WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE:ANTENA M- AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Russia shot down more than a hundred Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukrainian forces report over 140 battles with Russian troops in the east of the country. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expresses doubts about holding peace talks in the Vatican, while drones attacked a battery factory in the Lipetsk region of Russia. On the battlefield, in Kupyansk, one man was killed after Russian bombing, and clashes continue without stopping.
Antena M provides a chronological overview of information about the war in Ukraine below.
20:01 Russia to hand over document to Ukraine with conditions for ending conflict after prisoner exchange, Lavrov says
After the announced large-scale prisoner exchange with Ukraine, which is expected to last until Sunday, Russia plans to hand over to Kiev a document outlining its conditions for ending the military offensive launched in 2022. This information was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday.
"As soon as the prisoner exchange is completed, we are ready to hand over to the Ukrainian side a draft document that the Russian side is currently finalizing," Lavrov said, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov also accused Ukraine's European allies of disrupting peace talks and undermining the process that, according to him, was launched in Istanbul as a result of an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-US President Donald Trump.
As agreed during direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations held in Istanbul in mid-May, the first such meetings since spring 2022, Ukraine should also prepare its own version of the document.
18:31 Two killed in Russian attack on Odessa
The Russian military fired two ballistic missiles at the port city of Odessa today, killing two people and wounding seven others, Oleg Kiper, the governor of the Odessa region, said. Four of the wounded are in serious condition, he added.
According to Oleksiy Kuleba, Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development, the attack hit civilian infrastructure inside the port, destroying several facilities and equipment. “It was a completely ordinary working day in the Ukrainian port,” Kuleba said on Facebook.
“There were no military facilities, only civilian infrastructure.” He pointed out that since February 2022, Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed nearly 400 port facilities and more than 30 ships. A total of 106 civilians were injured in attacks on port facilities, the minister specified.
The attack occurred despite Kiev accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States in March, while Moscow rejected the proposal.
18:28 US-Ukrainian Reconstruction Fund Officially Launched
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko announced that all necessary procedures for the establishment of the US-Ukrainian Reconstruction Fund have been completed, marking the beginning of a new phase of strategic cooperation between the two countries.
“This fund is a symbol of long-term commitment and strategic partnership. Together with the United States, Ukraine will invest in the recovery and future development of our country – based on principles that preserve our sovereignty and strengthen our future,” Sviridenko said on the X network.
As she pointed out, the agreement on the establishment of the fund is based on equality, with full respect for Ukraine’s national interests, and joint management with the United States is envisaged.
The formation of the fund was made official after the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, unanimously ratified the agreement on the establishment of a joint investment mechanism with the United States on May 8. Five days later, on May 13, Ukraine also signed two trade agreements with the American International Finance Corporation for Development, which began the concrete implementation of the goals defined by that agreement.
The fund is expected to play a key role in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, encouraging investment in infrastructure, energy, industry and other sectors crucial for the country’s long-term recovery.
17:45 Ukraine and Russia hold largest prisoner exchange since war began
Ukraine and Russia have begun a multi-day prisoner exchange, the largest since the war began three years ago, during which nearly 800 people will be returned to their respective sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the first phase of the exchange has been completed, saying that 390 people have been handed over to Russia. He added that the exchange will continue over the weekend.
"It is very important to return every person home," Zelensky wrote on social media, thanking everyone who made the exchange possible and stressing that diplomatic efforts to free the prisoners would continue. He also said on social media that the agreement to release 1,000 Ukrainians from Russian captivity was "almost the only concrete result" of recent direct negotiations in Turkey.
Photos released by the presidential office show former Ukrainian prisoners of war, their heads shaved, being reunited with their families. The Russian Defense Ministry said the freed Russian citizens were being flown to Belarus for medical care.
The exchange, which includes the largest single release of Ukrainian civilians, does not mean that there has been a reduction in combat operations on the front.
Ukrainian media outlet Espreso TV released emotional footage from Kiev’s Independence Square, where a woman named Viktoria, draped in a Ukrainian flag, described receiving a call with the news that her husband had been freed. “We waited, we hoped, we fought,” she said, adding that she had been waiting for this moment since 2022.
The operation is part of the “1,000 for 1,000” deal reached during last week’s peace talks in Istanbul, which have otherwise failed to yield any significant progress.
A Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media that the first exchange took place on the border with Belarus, in northern Ukraine. Earlier, journalists were directed to a location in the northern Chernihiv region, where some of the released prisoners were to be brought.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that 270 soldiers and 120 civilians had been returned, claiming that they had been captured during expanded Ukrainian operations in Russia's Kursk region. The exact circumstances of their capture have not yet been independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, relatives of the released gathered outside a medical facility in Ukraine, waiting with hope and anxiety for news of their loved ones.
16:08 Zelensky confirms start of large-scale prisoner exchange with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a message posted on the X network that "the first part of the agreement on the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange principle has been implemented." He added that “390 people were released today,” and that the exchange will continue “on Saturday and Sunday.”
15:38 Ukraine hits Energia factory in Lipetsk, parts for Iskander missiles damaged
Ukraine has confirmed an attack on the Energia factory near Yelets, in the Russian Lipetsk region, which produces parts for Iskander ballistic missiles and guided bombs. The Ukrainian General Staff said the target was hit, that explosions were recorded and that a fire broke out on site.
According to Ukrainian officials, the factory, which is under US and European sanctions, is the only Russian manufacturer of batteries for glide and correction modules used in aerial bombs, and also supplies parts for ballistic and cruise missiles.
