"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.
A screenshot of a video showing Oscar Jenkins captured by Russian forces, published in late December 2024.
Australia will continue to petition Russia for the release of Oscar Jenkins, an Australian citizen captured while fighting on the side of Ukraine, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on April 19.
"We'll continue to make representations to the reprehensible regime of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin on behalf of Mr Jenkins," Albanese told 9News.
"We will stand up and use whatever avenues we have at our disposal to continue to make those representations. The Russian war against the people of Ukraine is a war against international law, it's against international sovereignty."
Jenkins disappeared on Dec. 16, 2024, during a combat operation near the village of Mykolaivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk Oblast. At the time, he was deployed with the 402nd Separate Rifle Battalion, a unit within Ukraine’s 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
In the weeks that followed, unconfirmed reports began to surface, alleging that he had been executed while in Russian captivity. The claims prompted Australian officials to seek clarification from Moscow regarding his status.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, has said that Jenkins should be treated as a prisoner of war just like Ukrainian citizens fighting for their country, and that he should be realeased in a prisoner exchange.
"(Jenkins) has an official contract with the Ukrainian armed forces, so he must be treated as a prisoner of war, but Russia does not really care about international law," Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, told Nine News.
The Geneva Conventions require all parties to armed conflict to treat prisoners of war with respect and dignity. However, Russia is reported to have executed a number of POWs.
Kyiv’s repatriation efforts have predominantly centered on the return of Ukrainian soldiers, leaving foreign fighters who serve in Ukraine's military in a particularly vulnerable position should they be captured by Russian forces.
Belarusian soldier Vasyl Verameichyk, who had been fighting for Ukraine, was detained by Belarusian security services while on holiday in Vietnam. He is now reportedly being held in custody in Belarus.
Fellow Belarusian volunteers have repeatedly appealed to Ukrainian authorities to press for his release, but there has been no indication of progress.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Kate Tsurkan
