recap – “20 Minutes” takes stock for you every evening on the conflict in Ukraine. This Friday, May 22, 2026 was marked by a deadly Ukrainian strike, in a region occupied by Russia
Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Friday, May 22, 2026, on the 1,549th day of the conflict.
Fact of the day
Did the Ukrainian drones hit the “headquarters” of a Russian military unit, as kyiv claims, or a high school as Moscow says? The damage is in any case impressive in Starobelsk, in the Lugansk state, an area occupied by Russia. According to the latest provisional assessment provided by the Kremlin, the bombing left six dead, around fifteen missing and around forty injured.
Vladimir Putin considers that the attack “was not accidental”. It took place “in three waves, with 16 drones targeting the same place,” he told Russian television, promising retaliation. His spokesperson even speaks of a “monstrous crime”.
The Ukrainian General Staff claims to have targeted elements of the Rubikon group, a Russian unit specializing in drone strikes and which “regularly” attacks civilians in Ukraine.
Today’s statement
This new financial commitment […] is not financed and will not be, because Ukraine will never be able to repay this loan.
In an interview with Le Point, Jordan Bardella, possibly a candidate for the 2027 presidential election in France, was skeptical, to say the least, about the 90 billion euro loan to kyiv decided by the European Union. If he says he wants to “help the Ukr(…)
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