"(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.
Firefighters putting out fire at an industrial facility in Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 20, 2024, following a Russian missile attack. (State Emergency Service in Ternopil Oblast/Telegram)
An increased level of chlorine air concentration was detected in the western city of Ternopil following a Russian missile attack against an industrial facility on Aug. 20, authorities said.
Russia carried out the attack overnight, with a fire breaking out in a fuel and lubricant warehouse in an unspecified facility at 3 a.m. No casualties or injuries have been reported as a result of the strike.
Oksana Chaichuk, the head of the regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Ternopil's residents to limit exposure to open air and close windows.
"With a norm of 0.1 milligrams (of chlorine) per cubic meter (mg/m³), there is an excess of 0.4 to 1.01," Chaichuk said at a press briefing, adding that this means the chlorine air concentration is from four to 10 times higher than the norm.
Chlorine exposure can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and sore throat at lower concentration levels but can also cause more serious problems and death at higher levels.
Ternopil is a city in western Ukraine with a population of roughly 225,000. Lying hundreds of kilometers from the front line, the city is not a common target of Russian attacks.
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.
Massimo Diana
