"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 Russian Tupolev Tu-95 flies over Moscow during the general rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, 07 May 2022 (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia claimed it had damaged ground facilities at one of Ukraine's largest natural gas storage sites in Lviv Oblast during a series of missile and drone attacks on Jan. 15.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the attacks were retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian strike on a gas compressor station in Russia's Krasnodar region on Jan. 11, a key point for the TurkStream pipeline, the last conduit for Russian gas to Europe.
Russian attacks also occurred a day after Ukraine launched a series of strikes on Russian military and industrial facilities, including ammunition depots and refineries. Moscow has consistently targeted Ukraine's residential areas and energy infrastructure throughout the full-scale war, regardless of Ukraine's actions.
Lviv Oblast officials confirmed damage to critical infrastructure in two districts but reported no casualties. The acting CEO of Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz energy company, Roman Chumak, also confirmed that gas infrastructure was targeted but said that gas supplies were uninterrupted and repairs would be conducted swiftly.
The strikes, which included Kh-101, Kh-22, and Kalibr cruise missiles, were part of a broader assault on Ukraine's energy sector.
President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the timing and intent of the strikes, writing, "It's the middle of winter, and Russia's goal remains the same: our energy sector."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha previously praised Kyiv's decision to halt Russian gas transit as a critical measure to weaken the Kremlin's leverage over Europe. Ukraine ceased the transit through its territory on Jan. 1, aiming to avoid financing Moscow's war effort.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
