A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.
-- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says that Moscow and Kyiv have reached a "mutual understanding" on key parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.
-- Reports say up to 20 armed gunmen were trying to seize property from a factory (Topaz) that makes communications and electronic-warfare equipment in the Donetsk region.
-- A deputy foreign minister says Russia will consider any expansion of NATO forces near its borders a "demonstration of hostile intentions" and "take the necessary political and military-technological measures to support our security."
-- A two-man crew for Russian Zvezda TV arrived in Moscow after being released from detention in Ukraine.
-- Serbian officials say their own work on the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline will have to be suspended after Bulgaria stopped construction of its portion based on EU and U.S. concerns.
-- Ukrainian security forces are reportedly still battling pro-Russian separatists in the east near Slovyansk and Donetsk.
*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
Candidates vying to become Ukraine's next president are due to hold their final campaign rallies on May 23, one day after 17 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by pro-Russian separatists in the east.
The May 25 vote pits front-runner Petro Poroshenko, a 48-year-old confectionary magnate, against nearly 20 other challengers, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. A second round is expected June 15.
Poroshenko is pledging to resolve the unrest in the east within three months if elected.
Those promises come after the Health Ministry said 16 soldiers were killed in an ambush in the Donetsk town of Volnovakha on the morning of May 22, while the Defense Ministry said another soldier was killed near Rubizhne in Luhansk.
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of trying to disrupt the vote. He called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the crisis.
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Good morning, ahead of Ukraine's election weekend, starting up the live blog for another day.
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Barring major developments, this concludes our live blogging for May 22. Follow our continuing coverage of events in Ukraine and throughout RFE/RL's broadcast area HERE.
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And while you're at it, looking not quite as far ahead, here's an excellent primer on the obstacles to a vote this weekend from correspondent Tom Balmforth, who's in Kyiv: "Amid Chaos: How Will Eastern Ukrainians Manage To Vote?"