“The shutdown of the state-owned Energia factory could deprive the Russian army and armaments of key batteries,” the General Staff said. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Although Ukraine did not specify the weapons used, Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov said the attack was carried out by Ukrainian drones. Footage of the explosions and fires caused by the attack appeared on social media. Artamonov added that parts of the drones fell on an apartment building in Yelets, injuring eight people.
13:38 Ukraine says it has neutralized 150 of 175 Russian drones sent last night
Russia attacked Ukraine with 175 drones and one ballistic missile, starting at 22:30 last night, the Ukrainian Air Force said in its daily report on social media. Of the 175 drones, which were launched from several cities near the border, the Ukrainians claim to have shot down 91, while another 59 disappeared from radar thanks to electronic warfare systems. However, they did not specify what happened to the remaining twenty-five drones. The Ukrainian Air Force added that the Russian attacks, although without further details, caused damage in the Sumy, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, across the country.
13:13 Friedrich Merz calls on Xi Jinping to support peace efforts in Ukraine
In his first telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the importance of China's support for peace efforts in Ukraine, stressing that both expressed their readiness to work together on global challenges.
The two leaders discussed Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The Chancellor conveyed the joint efforts of Europe and the United States to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, and asked for these efforts to be supported, according to a statement from the German government.
12:20 Trump announces major prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine
US President Donald Trump announced this morning that the "major prisoner swap" between Russia and Ukraine has been "completed" and should take effect soon.
A day earlier, the Ukrainian government announced that it had handed over to Russian authorities its list of 1,000 prisoners scheduled for exchange, as part of an agreement reached last week in Istanbul. The Kremlin said earlier that the Russian list had also been forwarded to Kiev.
The US president also wondered if this could be a hint of "something really big," possibly alluding to on the possibility of negotiations between the warring parties, but did not provide further details.
11:50 Lavrov doubts the possibility of talks with Ukraine at the Vatican
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed doubts about the idea that the Vatican could be the venue for a second meeting between Russia and Ukraine, after the possibility was suggested by Pope Leo XIV, the US and Italy.
"It would not be very appropriate for Orthodox countries to discuss on Catholic territory the solution to the deep causes of the conflict in Ukraine," the Russian Foreign Minister said, adding that the Vatican itself would probably feel uncomfortable hosting such talks.
11:38 In Russia, a battery factory is the target of drone attacks
Several videos on social networks and testimonies from locals confirm that drones targeted the Energia factory near the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region, about 450 kilometers south of Moscow, during the night, Mediazona reports. According to this independent Russian media outlet, the factory produces batteries, especially for drones, as well as for aviation and the navy.
“Following the attack, a fire broke out at the factory,” the Telegram platform Astra reported.
The Moscow Times notes that Energia is Russia’s largest company specializing in the production of chemical energy sources. Its products are widely used in the defense industry, civil aviation, shipping and the energy sector. Earlier, the governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, confirmed that a drone crash had caused a fire in an industrial zone, injuring eight people. The Russian Defense Ministry announced this morning that 112 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including one over the Lipetsk region. 10:40 One person killed in Kupyansk after Russian bombing
A 60-year-old man was killed and one person was wounded in Russian bombing of the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine, the head of the region's military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, announced this morning on Telegram. 10:21 Ukraine rejects Putin's idea of a buffer zone
A few hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military had "now" committed to creating a buffer zone along Russia's borders, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tykhy said that the zone could only be on Russian territory, Ukrainian public media outlet Suspilne reported.
"Of course, there can be a buffer zone, but only on Russian territory. That is why Ukraine has been conducting Operation Kusk in that area since last year," he said, according to Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine.
According to Tyhi, these statements by Putin “clearly prove that it is Putin and Russia who are blocking peace efforts, and that all forms of pressure should be applied against them in order to force Russia and Putin to peace and a long-term complete ceasefire.”
Last night, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga condemned Vladimir Putin’s “aggressive statements”: “I remind the world that Putin’s statements about the ‘buffer zone’ are taking place while intensive efforts are being made to achieve a complete and permanent ceasefire, end the killing and achieve peace. These new aggressive statements directly contradict these efforts and clearly show that Putin was and remains the only reason why the bloodshed continues.”
09:58 Ukrainian army: more than 140 clashes with Russian forces recorded yesterday
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that 141 combat clashes were recorded on Thursday.
The most attacks were recorded, as usual, around Pokrovskoye in Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainians repelled 44 attacks.
A few kilometers away, the Russians launched 14 attacks in the direction of Novopavlivka. Russian forces also launched offensives in other parts of the east: 12 attacks towards Liman, 9 towards Toretsk, 8 towards Kharkiv, 6 towards Kupyansk, 4 towards Kramatorsk and 3 towards Siversk.
In southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army reported two attacks in the direction of Orikhiv and repelled one attempt to break through towards Khuljaipol in Zaporozhye Oblast.
08:15 Russia claims to have shot down 112 Ukrainian drones overnight
The Russian Defense Ministry said 112 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight, some of which targeted the area around Moscow. In Lipetsk region, about 450 kilometers southeast of Moscow, a drone crash in an industrial zone in the city of Yelets caused a fire that injured eight people, governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram.
Since Wednesday, attacks have intensified on both sides, with Ukrainian drones targeting the Russian capital in large numbers for the first time, disrupting the operation of Moscow airports several times.
