"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.
An inscription reads "Kupiansk is Ukraine" on a billboard in Kupiansk on May 23, 2023 in Kharkiv Oblast. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov announced on Oct. 15 that local authorities would conduct mandatory evacuations of residents living in the city of Kupiansk, as well as three adjacent communities, amid ongoing Russian advances in the region.
Kupiansk is a crucial strategic city in Kharkiv Oblast that was temporarily occupied by Russian troops in 2022. In recent months, Kupiansk has been under heavy attacks as Russia intensified assault attempts in the area.
Russian forces have been considerably more active near Kupiansk over the past months, following Russia's attempted renewed Kharkiv offensive.
"Due to the security situation, a decision has been made to intensify evacuation measures for civilians in the Kupiansk district, including the city of Kupiansk," Syniehubov said on TV.
Syniehubov also said that the village of Borova, another strategic foothold for Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, would also be evacuated.
"The most difficult situation is in the Kupiansk sector. On the east bank of the Oskil River, which divides the city, we can no longer guarantee the restoration of electricity, heat and water supply due to constant shelling," Syniehubov said, adding that "repair crews immediately come under Russian fire" when attempting to conduct restoration work.
Russia has consistently attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure in an attempt to test Ukrainians' resolve through another cold winter.
Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russian had carried out 26 attacks near Kupiansk over the past day.
Russia continues to make marginal advances along difference axis of the front lines, capturing communities in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Asami Terajima
