"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
First responders work at the site of Russian drone attack in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on May 6, 2025. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
At least five people were killed and 33 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, regional officials reported on May 6.
Russia launched 136 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 54 drones, while 70 vanished from radars, likely used as decoys to overwhelm defenses. The assault was countered with electronic warfare units, aviation, anti-aircraft missile systems, and mobile fire groups.
In Donetsk Oblast, three residents were killed and 16 injured due to Russian aggression, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Kharkiv Oblast, 11 people were injured, including four in the city of Kharkiv, where Russia attacked four districts with suicide drones, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
One person was killed and three injured in Kherson Oblast as Russian forces hit social infrastructure and residential areas, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
In Odesa Oblast, a Russian drone attack killed one person and damaged civilian infrastructure, including houses, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
Three women, aged 43, 65, and 70, were injured in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where houses and infrastructure were damaged, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
The attacks come as Moscow continues rejecting a complete ceasefire and escalates strikes targeting civilian areas across Ukraine.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Abbey Fenbert
