These are the key events on day 1,163 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 2 May 2025
Here is where things stand on Friday, May 2:
Fighting
- Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians during a recent drone attack that killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 on Thursday morning in partially occupied Kherson.
- The drone strike hit a market in the town of Oleshky in Russian-controlled Kherson at approximately 9: 30am local time, when many people were outdoors due to the May 1 public holiday, the region’s Moscow-appointed governor said.
- Ukraine’s military said the attack targeted Russian troops, and only military personnel were killed, although the claims by either side have not been independently verified.
- A Russian strike on Ukraine’s Odesa killed two people, and a Russian drone attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia set a building on fire on Thursday night, injuring 14 people, with no fatalities.
- Ukraine’s SBU Security Service said it has thwarted the attempted murder of Sergiy Sternenko, a prominent activist and video blogger, and also detained a suspect. Sternenko has been heavily involved in anti-Russian activism since 2014.
Diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described his country’s landmark mineral deal with