"(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 picture from Michael Gloss's social media showing him in Moscow. (Michael Gloss)
The son of a deputy head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was killed "while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine" in 2024, a CIA spokesperson said on April 25, according to NBC News.
Michael Gloss, 21, was the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Julianne Gallina Gloss and Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss. Independent Russian publication Important Stories first reported his death while fighting on Russia's side in an investigation published on April 25.
As NBC News reported, the CIA spokesperson said Gallina and her family "suffered an unimaginable personal tragedy in the spring of 2024 when her son Michael Gloss, who struggled with mental health issues, died while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine."
The statement did not specify which side Gloss was fighting for at the time.
"CIA considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter for the Gloss family — not a national security issue," the spokesperson said.
"Juliane and her husband shared that 'we adored our son and grieve his loss every moment. We appreciate privacy at this difficult time,'" the spokesperson added.
According to an obituary written by his parents last year but since removed from the memorial home's page, Gloss died "while traveling in Eastern Europe," without mentioning the war in Ukraine or his travels to Russia.
Despite supporting Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale war, Gloss was recruited at a military recruitment center in Moscow, alongside other foreign nationals, by Sept. 5, 2023, the investigation by Important Stories found.
Moscow has been enlisting migrants and foreign nationals since the start of its full-scale invasion to replenish its battlefield losses without a full-scale mobilization.
Citizens from China, Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and other nations were recruited, according to earlier reporting.
Natalia Yermak is a staff writer for the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a fixer-producer and contributing reporter for the New York Times since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Previously, she worked in film production and documentary.
Kateryna Denisova
