’s armed forces said it downed 11 Iskander missiles launched by Russia in the daytime raid. One man was hospitalized.
  • Attacks across other parts of Ukraine: The country's defenses destroyed 77 out of 89 Russian drones and missiles fired at various places in the country on Sunday night and Monday, the Ukrainian military said in an update Monday. The overall tally of missiles is one of the highest daily counts in recent months. 
  • Ukraine vows to respond: The head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence promised retribution "very soon" after the latest wave of Russian attacks. "Our response will not be delayed. Everyone will see everything soon," the official said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a half-minute video of children running to a shelter in Kyiv Monday morning as an explosion is heard in the background. "Thank you to everyone in the world who helps protect people and our children from Russian terror!" the president said.
People take cover inside a train station during a rocket attack in Kyiv on Monday.
People take cover inside a train station during a rocket attack in Kyiv on Monday. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

  • What Russia is saying: The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces hit Ukrainian airfields, destroying all targets. The strike hit "command posts and radar posts, as well as aviation equipment, storage facilities with weapons and ammunition," the defense ministry said.
  • Ukraine's looming counteroffensive: The commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told troops near the eastern city of Lyman on Monday that the time will “soon come” to take offensive actions against Russian forces. His comments came shortly after Gen. Zaluzhnyi hinted that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is imminent. Meanwhile, Zelensky said Monday on Telegram that he met senior military commanders and there are "answers" about the timing of the next phase of the conflict. He gave no further details. 
  • Battle in Bakhmut: Ukrainian officials have indicated that there's been little change in positions around the eastern city of Bakhmut. The intensity of Moscow's offensive has decreased as Russian regular units continue to replace Wagner fighters, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister said. The head of the Wagner Group said Sunday that the handover of his fighters' positions in Bakhmut to Russian army units may extend to June 5.
12:59 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Ukraine repelled 20 Russian attacks in the east, military say

From CNN's Tim Lister

On the battlefields in the east, Ukrainian defense forces had repelled 20 Russian attacks, most of them around the entirely ruined town of Marinka, near Donetsk city, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Here are the areas that the General Staff shared updates on:

  • Lyman: Russia had not conducted ground assaults in the eastern town but continued air strikes and artillery fire.
  • Bakhmut: Russian forces did not carry out offensives but shelling continued.
  • Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions: Ukrainian military reported widespread Russian shelling in settlements close to the front lines in these regions where many observers expect a Ukrainian counteroffensive to be concentrated.

Some analysts believe that Russian forces are restricting offensive action as they try to consolidate defenses in Bakhmut and elsewhere along the frontlines.

12:38 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Ukraine says it intercepted 77 out of 89 Russian drones and missiles in the last day

From CNN's Tim Lister

An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone and missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Monday.
An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone and missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Monday. Gleb Garanich/Reuters

The Ukrainian military says it destroyed the majority of Russian drones and missiles fired at the country on Sunday night and Monday.

There have been two waves of strikes, the General Staff said in its daily update. The first had involved 40 air-launched cruise missiles and 38 Shahed attack drones — and Ukraine said only four missiles and eight drones penetrated Ukrainian air defenses.

"In the afternoon, the enemy used cruise and ballistic missiles from the Iskander tactical missile system against civilian and critical infrastructure in Kyiv. The Air Force of Ukraine destroyed 11 out of 11 missiles," the General Staff said, confirming earlier Ukrainian assessments.

The overall tally of missiles is one of the highest daily counts in recent months.

10:58 a.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Kremlin sees "big vacuum" in arms control that needs to be filled, Putin spokesperson says

From CNN’s Anna Chernov

The Kremlin said Monday that Russia's recent denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) will not have direct consequences, but there is a “big vacuum” in the sphere of arms control that needs to be filled.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on Russia's denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe earlier on Monday. Commenting on the decision on a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “There should be no direct [consequences of it] because, in fact, it was already a lifeless mechanism.”

Peskov said the Russian side “simply brought the situation into line,” adding that "in the field of arms control and strategic stability, now, of course, a large vacuum is emerging, which urgently needs to be filled with new acts of international law that would regulate this situation."

More on the treaty: Russia unilaterally suspended the implementation of the treaty in 2007, a move that the US State Department said undermined trust-building and transparency. Both Moscow and Washington have long been at odds over arms control, and Putin has often described former US President George W. Bush's decision in 2001 to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as a major grievance.  

The 1990 CFE Treaty regulates conventional armed forces in Europe and aims to prevent large-scale offensives by limiting the overall deployment of tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters.

CNN's Nathan Hodge contributed reporting to this post.

