West is no longer imposing range restrictions on arms for Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on May 26 that Western allies were no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine for use against Russian military targets.

Speaking during a discussion forum organized by the WDR channel, Merz said that there were no longer any limitations on the range of weapons provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, or the United States. He explained that this meant Ukraine was now able to defend itself by striking military positions inside Russia—something it had previously been largely unable to do, except in rare cases.

Merz highlighted that Ukraine had previously received long-range missiles from Western allies—including the U.S., U.K., and France—such as ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP. However, the use of these weapons had initially been restricted to targets located within occupied Ukrainian territory.

He noted that it was only in late 2024 that the Biden administration and other allied governments eased these limitations, permitting Ukraine to use the missiles against Russian military targets located in Russia’s border regions. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Biden’s decision, as he continues to advocate for a negotiated peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

Merz further emphasized that, while Ukraine was targeting military infrastructure with its weapons, Russia was continuing to launch attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including cities, kindergartens, hospitals, and care homes.

Before taking office, Merz had signaled his intention to reverse the decision by his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, to block the delivery of Germany’s Taurus cruise missiles, which are capable of hitting targets up to 500 kilometers (approximately 300 miles) away. However, since becoming chancellor, he has not yet confirmed whether he plans to proceed with the deliveries.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that any European decision to lift restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine would contradict Moscow's desire for a political settlement. Speaking to Interfax, Peskov claimed such moves would go against Russia's efforts to resolve the conflict diplomatically.

Russians destroyed the agricultural company's potato storage facility and costly machinery

A Russian missile strike overnight on May 25–26 destroyed a major potato storage facility in Chernihiv Oblast, with estimated losses exceeding 50 million UAH (about $1.2 million), according to the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council.

The explosion demolished a sorting shop and damaged nearby storage buildings and farm machinery, said Mykola Hordiichuk, director of Agrico Ukraine LLC.

Agrico Ukraine, which holds over half of Ukraine’s seed potato market, imports seed from the Netherlands and operates farms in Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts under the Papas brand.

Russia launched a record number of drones, 6 killed, 24 injured 

Russia carried out its largest drone assault of the full-scale war overnight on May 26, launching 355 Shahed-type drones and decoys, along with nine Kh-101 cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported. Ukrainian defenses intercepted all missiles and 233 drones.

The strikes killed at least six people and injured 24 across Ukraine. In Kharkiv Oblast, two people died in Kupiansk; Mykolaiv Oblast saw two more fatalities and six injuries. One person was killed in Kherson Oblast, and another in Sumy Oblast. A 14-year-old was injured in Odesa Oblast.

Russian attacks damaged homes, businesses, infrastructure, and vehicles in at least 10 oblasts, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Cherkasy. In Zaporizhzhia, 419 strikes were recorded in a single day.

Poland scrambled jets for the second night in a row in response to Russian aviation near its borders.

Kremlin responded to Trump's harsh criticism of Putin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remark calling Vladimir Putin “absolutely crazy” after Russia’s latest airstrikes on Ukraine.

Peskov described the situation as “emotionally charged” and said reactions like Trump’s are understandable. He added that Putin is making decisions “necessary to ensure the security of our state.”

Peskov also accused Ukraine of threatening foreign leaders ahead of the Victory Day events in Moscow, saying this allegedly forced Russia to act.