The public expresses deep frustration and skepticism towards both Putin and Zelensky, advocating for peace talks while lamenting the suffering of civilians. There is a significant disillusionment over the conflict's progress and the geopolitical maneuvers involved, with a strong desire for an end to hostilities and accountability for the consequences of the war.

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

Western Nations

[New post can be found here](/r/worldnews/comments/1kpb8na/rworldnews_live_thread_russian_invasion_of/)

WorldNewsMods

&gt;Russian Troops Are War-Weary, but Want to Conquer More of Ukraine 

&gt;Many Russian soldiers say they would see a cease-fire along the current front lines as a failure, hinting at the nationalist discontent the Kremlin could face in accepting a cease-fire.


https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/17/world/europe/russian-troops-peace-putin.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IE8.8ybW.oI_hRiG-r2jw&amp;smid=url-share

"only Putin's war" -- so much western restraint, especially early on, came from that lie. 

Gift article, no paywall

nerphurp

[deleted]

Long-term concerns about the Kharkiv-Luhansk front. Andrew Perpetua pointed out the issues last year: losing the areas above could "unhinge" the wedge Ukraine has that's east of Slovyansk-Kramatorsk through Siversk to Bilohorivka.

&gt; The situation in the Torske - Yampolivka area, in the Lymansky direction, remains difficult, the enemy is trying to strike at the junction between Zarechny and Torske, in order to eventually seize these areas.

&gt; Yes, the enemy was indeed able to enter Torske recently, then they were somewhat pushed back, but still, as a result, we have lost positions in the area, and not just an expansion of the gray zone, as some OSINT projects point out.

&gt; In principle, the whole situation there is far from perfect, and the Podarys have been "rushing" towards Torske for several months now, because after its capture, the road to Yampil will open, and our entire group of troops in the "forest of wonders" will be put at risk.

But notice how slow Russia is going. They're still gambling on western weakness or US-style betrayal.

https://t . me/officer_alex33/5554

TurbulentRadish8113

Another pro-Putin benefit of the Trump-Putin fake negotiation theatre as discussed by a Ukrainian officer.

&gt; I'll tell you a secret, they won't get anywhere in Istanbul🙃

&gt; Frankly, this situation is stressful, because many civilians have already relaxed their grip and can already smell a deal in the air, which is why support for the troops is dropping somewhat, like, fuck yourselves.

&gt; I'm not speaking for those who helped and help constantly, but as practice shows, even with the same meetings, the result is when the majority is included, no matter how unfortunate it may be, such "spontaneous donations" and any support in general - this is 60% of successfully closed meetings.

https://t . me/officer_alex33/5550

&gt;The Kremlin said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but only if certain agreements were reached.

&gt;Peskov added: "At the same time, when signing documents that the delegations are to agree upon, the main and fundamental thing for us remains who exactly will sign these documents from the Ukrainian side."

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-says-putin-could-meet-zelenskiy-if-certain-agreements-are-reached-2025-05-17/

So they'll try the Zelenskyy must go angle on Trump come Monday.

If you're interested in the details of each front with maps click and read the whole article.  

[Russia launches major offensive amid ceasefire talks, attempts to bypass Pokrovsk | Espreso](https://global.espreso.tv/russia-ukraine-war-war-live-map-ukraine-russia-17-05-2025)

Despite a 22% decrease in the number of combat clashes — down to 1,100 over the past week — Russian forces managed to seize several strategically important fortified positions and create new threats. The Pokrovsk sector remains the hottest, but Novopavlivka direction has taken the second place for the second week in a row, from where the occupying Russian forces want to bypass Pokrovsk.

Well-Sourced

[🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 | BlueSky](https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3lpewudaxik26)

❗️🇺🇸 American strategic RQ-4B Global Hawk UAVs have resumed reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea after a long pause.

On May 17, one of the drones took off from the NATO base Sigonella in Sicily and patrolled along the Romanian coast.

[Destruction at Russia’s Murom military factory confirmed by satellite data | EuroMaidanPress](https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/05/17/destruction-at-russias-murom-military-factory-confirmed-by-satellite-data/)

Satellite images confirm the destruction of a warehouse at the Murom Instrument-Building Plant in Murom, Vladimir Oblast, Russia, following a Ukrainian drone strike weeks ago. The images were analyzed and published by the open-source intelligence group Dnipro OSINT, Militarnyi reported.

