"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"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.
Firefighters putting out a fire that broke out in Odesa Oblast Ukraine, following a Russian drone strike overnight on March 17, 2025. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least three civilians and injured at least 12 over the past day, regional authorities reported on March 17.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 90 of the 174 attack and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Seventy other decoy drones reportedly disappeared from radars without causing damage.
Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast killed one civilian in Myrnohrad and injured one in Siversk, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Five civilians were injured in Russian attacks against Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
An airstrike against the town of Kupiansk on March 16 reportedly injured a 57-year-old man and damaged 22 houses. In the village of Velyka Shapkivka, an airstrike started a fire and injured three women aged 56, 66, and 75 and a 66-year-old man, Syniehubov reported.
One civilian was killed and three injured during Russian strikes in Kherson Oblast, according to the regional governor, Oleksandr Prokudin. An apartment building and five houses were damaged.
A drone attack against the Odesa district in Odesa Oblast injured a woman, damaged a kindergarten, a house, a shop, and a car, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. Damage to the energy grid left around 500 consumers in Odesa's suburbs without power, according to the statement.
One person was killed, and an apartment building was damaged during a mortar attack against the Seredyna-Buda community. Two injuries were reported in the Bilopillia and the Myropillia communities.
Drone attacks against Poltava Oblast also led to emergency power outages, with almost 1,100 consumers left without electricity in the Kremenchuk district, Governor Volodymyr Kohut reported.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
