"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 Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia during a press conference after their meeting at the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava, Slovakia on 28 April 2025 Robert Nemeti/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s Embassy in Slovakia on May 4 condemned what it called "anti-Ukrainian" remarks by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Russia could stage provocations during its May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
In a statement, the Ukrainian Embassy said it regretted Fico’s accusations and urged Slovak officials to "more carefully study, rewatch, and analyze" Zelensky’s statements.
Zelensky on May 3 said Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, warning Russia could orchestrate provocations, including "arsons, explosions, or other actions," and attempt to blame Ukraine. Russia is responsible for ensuring safety and security on its territory, Zelensky added.
Fico, who plans to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, had earlier denounced Zelensky for "threatening" foreign delegations, calling the remarks "unacceptable" and accusing the Ukrainian leader of disrespecting Russia’s role in defeating fascism in World War II.
The embassy said that Zelensky had only warned that Russia might exploit the parade to stage provocations and blame Ukraine, and therefore could not guarantee the safety of visiting foreign officials.
In its response, the Ukrainian Embassy said it viewed Fico’s remarks as "deeply regrettable," particularly amid ongoing Russian aggression.
"Regarding the need not to mix history with the present, the Embassy regrets to note that the current Russian aggression against Ukraine has returned to the scale of atrocities unseen since World War II, which Russia is now using solely to justify the war against our country," the embassy said.
"It should be remembered that during the Second World War, Ukrainian soldiers made a huge contribution to the victory over Nazism, having distinguished themselves with extraordinary heroism, bravery and self-sacrifice on all fronts," the statement read.
Highlighting Ukraine’s contribution to the Allied war effort, the embassy noted that six million Ukrainians fought against Nazism, both in the Soviet army and other Allied forces. The war, it said, claimed over eight million Ukrainian lives.
The embassy also pushed back against Fico’s calls for a ceasefire timed with the WWII anniversary, noting that Ukraine had already agreed to a full ceasefire on March 11, while Russia "constantly rejects this option and puts forward new demands, manipulates, escalates terror, and now offers a short truce for 3 days, which is not a serious path to peace."
Fico, a populist with pro-Russian leanings, is one of few European leaders set to attend Russia’s Victory Day amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
On May 9, Russia holds grandiose military parades in celebration of the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine and most European nations mark May 8 as Victory in Europe Day.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Anna Fratsyvir