The plant is a key Russian defense enterprise that manufactures ignition and initiation devices for ammunition used by the armed forces, interior ministry, FSB, and other security agencies. It is part of the Tekhmash holding under the state-owned corporation Rostec.

The published satellite images show that the strike destroyed one building on the premises of the enterprise.

The facility came under Ukrainian attack overnight on 30 April. The assault on the facility involved eight long-range fixed-wing drones, according to Militarnyi. Following the strike, a fire broke out on the premises.

The Murom Instrument-Building Plant is about 670 km from Ukraine.

Previously, the Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona reported that a storage warehouse for finished products had been hit. The building, believed to have housed ammunition ignition caps, was completely destroyed.

Additional reports by Astra at the time said an administrative building—possibly the main checkpoint—was also destroyed.

Earlier, satellite imagery had also confirmed a separate Ukrainian strike on another Russian ammunition plant—NPO Bazalt in Krasnoarmeysk, Moscow Oblast—which produces warheads for Shahed-type drones.

&gt; Rosstat has classified detailed data on birth rates, death rates, marriages, divorces and corresponding coefficients in Russia. Instead of 6 files, 1 file is now published. Regional data is completely classified! Monthly data has also been closed! (screenshot - all that remains!)

I believe they don't want to fake this data, even though it hints at casualty rates. So they classified it.

&gt; In March, the birth rate fell by 5.6% y-o-y to a new historical minimum - 3012 people per day. And the death rate jumped by 5.8% y-o-y to 5078 people per day. As a result, the natural decline increased by 28.4% y-o-y (!!!) to 2066 people per day.



https://bsky.app/profile/evgen-istrebin.bsky.social/post/3lpfd42vsdc2r

[SBU drones strike Russian ammo depot in occupied Crimea | New Voice of Ukraine](https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/sbu-drones-strike-russian-ammo-depot-in-occupied-crimea-causing-massive-explosions-50514730.html)



Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck ammunition depots belonging to Russia’s 126th Separate Guards Coastal Defense Brigade near Perevalne in occupied Crimea on May 16, sources in Ukraine’s Defense Forces told NV.

The targeted facility housed storage boxes for military equipment, weapons, and fuel. Footage provided to NV shows large explosions and fires at the Russian depot. Local residents also reported visible smoke rising from the base.

According to the source, Russian authorities shut down traffic on the Simferopol–Alushta highway, which runs past Perevalne. There are also reports of Russian military personnel killed in the strike.

[Ukraine's Security Service prepares for 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap with Russia | Ukrainian Pravda](https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/05/17/7512703/)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has begun preparations to implement a thousand-for-thousand prisoner exchange agreement with Russia.  An agreement on the simultaneous release and exchange of 1,000 prisoners on each side was reached between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on 16 May 2025.

The SSU's Joint Centre for the Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners is compiling a list of the Russian military personnel that Ukraine may transfer as part of the swap.

Meanwhile, the SSU, together with the Ministry of Health and other state agencies, is getting all the necessary infrastructure ready to receive Ukrainian military personnel after they are released from captivity – from logistics to medical staff, support and rehabilitation.

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), has said he is confident that the thousand-for-thousand prisoner exchange with Russia will take place next week.

Oryx 3-day update of russian-Ukrainian losses.

- tanks: 7-7
- IFVs: 15-4
- mobile artillery: 0-4
- missile air defence: 1-0

Plus a Ukrainian F-16 and a Russian Su-25.

Equipment losses haven't looked good for a long time, but it's partly because Russia no longer has as much and is taking heavier casualties instead.

Ukraine cannot maintain this tank/IFV loss rate. Please please talk to your representatives to ask for more long-term armoured aid. All this drip feeding is encouraging Putin by just telling him to hang on a bit longer.

&gt; I had a good meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister @MarkJCarney. 

&gt; I am grateful for Canada’s support—we truly value having Canada as a real friend of Ukraine. We discussed what is needed to bring a lasting peace closer. 

&gt; The key priority is to apply pressure on Russia in a way that compels real steps toward ending the war. We spoke in detail about which sanctions can be effective — including secondary sanctions, energy-related measures, and sanctions against the shadow fleet.

&gt; We also discussed defence cooperation and the development of the Coalition of the Willing. I’m grateful for the invitation to take part in the upcoming G7 meeting. 