12:01 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Ukraine: Intensity of Russia's Bakhmut offensive has "significantly decreased" as Wagner forces are replaced

From CNN's Tim Lister and Svitlana Vlasova

An aerial view of a battle field near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on May 27.
An aerial view of a battle field near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on May 27. Libkos/AP

Ukrainian officials have indicated there's been little change in positions around the eastern city of Bakhmut — and the intensity of Moscow's offensive has decreased as Russian regular units continue to replace Wagner fighters.

"The intensity of the enemy's offensive has significantly decreased as it is replacing troops from Wagner with regular units and trying to stabilize the defense in this area," Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, said on Telegram.

The official added: "Our troops are making this process much more difficult for the enemy... At the same time, the intensity of enemy artillery shelling has not decreased."

Currently, Ukrainian units hold positions immediately to the south and west of the city itself. 

"To the south of Bakhmut, the enemy is attempting to reinforce and build up army units," Maliar said. 

More background: The head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Sunday that the handover of his fighters' positions in Bakhmut to Russian army units may extend to June 5.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest assessment of the situation that there is continuing evidence that Russian units are being transferred to Bakhmut from other areas of the Donetsk front lines, including Avdiivka.

It said Sunday that "the Russian transfer of these elements to Bakhmut may decrease the tempo of Russian offensive operations on the Avdiivka-Donetsk City front."

ISW also said that "The tempo of Russian operations around Bakhmut remains notably low." Ukrainian officials have said much of the same, with daily recorded clashes in the area falling into single digits. 

10:06 a.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Zelensky and wife share video of children running for shelter in Kyiv

From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a half-minute video of children running to a shelter in Kyiv Monday morning as an explosion is heard in the background.

Zelensky posted the video to his Telegram channel, with the caption, "Ukrainian children. Every time an air raid alert sounds. This is what an ordinary weekday looks like."

He added, "Thank you to everyone in the world who helps protect people and our children from Russian terror!"

His wife, Olena Zelenska, reposted the video, adding, "Morning after sleepless night under fire. Anxiety once again...Children running and screaming for shelter to the sounds of explosions. But it should not be like this — anywhere and never."

2:07 p.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Ukraine promises swift retaliation after latest barrage of Russian missile attacks

From CNN's Tim Lister

A drone explodes as it is shot down, during a Russian drone strike targeting the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on May 28.
A drone explodes as it is shot down, during a Russian drone strike targeting the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on May 28. Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

The head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence promised retribution "very soon" after the latest wave of Russian missile and drone attacks against Kyiv and other locations.

"All those in Russia who still believed, believe or maybe dream that they can frighten Ukraine, I want to disappoint you — this is not true. Everyone has been and is still at their workplaces and continues to do their jobs," Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview Monday.

He added: "All those who tried to scare us, dreaming that it would have some effect, will regret it very soon. Our response will not be delayed. Everyone will see everything soon."

More than 70 drones and missiles have been fired by Russian forces since Sunday night, according to Ukrainian officials, who say the great majority were intercepted.

Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that the missile barrage Monday appears to have been largely with Iskander missiles, either in ballistic or cruise mode. Ballistic missiles travel faster and are more difficult to intercept, though the Ukrainian military insists all 11 missiles that were fired toward Kyiv in a rare daytime barrage were brought down.

Ihnat also noted on Ukrainian television that there's a possibility that S-300 and S-400 missiles were used.

"The direction of the attack was from the north," Ihnat said, without indicating whether the missiles were fired by Russian units based in southern Belarus or in Russia.

Asked whether recently received US Patriot missile batteries had been in action, Ihnat said: "I think you can guess, if Iskander-M missiles were shot down, then one can conclude what kind of means were used to hit such targets, ballistic targets."

The Kyiv city military administration, said the daytime barrage was the 16th attack on the capital since the beginning of the month. "Thus, the enemy changed its tactics — after prolonged, nighttime attacks only, it struck a peaceful city during the day, when most residents were at work and outside. In other words, the Russians are clearly demonstrating that they are aiming to destroy the civilian population," it said.

9:04 a.m. ET, May 29, 2023

Russian defense ministry claims it hit Ukrainian airfields and destroyed all targets 

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

Russian forces hit Ukrainian airfields, destroying all targets, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Monday.

“Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a group strike with long-range precision air-launched weapons against enemy targets at airfields,” the defense ministry said. 

“As a result of the strike, command posts and radar posts, as well as aviation equipment, storage facilities with weapons and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit,” it added in its daily briefing. 

What Kyiv is saying: Earlier on Monday, Ukraine claimed that Russia launched a widespread missile and drone attack on its territory overnight. Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 67 out of 75 "air targets" launched on Kyiv.

Khmelnytskyi regional military administration said Russia had attacked a military facility, in the western region overnight, damaging five aircraft.