"(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 general view of the Crimean Bridge which connects Russian-occupied Crimea and Russia's Krasnodar Krai on July 25, 2023. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This story was updated after the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the attack on Saky airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed that Ukraine hit Russia's Saky military airfield in occupied Crimea overnight on July 26 following media reports about explosions in the area.
The consequences of the attack are being clarified, the military said.
Following sounds of explosions heard by local residents, a fire was reported at the Saky military airfield in the town of Novofedorivka, western Crimea, the Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported.
The fire was allegedly caused by a strike on an ammunition depot at the airfield, according to Crimean Wind.
Russia uses the Saky airfield to control the airspace, in particular over the Black Sea, and to launch air strikes on Ukrainian territory, according to the General Staff's statement.
"The airfield was covered by 'modern' Russian air defense systems, which once again failed to protect an important Russian military facility," the General Staff said.
Earlier in the night, around 1 a.m. local time, multiple explosions were reported by residents in the western communities of Dobrushino, Novoozerne, as well as the city of Yevpatoria. Explosions were also heard in the southern city of Simferopol.
Residents reported seeing drones in the area of the reported explosions. Local occupation authorities in Sevastopol also reported Ukrainian drones overhead, as well as the threat of ballistic missiles in the region.
The occupied peninsula has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone and naval strikes, forcing Russian forces to withdraw much of its naval power and beef up air defenses.
A Ukrainian attack on occupied Crimea on July 23 resulted in a ferry used by Russian forces to transport military equipment being "seriously damaged," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
Kateryna Denisova