&gt; We look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister to Ukraine.

https://xcancel.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1923795578279833984#m

&gt; I met with the President of Switzerland, @keller_sutter, in Rome.

&gt; We discussed the need for a ceasefire, increased pressure on Russia, humanitarian demining, implementation of school meal programs, and shelter arrangements in Ukrainian schools, as well as the involvement of Swiss companies in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

&gt; I spoke about the negotiations in Istanbul and the importance of unity and coordination among all partners — particularly the United States — to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.

&gt; I am grateful for the humanitarian support of Ukraine, our people, and our resilience. 🇺🇦🇨🇭

https://xcancel.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1923810746829287706#m

M795

"Trump says he'll speak separately to Zelenskyy and Putin on Monday about a potential Russia-Ukraine ceasefire"

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-speak-separately-zelenskyy-putin-monday-potential-russia-uk-rcna207439

Nearly two years after Yevgeny Prigozhin died, an account has been published of a tense meeting with Vladimir Putin in which the Wagner Group leader rejected subordination to the Russian Ministry of Defence. "Zhenya, you're fucking nuts", Putin is said to have told him. 

[https://bsky.app/profile/chriso-wiki.bsky.social/post/3lpf3vli3u224](https://bsky.app/profile/chriso-wiki.bsky.social/post/3lpf3vli3u224)

barney-panofsky

Yesterday ChrisO\_Wiki thread

1/ Officers in a Russian rifle regiment are said to be labelling soldiers as deserters to avoid paying them, beating them, denying medical care, forcing female medics into sex, and sending men into assaults without equipment while telling them to scavenge it on the battlefield. ⬇️

[https://bsky.app/profile/chriso-wiki.bsky.social/post/3lpcltvtxsd2h](https://bsky.app/profile/chriso-wiki.bsky.social/post/3lpcltvtxsd2h)

unpancho

The rate at which russian obituaries are being added to the Poteru database has drastically slowed.

Only 1366 so far in May, might end up below 3k. For comparison, the last month below 3k was January 2024. It peaked at 6.1k in December 2024.

Intensity definitely dropped a bit, although it often takes weeks for obituaries to be found so this is probably partly because of less intensity in March/April.

(Real russian losses are at least several times higher)

**The estimated total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 17.05.25:**

personnel: about 972 600 (+910) persons  
tanks: 10 831 (+6)  
troop-carrying AFVs: 22 553 (+7)  
artillery systems: 27 942 (+34)  
MLRS: 1 386 (+1)  
anti-aircraft systems: 1 167 (+1)  
aircraft: 372 (+0)  
helicopters: 336 (+0)  
UAVs operational-tactical level: 36 278 (+155)  
cruise missiles: 3 197 (+0)  
warships/boats: 28 (+0)  
submarines: 1 (+0)  
vehicles and fuel tanks: 48 809 (+96)  
special equipment: 3 892 (+0)

Data are being updated.  
Fight the invader! Together we will win!  

Source  [https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/the-estimated-combat-losses-of-russians-over-17-may-2025-910-persons-155-ua-vs-and-34-artillery-systems](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/the-estimated-combat-losses-of-russians-over-17-may-2025-910-persons-155-ua-vs-and-34-artillery-systems)  

Slava Ukraini!

Nurnmurmer

Italy is sending 400 more M113s now they've replaced them.

Enough for maybe 6 months of attrition. We really need long-term major commitments from the remaining allies, please ask your representatives.

This is fantastic news but the downside of this reliance on old stuff is that each time the message to Putin is "we haven't bothered with long term supplies, you only need to wear Ukraine down for another X months and then they might be out".

https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3lpeatg4plk26

[Kremlin: Next step after Istanbul talks with Ukraine is prisoner exchange and list of conditions for ceasefire](https://liveuamap.com/en/2025/17-may-08-kremlin-next-step-after-istanbul-talks-with-ukraine)

Glavurdan

Riddle me this: why would Putin come to the negotiating table if he’s been told his enemy has “no cards to play”?

arvigeus

[Russian army pushing more military equipment towards frontline in Zaporizhzhia region](https://liveuamap.com/en/2025/17-may-07-russian-army-pushing-more-military-equipment-towards)

What is the plan here anyway? Are they going to aim for a simultaneous offensive in Zaporizhzhia, towards Pokrovsk and towards Kostyantynivka?

