"(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.
Illustrative purposes only: The police evacuation unit "White Angels" is evacuating a large family with five children from the village of Yelyzavetivka in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 14, 2024, in the Pokrovsk district, Ukraine. Liberova Vlada/ Libkos/Getty Images)
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast authorities on April 28 announced mandatory evacuations of families with children from four eastern villages, as Russian forces advance toward the region's administrative border.
The evacuation order, issued by Governor Serhii Lysak on April 25, concerns the villages of Kolona Mezhova, Novopidhorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka in the Mezhova community.
Anxiety in the area mounts as Russian forces reportedly stand only some 5-15 kilometers (3-9 miles) from the settlements, which lie near the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts.
Residents will be evacuated by vehicles and were asked to pack documents, money, medicine, water, and food for a few days, along with other necessities.
While Donetsk Oblast has been the epicenter of Russia's aggression against Ukraine since 2014 — with significant escalation after the full-scale invasion in 2022 – Russian forces have not yet entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Moscow nevertheless regularly targets Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with drones, missiles, and aerial bombs, inflicting heavy civilian casualties.
Russia's advance in Ukraine has not relented despite the U.S.'s efforts to broker a peace deal and Kyiv's calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a three-day truce on May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, a proposal met by skepticism from Ukraine.
The estimated Russian advance (red) near the administrative borders between Donetsk (east) and Dnipropetrovsk (west) oblasts in Ukraine as of April 29, 2025, according to DeepState. (DeepState/OpenStreetMaps)
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.
Natalia Yermak
