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.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Members of the European Parliament pose with “Bring Kids Back” signs on May 8, 2025, in Strasbourg, France. (Andrii Yermak, Telegram)
The European Parliament on May 8 overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Russia’s forcible deportation and Russification of Ukrainian children, calling it a "genocidal strategy" aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity and demanding the unconditional return of all abducted minors, it said in a press release.
The resolution passed with 516 votes in favor, three against, and 34 abstentions. Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who were illegally transferred to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories. Fewer than 1,300 have been returned.
Many of those taken are placed in Russian foster homes, enrolled in military training camps, and subjected to intense propaganda. Children who have returned report being punished for speaking Ukrainian and being told their country no longer wants them.
“Russia must report the identities and whereabouts of all deported Ukrainian children and ensure their well-being and safe and unconditional return,” lawmakers said, calling on Russia to allow international humanitarian agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UNICEF, access to all affected children.
The resolution calls on EU institutions and member states to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and to continue supporting Ukraine’s efforts to document and trace abducted minors. It also reiterates that any future peace deal with Russia must include the children’s repatriation and full accountability for war crimes.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with the abductions.
According to the Yale School of Public Health, Russia is conducting a “systematic, intentional, and widespread” campaign of forced adoption and Russification. Many children are enrolled in organizations like Yunarmiya, or the “Young Army,” which trains minors in military skills and indoctrinates them with loyalty to the Kremlin.
Russia has also expanded its Warrior Center network, designed to prepare youth for military service. Previously, there was one center in each occupied region except for Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Recently, however, Russia opened a new center in Mariupol, the second in the occupied Donetsk Oblast.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Daria Shulzhenko