They don't have the manpower for that, as was already assessed

I still wonder what would have happened if Prigozhin didn't pussy out

iwakan

&gt;A Russian drone hit a bus, killing nine people and injuring four more in the region of Sumy... in an attack that took place hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in years.

&gt;"This is not just another shelling — it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-attack-kills-9-ukraine-says-just-hours-after-peace-talks-2025-05-17/

Terrorist state making a mockery out of the calls for negotiations.

I've donated once again to Liberty Ukraine's [Mesh Protection Tunnels](https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=JVAKE6MDPDA64) fundraiser. It is a defense fundraiser for engineering equipment to help build mesh defenses.

versatile_dev

[ISW update for May 16th](https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-16-2025).

Key takeaways:

* Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on May 16 but made little progress towards agreeing to a full ceasefire or a peace settlement to Russia's war against Ukraine.
* Medinsky highlighted that Russia is prepared to continue its war in Ukraine for years to come.
* The Kremlin has repeatedly publicly demanded that Ukraine cede all of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts – even the territory that Russian forces currently do not occupy - but had not formally demanded that Ukraine cede all of Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts before the May 16 Istanbul meeting.
* ISW has consistently assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not compromise in peace negotiations unless Ukraine and the West inflict significant battlefield and economic losses on Russia and force Putin to rethink his theory of victory.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly approved a series of command changes in the Russian military, including a new Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces.
* Russian forces are continuing to expand their salient northeast of Pokrovsk and southwest of Toretsk, although it remains unclear whether the Russian military command will prioritize further advances towards Kostyantynivka or Pokrovsk during Summer 2025.
* Russia is unlikely to have sufficient manpower, materiel, and operational planning capabilities to conduct both an envelopment of Pokrovsk and a significant offensive operation toward Kostyantynivka in the coming months.
* Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka and in the Zaporizhia direction.

&gt; Russia's largest producer of farm machinery announces a halt in production and mass layoffs, citing ***apocalyptic market conditions***

That's not leaving anything to the imagination.

BigBananaBerries

Russian losses 17/05/2025 reported by the Ukrainian General Staff



910 KWIA 

6 Tanks 

7 APVs 

34 Artillery systems

1 MLRS 

155 UAVs 

96 Vehicles &amp; Fuel tanks 



Slava Ukraini !

belaki

Fuck putin. Fuck trump. Fuck musk. Fuck all their supporters.


May Ukraine be blessed on the battlefield.

AnotherClimateRefuge

piponwa

[Previous post can be found here](/r/worldnews/comments/1knrsid/rworldnews_live_thread_russian_invasion_of/)

how did Russians get pushed all the way back from their initial advance??

PegasusTheGod

Putin is the biggest loser of 21 century. Being a head of nuclear country, managed to start the war that led to another country occupying part of Russia, and he called North Korea to join his evil war, yet doesn’t seem capable of doing anything to stop Ukrainians from holding a piece of Russia

strimholov

“Russian backed separatists” cant believe people still go with this line.

I put this playlist together because I believe that music the power of music is the key to ending the wars around the globe and bringing us 1 step closer to world peace. This was made this morning in 10 minutes of thinking of the songs I knew, imagine if music brought the world together like it should. We did live earth concerts, make it bigger invite the world to stand up to end the world wars. The world's governments are not achieving what is needed its time to try something new! 
We see things like north and south Korea blasting annoying music across the border to antaganise one another what if we could make the world listen to songs like in this playlist not forever not like torture, I believe we could get through to alot more people around the world to end the wars that will be our earth demise.


One idea is playing clips on add breaks on free to air tv, or/and bring back shows like video hits and play these sorts of playlists on the tv.
On the battle ground play this music loud enough to drown out the war zone noise caused by weaponry fire, give the soldiers hope.
Have concerts to raise awareness.
In malls and shopping centres play music that inspires people.
Put it to media give it coverage.
Share world wide not just within our country.
Given time I could think of so many ways music can make a difference in the right hands.
Lets stand together
Kind regards
Ebony




Here is the link to my playlist 


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpP2vrvcL5_JaXwzGZsF83p_2oYFmhmo4&amp;si=NqPW0CRH7_aMg22W

Unable-Sink-8095

I wish Russia would hurry up. The inevitable total collapse of the Ukrainian army is coming in the war of attrition, then it's the total collapse of Ukraine. Then it's lasting peace in Europe once Poland, Hungary, and Romania claim the sections of their countries that Stalin undemocratically gave to Ukraine.

