What happened in the last week. The main thing

Russia has successfully test-launched a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile "Sarmat". An American delegation led by US President Donald Trump has arrived in China on a state visit. Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange under the "205 for 205" formula. All the details and other news of the week are in the Izvestia digest.

The Russian Armed Forces conducted a successful test launch of the Sarmat missile

On May 12, the Russian Ministry of Defense demonstrated a test of the Sarmat missile system. Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) Sergey Karakaev stressed that the test results confirmed the correctness of the design and technological solutions laid down, as well as the feasibility of the specified characteristics of the missile system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, called the Sarmat the most powerful missile system in the world. The Head of State also stressed that Sarmat's missiles can fly both ballistic and suborbital trajectories, with a range of more than 35,000 km. The Russian leader added that work to improve the country's deterrence forces has been ongoing since the 2000s.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing

On May 14, Trump arrived at the People's Assembly House on Tiananmen Square in Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He promised the Chinese leader to conduct business with China fully on a reciprocal basis. In turn, Xi Jinping said that the ideas of the revival of the Chinese nation and the return of the greatness of the United States do not contradict each other.

According to the head of the White House, Xi Jinping offered assistance on the Iranian issue. Trump and Xi Jinping have come to an agreement on Iran's nuclear weapons. The leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.

Exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine

On May 15, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russia had returned 205 fighters from Ukrainian captivity, and in return, 205 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were transferred. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) acted as intermediaries. In addition, Russia handed over 526 bodies of dead servicemen to the Ukrainian side, and 41 bodies of Russian soldiers were received from Ukraine.

Later, a plane carrying Russian soldiers who had returned from Ukrainian captivity landed in the Moscow region.

A massive attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Moscow and the Moscow region

On the night of May 17, 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched a massive strike by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Moscow and the Moscow region. The attack was the largest since the beginning of the year: the air defense forces shot down more than 120 drones flying towards the capital. Three people became victims in the Moscow region, 12 more were injured, residential buildings and an oil refinery were damaged. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident a mass terrorist attack.

Explosion at a gas station in Pyatigorsk

On May 16, an explosion followed by a fire occurred at a gas station in Pyatigorsk while unloading a gas carrier. Six people were injured, one of them is in serious condition. The fire area was 1 thousand square meters. m. The Investigative Committee reported that the explosion occurred due to the depressurization of the sleeve and the use of equipment that did not meet safety requirements. A criminal case has been opened. The director of the gas station chain was detained.

Pyatigorsk Mayor Dmitry Voroshilov said that as a result of an explosion at a gas station in the city, windows in 17 apartments were blown out in a nearby apartment building.

Putin accepted the resignation of Gladkov and Bogomaz

Putin signed decrees on the release of governors of the Belgorod and Bryansk regions Vyacheslav Gladkov and Alexander Bogomaz from their powers at their own request. Alexander Shuvaev, a participant in the presidential program "Time of Heroes", has been appointed acting governor of the Belgorod Region. Egor Kovalchuk will be in charge of the Bryansk region.