Russian missile attack kills civilians in Ukraine, Ukrainian brigade makes small gains near Bakhmut.

Russian missile attacks on May 18 killed two civilians and injured five others in Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts. Ukrainian forces reportedly made marginal gains in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, where Russian forces are attempting to capture the town. Russian troops are forcibly conscripting locals in occupied Luhansk Oblast to fight against Ukraine. African leaders are expected to visit Moscow in June with a "peace plan" to end Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.