MDDDick

Unfortunately, Trump will defund Ukraine and let Russia invade and then, annex the rest of the remaining Ukrainian-controlled territories in Donbas and Kherson regions.

Joseph20102011

Staggering how there’s been so little movement for peace talks. Thousands dying on a tremendous scale, people losing their limbs and eyes, and families and towns and villages destroyed forever. Ukraine is losing land every day, but we’re so opposed to ending this war?

Mister_Barman

I hope all this mess ends as soon as possible. No to war.
And I hope the war supporters can happily enlist and go to fight if they wish so, but only hope that people stop dying for washington.

Fit_West_3769

NATO troops must be stationed in Moscow to ensure they are not going to invade any neighbor country and safety for the world

\[OC\] The map and charts shows detected war-related events as per my analysis of satellite data to August 22th, 2024. The war monitoring system is based on high-temperature events as reported by NASA, collected through satellites, and a machine-learning algorithm which automatically classifies which of these events are likely to be war-related and which occur due to industrial processes, agriculture, or other causes. Zones of control are via ISW.

Yesterday, we added a component detailing the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk oblast. It shows the area held by Ukrainian forces, as well as fire activity there. We cannot yet sort fires within Russia into war or non-war-related. This new component allows one to see both activity since the incursion began and that in the past 48 hours.

Source code and data is open here: [https://github.com/TheEconomist/the-economist-war-fire-model](https://github.com/TheEconomist/the-economist-war-fire-model)

All charts update daily here: [https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/ukraine-fires](https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/ukraine-fires)

Tools used: R, JS, Illustrator

Our tracker has not yet found any clear signs of attacks easing up on Ukrainian positions as a result of Ukrainian forces' move into Russia. Our data suggest relatively stable activity on the front lines in Kharkiv and Kherson, and an uptick in Zaporizhia and Donetsk. I analysed this data in more detail here: [https://econ.st/3Xfoklw](https://econ.st/3Xfoklw) &amp; [https://econ.st/46VcvEc](https://econ.st/46VcvEc) &amp; [https://econ.st/46VcvEc](https://econ.st/46VcvEc) (or at permanent link here: [https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/08/21/has-ukraines-shock-raid-successfully-diverted-russian-forces](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/08/21/has-ukraines-shock-raid-successfully-diverted-russian-forces) )

My colleagues have recently visited the front, and report that the situation within Ukraine is dire - as Russia appears to get closer to seizing Pokrovsk. You can read more here: [https://econ.st/3YWftX8](https://econ.st/3YWftX8) (free to read) or [https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/22/the-kremlin-is-close-to-crushing-a-vital-ukrainian-town](https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/22/the-kremlin-is-close-to-crushing-a-vital-ukrainian-town) .

One resident, who had her place of work destroyed by Russian bombs, said there is: "Constant stress, explosions, doors and windows that blow open by the shock waves...Everything inside you tightens. You hear the rocket, and you wait, and you ask if it will land near you and your home.”

statisticalanalysis_

Why do I keep seeing articles about Ukraine taking Kursk, if they are no where near it.

Dan19_82

*sees % of Ukraine controlled by Russia slider*

Now we need a "% of Russia controlled by Ukraine" slider.

bd_one

Also check out [guerillamap.com](http://guerillamap.com), they have a lot of data related to the war

Dry_Strawberry307

4 is just wrong, which is confusing, because map on 3 is relatively up to date

Lapkonium

Can someone post the source that’s isn’t behind a paywall?

Save-Ferris-Bueller

train service between poland and ukraine is running smoothly and unhindered

europeans are on purpose is villyfying ussr

europeans could have included ussr too in nato but they are not

all the technology in europens are cut pasted or improved version of ussr technology 

ussr have its own opinions on worldly affairs

europeans want ussr people to be their slave

they have ussr in past to clean their dirty mess in middle east 

Now, ussr is not ready for the same and it is hurting their ego

anandm104

Russian President Putin's remarks claiming that all of Ukraine is part of Russia highlight his stance against ongoing peace efforts, posing severe threats to Ukraine's sovereignty.

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