"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.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, talks during the forum 'Ukraine's Democratic Resilience During The War And Recovery' on February 11, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ihor Kuznietsov / Getty Images)
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced further dismissals of top city officials on March 13 amid a widening corruption probe into land dealings in the capital.
The dismissals follow revelations from Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), which released recordings of Kyiv officials allegedly involved in fraudulent land schemes.
"Regarding the latest high-profile news concerning the capital's land sector, the city provides law enforcement officers with all requested documents and facilitates the investigation," Klitschko wrote on Facebook.
The following officials are set to be dismissed: Ihor Dolinsky, director of the Kyiv Institute of Land Relations; Volodymyr Sharyi, director of the special housing fund; Viktor Pohrebnoi, director of the Financial Company Zhytloinvest; and Valentina Sviatina, deputy director of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture, Klitschko said.
Klitschko previously announced on Feb. 28 that Yurii Leonov, deputy director of the city's special housing fund, Oleksii Mushta, deputy head of an urban infrastructure management agency, and Petro Olenych, deputy head of the Kyiv City Administration, are also being fired.
Kyiv city council member and chairman of the land commission Mykhailo Terentiev has written a letter of resignation from the Engineering Center communal enterprise director post.
"Also, the Udar political party faction recalls him from the Kyiv council deputies," Klitschko added.
Investigators claim the suspects registered ownership of non-existent buildings to obtain land plots without a fair tender.
Olenych was previously detained in February, with the High Anti-Corruption Court setting bail at Hr 15 million (nearly $360,000). He was released on Feb. 21 and claimed that his family had borrowed money for bail while he planned to seek suspension from office during the investigation.
Authorities have charged 10 individuals in the case, seven of whom have been detained. The alleged mastermind, former Kyiv City Council member Denys Komarnytskyi, remains on Ukraine's wanted list.
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
