"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(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.
A view of the crash site where an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board, traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. (Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Azerbaijani Airlines plane that crashed on Dec. 25 en route to Russia may have been shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile, according to reports from independent Russian media outlets.
The aircraft, carrying passengers from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic, crashed near the coastal city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
There were 67 people on board the aircraft, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz citizens. Thirty eight people have perished in the crash, according to the latest information.
The potential use of air defense systems aligns with several media reports according to which Chechnya was attacked by drones on the morning of Dec. 25.
Footage of the plane shows traces of a large surface-to-air missile impact on the tail section of the plane, according to Russian independent media outlet Meduza. Similar-looking holes in the fuselage have reportedly been documented in numerous images and videos of military and civilian aircraft downed by surface-to-air missiles.
Survivors recalled hearing an explosion after failed landing attempts in Grozny, according to the independent Russian outlet Mediazona. The plane then turned back, crossing the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan. Upon attempting to land at Aktau Airport, it broke apart on impact and caught fire.
Meduza and Mediazona also cited Russian pro-war Telegram channels which showed photographs of the crash that suggested the plane had been shot at.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) initially claimed that the plane collided with a flock of birds, prompting the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. During the maneuver, the aircraft "hit the ground."
The black box has been recovered from the crash site, Azerbaijani media reported. Its analysis is expected to provide critical insights into the events leading up to the crash.
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Oleg Sukhov
